Do I need a wheel alignment?

[Vibe2009]

Ok, I had my 09 vibe for 1.5 yrs now with 14,000 kms... Should I do a alignment? It had been though two hash winter already and I worry the alignment might be off...How often do you guys do it?

[Wolfman213]

I'm not an expert by all means, just want to chime in till the ones with more know-how can. I believe that you don't need an alignment unless you have either, done suspension work or are actually feeling something or noticing an issue of it pulling to one side while on a flat road.

[djkeev]

Up to you, Are you concerned with getting uber miles out of your tires and preventing unwanted front end wear and odd driving characteristic?IF you answer yes, go get the alignment checked. Some tire shops will sell you a "lifetime" alignment for considerably more than just one. Ask them about it, what are the "buts" and "ifs" that disqualify you from the service.Opinions are all over the board on this one. I tend to put it off, don't want to spend the cash, it's running fine, etc. If I see any funny wear on the tread or the car feels different, I'll probably take it in. I've got in excess of 60,000 on it now.If I need new tires sooner, so be it. They tend to go "funny" as the years tick by getting noisy and rough, and new ones are always a joy to have.I'll also add that IF you have hit craters of pot holes or drive on some really rough roads all of the time, you might consider more frequent checking of it.Dave

[vibedrivermatt]

My vibe has nearly 17000 miles on it and the alignment still feels fine. I've always gauged how good my alignment is by feel. Some older crappy cars that I used to drive had bad alignment and it feels like the wheel is off center and you've got to hold it up to keep the car going straight. Do you think the alignment is off for any particular reason? Is your vibe doing that?my vibe goes nice and straight when I'm rolling down the road. No need to hold the wheel up. I like to test my alignment by driving at a good speed on a straight away and letting go of the wheel, then watching what happens. Although certain roads like interstates aren't good to test for this. Those roads are built with a shallow roof shape. Each side is sloped down slightly so that rain water can run off the road and go to the sides. If your driving on this and let go of the wheel, your vibe will also want to slightly turn down the slope, sometime giving people false impression of bad alignment. try this on a highway that's straight and has no slope. I did, I let go of the wheel and the vibe tracks straight like an arrow. Also I've seen a noted improvement in how well it does this after putting in an aftermarket strut brace.you might wanna check the maintenance schedule to see how often the alignments supposed to get checked too.

[zionzr2]

unless you see noticeable signs of irregular wear or pulling to one side or another you probably dont need one done.However if you are concerned, some shops from time to time offer free alignment checks to see if you are in spec or not.

[Vibe2009]

I think the car drive ok.... The fact that I had hit the wheel a few times over the pass few months kind of worries me... Might have knock the alignment out...

[cptnsolo77]

Everytime I went to Tire Kingdom to get a oil change/tire rotation they told me I needed a alignment. I check my tire pressures on a weekly basis & never saw any irregular wear. Needless to say my tires wore down to the wear indicator perfectly even on all four tires and lasted about 40K...the car was bought used and so were the tires lol.You can always have it checked but if you dont see any irregular wear or car doesnt pull left or right you should be fine. Doesnt hurt to get it checked out but keep in mind that all shops are not honest.

[vibolista]

It's tough to find a perfectly flat road, but on the flattest piece of road, at a steady speed and light winds, see if your Vibe tracks straight. If you have to hold the steering wheel to keep a straight line, then you might want to check alignment. Crowned roads will not allow you to do this test. The next thing is much tougher... finding a reliable alignment shop... and a good technician to do the work. A well aligned car, with well balanced tires, that are rotated at normal intervals, will give you the maximum miles from the tread. And it makes the car safer and more fun to drive. Here in Maine, our roads get so bad from Spring break up, that a late spring alignment is not a bad thing to do... especially if you happen to hit a big pothole or two.