Car & Light Truck Alignment in Washington, MO

Most people judge alignment by one thing: does the vehicle pull? There is a second test that gets far less attention, and it is just as easy to try.

Make a turn at low speed, then relax your grip on the wheel as you straighten out. In a vehicle with healthy geometry, the steering wheel returns toward center on its own. In one with a problem, it stays where you left it, or drifts back slowly and has to be helped the rest of the way.

That self-centering comes largely from caster, one of the three angles an alignment sets. It is the angle most people have never heard of, and it is the one that makes a vehicle feel settled at highway speed. A vehicle with too little caster, or with uneven caster from side to side, wanders, needs constant small corrections, and tires the driver on a long run.

Caster is set by where the suspension mounts and how the parts sit. A hard pothole, a bent control arm, worn bushings or sagging springs can all move it. A pickup that carries a heavy load in the bed for long periods can shift it too, because the rear sits lower and tilts the front geometry.

Describe the feel, not just the pull. "Does not return to center after a turn," "needs constant correction on the highway," or "wanders on a crowned road" each point the technician somewhere specific.

If worn parts are behind it, they need replacing before the alignment will hold, and suspension repair is at this store. A vibration rather than a wander is more often tire and wheel balancing. The national alignment page covers how the check works.

Fenton and De Soto also align cars and light trucks.

The Washington store carries all nine Purcell tire categories and is managed by Kurt Kottwitz.

See the national car and light truck alignment page for all 40 locations.