Most alignment trouble shows up two ways: the car pulls, or the tires wear unevenly.
An alignment sets the angles your wheels meet the road at. When those angles drift, often after a pothole or a curb, the car starts pulling to one side and the tires wear on one edge. You can spot most of it yourself on the drive to work.
On a straight, flat road, loosen your grip for a second. A car in good alignment holds its line. One that drifts left or right every time you try it is telling you something.
Check the tire pressures first. One low tire can cause a pull too (the tire pressure guide covers how to check). Roads also slope slightly toward the shoulder for drainage, so test on the flattest stretch you can find.
If the logo on your steering wheel is tilted while you're driving straight, the wheels and the steering have drifted apart. If it showed up right after a hard hit, that's your answer.
Run your hand across the tread. Wear on the inner or outer edge points to alignment, and so do tread blocks that feel smooth one way and sharp the other. That second pattern is called feathering. Our new tire signs guide has more on reading wear.
A pothole or a curb can knock the alignment out or bend a part, and an Ontario spring delivers plenty of potholes. If the car drives differently afterward, have it checked, even if nothing looks bent.
Tires that squeal on gentle turns, or steering that wanders, can both mean alignment trouble. Worn steering or suspension parts cause the same symptoms, and a good alignment shop checks those first.
A vibration in the steering wheel that shows up around highway speed and eases as you slow down points to a wheel out of balance. Pulling and edge wear point to alignment.
Balancing is a driveway job.
We balance wheels on a machine in the trailer, the same as a shop does. An alignment needs a shop's alignment rack, so that one belongs at a garage. At your changeover, we'll look over the wear and tell you if it points to an alignment.
Next time you're on an empty stretch of road, ease off the wheel for a second and watch where the car goes.
Last updated: September 2026
The most common are a car that pulls to one side and tires that wear faster on one edge. A steering wheel that sits off-centre on a straight road is another.
Balancing evens out the weight around each wheel so it spins smoothly, and a wheel out of balance shakes at highway speed. Alignment sets the angles the wheels meet the road at, and a bad one makes the car pull and wears tires unevenly.
Yes. A hard hit on a pothole or a curb can shift the alignment or bend a part. If the car drives differently afterward, have it checked.
No. Alignments need a shop's alignment rack. We do balance wheels on site, and at every changeover we'll tell you if the tire wear points to an alignment.