Geometry
Wheel alignment
Alignment for cars, trucks and SUVs on Lyons Ave, and the reason a new set of tires either lasts or quietly scrubs itself away.
Chapter 01
What knocks a car out of alignment
Kerbs and potholes, mostly. Houston road surfaces do the rest over time. Nothing dramatic has to happen: a firm hit into an unseen pothole is enough to move the geometry far enough to start eating a tire.
The symptoms are a steady pull to one side on a flat road, a steering wheel that sits crooked when you are going straight, or uneven wear appearing across the shoulders of tires that are otherwise nearly new.
The alignment signage at the D H Tire Automotive Center in Houston
Setting it back where it should be
Alignment is the angles the wheels sit at relative to the road and to each other, principally toe, camber and caster. Toe is the one that destroys tires fastest, because even a small error drags the tire sideways a little on every rotation.
We check the suspension and steering components while the car is up, since a worn bushing or a tired tie rod end will not hold an alignment however carefully it is set. There is no sense selling an alignment that will not survive the drive home.
The Automotive Center is at 6903 Lyons Ave, and the number is (713) 234-0629. We also do front-end alignment for tractor-trailers on the commercial side, and there is a separate page for that.
Chapter 03
Do it with the new tires, not after
The best time to align a car is when a new set goes on. Fitting new rubber to a car with the geometry still out means the new tires start wearing in exactly the pattern that finished the old ones, which is an expensive way to find out.
After that, worth checking any time the car takes a serious hit, whenever a pull appears, or when the tread starts wearing unevenly. It is a small job that protects a much larger purchase.
D H Tire, Family owned in Houston since 1987. Call (713) 234-0629.