A wheel alignment sets the angles at which your wheels meet the road: toe, camber and, where it can be adjusted, caster. When those angles drift, after a pothole, a kerb or a set of worn steering parts, the car pulls, the steering wheel sits off centre and the tyres wear on one edge long before the middle is done. Tell us the vehicle and what you notice, and we pass your request to independent alignment workshops and tyre shops in your area. They quote you directly, free and with no obligation to book.
Toe, camber and caster in plain terms
Toe is whether the front of each wheel points in towards the other or out, seen from above. A little wrong toe scrubs the tread sideways and leaves a feathered edge you can feel with your palm. Camber is the tilt of the wheel at the top, in or out; too much wears the inner or outer shoulder. Caster is the backward lean of the steering axis, which helps the wheel return to centre after a turn. The workshop also checks the thrust angle, the direction the rear axle points, so the car does not crab down the road.
Two wheel or four wheel alignment?
A front or two wheel alignment adjusts the front toe and centres the steering. A four wheel alignment measures all four corners and adjusts the rear too where the car allows it, which many modern cars with independent rear suspension do. A bakkie with a solid rear axle usually only needs the front set, but the rear is still measured for thrust. Ask for a printout before and after: it shows each angle against the maker's figures, so you can see what was out and what was corrected. If the readings show a bent part or a worn tie rod end, a good shop will tell you before it adjusts anything, because an alignment on loose parts will not hold.
When to have it checked
- The car drifts on a straight, level road or the steering wheel is crooked
- The inner or outer edge of a tyre is wearing faster than the rest
- After a hard pothole or kerb hit, especially if a rim was bent and needed bent rim repair
- When you fit new tyres, so they start straight (see tyre fitment)
- After steering or suspension work
Many tyre shops suggest a check roughly every 10,000 km or once a year. A wobble at speed is usually balance, not alignment, so ask for wheel balancing at the same visit.
Fleet alignment and booking
An alignment usually takes under an hour on a car once it is on the lift, longer if adjusters are seized. For a fleet of bakkies or delivery vans, workshops can often schedule cars in batches early in the morning so they are back on the road by midday, and keep a record of each vehicle's readings. Tell them how many vehicles, the types and whether you want tyre wear noted on each one.
What to put in your request
- The vehicle type and its tyre size
- What you notice: pull, off-centre wheel, wear
- Two wheel or four wheel alignment
- Any recent pothole, kerb hit or new tyres
- How many vehicles if it is a fleet
Wheel Alignment for drivers, fleets and workshops
- Private car owners: a commuter car pulling left after a pothole, or a crooked steering wheel on the highway
- Enthusiasts, 4x4 and performance drivers: lowered or lifted cars and 4x4s set up to suit new wheels, tyres or suspension
- Company and rental fleets: batches of bakkies and vans aligned on a schedule with a record kept for each vehicle
- Dealers, panel shops and insurers: used cars aligned before sale so they drive straight on the test drive
- Tyre shops and wheel workshops: mechanics sending cars on for alignment after replacing steering or suspension parts
- Truck, bus and taxi operators: minibus taxis and light delivery vans whose front tyres wear out on the inside edge
- Farms: farm bakkies knocked out of line by ruts and gravel roads on the platteland
- Mines and construction sites: site LDVs on rough haul roads that wear tyres unevenly and need frequent checks
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if I need an alignment or balancing?
Can an alignment fix a car that still pulls after new tyres?
Why is the alignment out again a few weeks later?
Do you do the alignment yourselves?
Wheel Alignment by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg