The wheels on your car should be in alignment so the front set line up perfectly with the rear ones. If the wheels are poorly aligned, it can cause greater resistance when you drive. Greater resistance increases the wear on your tyres and decreases fuel efficiency. It could also make it difficult to control the car, which could put your life in danger. Below are 6 signs that your tyres are misaligned that you should watch out for.

Your car pulls to the left or right

If you feel the steering wheel pulling to one side as you drive down a straight road, as if your car wants to veer off to the left or right and you have to apply pressure to the wheel to counter act it, this is a classic sign that your wheels are out of alignment.

Difficulty turning the steering wheel

If you experience any difficultly or resistance when you turn the steering wheel, this could be due to a problem with the alignment of your wheels.

Your tyres are worn on one edge

Misaligned wheels can increase the wear on one edge of a tyre. If when you are inspecting your tyres, you notice increased wear on the inside or outside edge, it is highly likely you have misaligned wheels.

The car is crab walking

If someone else is driving the vehicle, you should watch them as they depart. If the body of the car seems to move sideways even though they are driving in a straight line, moving in the same way a crab does, this suggest that the alignment of the wheel not centred.

Slow recovery after turning

If after you have made a turn, the steering wheel should promptly return to a central position without feeling difficult to control or loose. If it does not, this could be a sign of a problem with the wheel alignment, and you will need to have the car inspected, as it could be unsafe to drive.

A misaligned logo

Many motor vehicle companies will have their logo embossed onto the centre of the steering wheel. This should be horizontal. If the logo looks as if it is slightly off centre, this is suggestive of problems with the car's wheel alignment.

If you have any concerns about the alignment of your tyres or the handling of your car when you drive, you should immediately have it inspected by a professional tyre service centre that does wheel alignments who will be able to inspect your vehicle and carry out any necessary maintenance work.