Also known as a car or front-end alignment, a wheel alignment is a critical adjustment performed to ensure that your Acura tracks straight and true as you cruise down the road. Poor alignment can cause premature tire wear, suspension failure, unsafe operation, excessive steering wheel play, driver fatigue and more.

Proper car, truck or SUV operation is a balancing act that depends on a combination of power, acceleration, steering and braking. It requires proper alignment specifications and well-maintained suspension components. Tires, steering mechanisms, shock absorbers and springs must work properly with each other for continued reliable service.

Simply put, a vehicle that is out of alignment means that your wheels are pointing in different directions. This, in turn, causes accelerated and uneven tire wear as well as causing your vehicle to pull to the right or the left. The good news? This situation is easily correctible. Your local Volvo service department, tire retailer or local automotive service center is ready and able to straighten things out for you.

Precise wheel alignment does not last for the life of your car. Even a brand-new vehicle can have a chance encounter with a curb or pothole. These impacts can cause your vehicle to fall out of alignment instantaneously. In most cases, alignment can degrade gradually and almost imperceptibly over time as components start to show wear.

In the past, as with body-on-frame vehicles and those having non-independent rear suspensions, front-end alignment was usually all you needed to have you on the straight and narrow again. With today’s unibody designs and multilink independent rear suspensions, four-wheel alignment is recommended to have all tires working together and tracking in the same direction.

Depending on the adjustments available on your vehicle, alignment is a procedure that involves adjusting the camber, the outward or inward tilt of the tires when view head-on; caster, a front or rear tilt when viewed from the side; and toe, which way your tires are pointed when viewed from above. Toe-in means they are pointed inward, toe-out means they are turning away from each other.

Tire alignment services require specialized equipment and trained technicians who have the proper tools to diagnose, repair, replace and properly align your vehicle. It’s not an easy fix like changing your motor oil and should be done by a dealership or repair shop.

While they check alignment, consult with them on wheel balancing, as well. Vibrations can crop up from an out of balance tire, which in turn causes excessive tire wear. With so many components responsible for specific causes and subsequent affects, it’s a good idea to have all these exams and services performed at the same time.

Here’s how you can tell: Maybe your Volvo drifts left or right, especially when you apply the brakes. Or you notice you need a lot of steering effort while driving down the highway to keep you in your lane. Or you may feel a bit of shimmy and shake from the steering wheel. These are all clear signs that you may need an alignment.

A vehicle out of alignment can result in excessive tire wear. When the wheels aren’t lined up straight, there’s a constant scuff that works against normal tread wear. You’ll notice that the tire tread is disappearing prematurely and unevenly across the tire’s surface. This also can cause a loss of traction, especially in wet conditions. Uneven tire wear, if ignored, can also contribute to premature tire failure or a blowout.

Imperfections in the road surfaces could be your vehicle’s worst enemy in keeping proper alignment. If you regularly drive on poorly maintained roads or one riddled with potholes or accidentally hit a curb or a parking bumper, you may knock your Volvo out of alignment.

But even before you take the car in, perform a check of your tire’s inflation. Having one tire measure substantially more or less than what the owner’s manual calls for could cause the same effect of drifting left or right or vibration in the steering.

Experts recommends an alignment check every six months or 6,000 miles, whichever comes first. Regardless, don’t let your vehicle go more than 10,000 miles without having someone check the alignment. It’s a good idea to have your tires checked for alignment bi-annually, or any time you have your tires rotated.

The other time you should absolutely have your tires aligned is when you replace them. Properly balanced and aligned when placed on your vehicle, this will ensure they wear evenly from the start. Placing new tires on an improperly aligned vehicle will end up costing you more in the long run, because your new tires will continue to wear in the same manner as the previous set.