Do you need an alignment?Your car shakes while driving down the highway, the steering wheel vibratio...

1. Steering wheel vibration, car shakes
Do you need an alignment?
Your car shakes while driving down the highway, the steering wheel vibration is driving you crazy,
and without even realizing it, it's causing you to feel tired. It can be quite exhausting holding onto a
steering wheel that is violently shaking or even shaking just a little. You need an alignment on your
car, right? Wrong! I hear this from customers all the time; they pull into the garage and say "I need
to have an alignment on my car because my steering wheel is shaking while driving on the highway."
The truth is an alignment has nothing to do with your car shaking or your steering wheel vibrating.
If you tell your mechanic you need and alignment, and they don't ask the question "why" find a new
mechanic. A good mechanic will always ask why you need work done on your car, they do this to
extract more information from you as a customer, so they can make an educated decision whether or
not you really need the work done or not. Fixing the problem on the first visit to the garage is a top
mechanics goal.
Tires are out of balance
The number one reason your tires shake or your steering wheel vibrates is simple, your tires are out
of balance. Tires take a beating, hitting potholes, bridge expansion joints, and curbs are just a few
examples of tire abuse. Hitting any one of these objects could knock off a wheel weight, dent a rim,
or cause a bubble in the sidewall of the tire, causing it to be out of balance. If you lose a wheel
weight, it's an easy fix; you just need to have your tire balance and the local garage. Denting a rim or
causing damage to a tire could end up costing you more money than a simple tire balance.
Snow and ice can
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w.html cause a steering wheel shake
Another common cause of steering wheel vibration or car shake is having something logged in a tire
like a click here large bolt or any metal object picked up from the roads surface. I have seen tools
like wrenches and screwdrivers that have impaled a tire; it's not common, but it does happen. If you
live in an area that has snow, plowing through a snow bank could cause snow and ice to become
trapped in the rim or wheel and cause a serious steering wheel vibration, to fix this, just rinse out
the snow and ice with a garden hose or pressure washer.
Low tire pressure can cause your car to shake
Low tire pressure is another common cause of steering wheel vibration or car shake. Having low tire
pressure can cause a number of problems like; poor fuel mileage, abnormal tire wear, vibrations,
blowouts, tire edge wear, chopping, and the list goes on. A quick check of your tire pressures can
benefit you in many ways, and could actually save you money in the long run. When the
temperatures outside start getting colder or drop below 30 deg, I recommend raising the tire
pressures about 3 psi than where you would normally keep them. Cold outside temperatures will
cause the tire pressures to drop, so keep an eye on your tire pressures in colder temperatures.

2. 4 Wheel alignments or alignments
Having and alignment done on your car will not stop a steering wheel vibration or car shake.
Alignments only realign the tires so they are all pointing in the proper direction while driving down
the road. Having an alignment at least once a year is good preventative maintenance for your
vehicle, if you live in an area with poor road conditions like potholes and large cracks in the road
surface or you drive extensively on dirt roads, I highly recommend an alignment once a year.
Don't be afraid to ask questions or leave comments. There is so such thing as stupid questions, so
just ask, and I will get back to you asap.