[cw30000]

How do I know if my car is out of alignment?

I recently notice that my car is drifting right most of the time when driving. I don't know if I have an alignment problem or being paranoia. It takes a good 3 to 5 seconds on 30 mph go from the far left of the lane to the far right of the lane if I let go of the steering wheel.

If I have my hand on wheel, I don't feel the drift or any pressure while driving straight. Driving fine when I am doing 85 or 90 on the freeway.

I checked the tire pressure and tread, it is balance and even.

It is a 09 EXL with 20k on it.

Thanks

 

[txaggie]

Is the road completely straight and level? Find a nice little stretch of highway that is straight and level and do the same test at 60mph. I personally like a little drift to the right.

Having said that, your experience at only 30mph seems like there might be something wrong with the alignment. Confirm at a higher speed.

 

[Boogety Boogety]

Drop in mileage.
Uneven tire wear: Cupping, for instance.
Drifting on a level road (most roads are crowned, find a flat section of highway, but also keep in mind, most highways are sloped for water drainage).
Squealing on turns.
High-speed vibration.
Etc. etc. etc.

Or, just take the vehicle in and have the alignment place tell you if it needs alignment or not. Pay for the check-up happily, and align if needed, knowing they saved you thousands of miles of tire wear and who knows how much in wasted fuel... D

 

[cw30000]

Thanks Boogety.

I took your advice and bring it into a local shop. The mech the tread does wear a little more (very light, can hardly see it) but the alignment is fine. Just need to rotate the tires.

Thanks all.