Saw this and decided to share.

"Every driver expects his/her vehicle to have a straight steering wheel and travel in a straight line, without deviation, unless they’re turning. Many motorists don’t realise the importance of proper wheel alignment on their automobiles.

Drivers take for granted that nothing much will happen to their tyres other than an occasional puncture. The truth is that it is very important that we regularly get our wheels aligned, and it should preferably be done when we get the vehicle serviced.

Correct alignment is critical to safely controlling your vehicle, braking stability, extending tyre life and ensuring a comfortable ride. The complexity of modern suspension systems requires careful measurements at all four wheels and precise adjustments.

If you experience any of the symptoms below, ensure you have an alignment inspection.

—Your steering wheel is not straight when driving on a level road

—You hear unusual noises in your suspension system

—The vehicle wanders from one side of a lane to the other

—Your vehicle pulls or drifts to one side when traveling in a straight line or when braking

—You feel vibration in the steering wheel or through your vehicle’s seat

—The vehicle’s steering feels loose

—You haven’t had a wheel alignment in a long period of time

—Your tyres are wearing out unevenly

—Tyres are squealing on turns.

To have you tire well aligned will ensure the following:

Caring about the environment

In today’s “Green” world, so much talk have been focus on saving the environment, and the burning of fossil fuels are a major cause of pollution. This is one way of doing our bit by using a little less fuel.

Save fuel

When the wheels of the car are not aligned properly, there is uneven pressure on the tyres. They tend to push against each other. When that happens the car faces uneven friction and much more resistance from the road surface. This means that your car has to work much harder to move forward and more fuel is burned than normal.
When there is proper wheel alignment, there is much less resistance from the road surface. This results in a smoother drive and possibly some saving on your fuel consumption.

Wear and tear of tyres

The importance of proper wheel alignment can prolong the wear and tear of your tyre and save you some cost on changing your tyre often.
More resistance to the road surface means more pressure on the rubber of your tyres, which leads to quick wear and tear on the tires. It results in the tyre becoming bald on one side and the tyres becoming uneven. It is also dangerous to drive on uneven tires.

Safety

Safety factor is of utmost importance. If you have badly aligned wheels, you are taking unnecessary risks of causing accidents to yourself and others. A little money spent occasionally on wheel alignment can bring you a peace of the mind.

Lead to other problems

A car with badly aligned wheels will also lead to other connected problems. Your brake shaft does not work to optimal levels, uneven tires cause problems in the steering system and it will adversely affect the suspension of your car. The suspension in a car is made up of complicated and delicately balanced parts and it is very costly to replace them.

Signs to get your wheels aligned

An indicator of the necessity to align your car wheel is when you find that your car steering is pointing straight forward and the car veers to the right or left. The other indicator is that one of the tire is worn out more than other.

The rule of thumb is that you should get you wheels aligned once every 6,000 miles or every six months, whichever is earlier.

Note that wheel alignment is not the same as wheel balancing. Wheel balancing is simply adjusting the balance between the tire and the rim. Do not be confused between the two."

http://punchng.com/2015/11/4859