Overview

Wheel alignment is part of standard automobile maintenance that consists of adjusting the angles of wheels so that they are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. The purpose of these adjustments is to reduce tire wear, and to ensure that vehicle travel is straight and true (without “pulling” to one side).  Alignment angles can also be altered beyond the maker’s specifications to obtain a specific handling characteristic. Motorsport and off-road applications may call for angles to be adjusted well beyond “normal”, for a variety of reasons.

An increasing number of modern vehicles have advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) such as electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control and traction control. These systems can be affected by mechanical alignment adjustments. This has led many manufacturers to require electronic resets for these systems, after a mechanical alignment is performed, ensure the wheel aligner you are considering to allow you to meet these safety requirements