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When it comes to looking after your 4WD, you probably check your tyre pressures, top up your oil, and maybe even clean out or replace the air filter after a dusty trip. However, there’s one bit of maintenance that often gets missed on your 4WD – the wheel alignment.
Ignore it, and you’re looking at uneven tyre wear, dodgy steering, poor fuel economy, and in the long run, potential damage to your suspension and steering components. In other words, it matters. A lot.
A wheel alignment is all about adjusting your 4WD’s suspension geometry – specifically the angles of your wheels – to maximise your tyres’ contact patch with the road or track. The three big ones are:
Camber: Tilt of the tyre when viewed front-on
Castor: Angle of the steering pivot from side view
Toe: Direction tyres point when viewed from above
Get any of these out of whack from off-roading, hitting potholes, or brushing a kerb and you’ll feel it.
Even slight misalignment can throw your whole setup off. Look out for:
If you’re noticing any of the above in your 4WD, it’s time to book in your wheel alignment. And even if you’re not, getting a professional alignment once a year (or every 10,000–15,000km) is good practice. Especially if you spend time off-road.
Including a wheel alignment in your regular 4WD maintenance means you’ll get:
A proper alignment isn’t just a toe tweak and a tyre kick. A full service should include a comprehensive inspection of tyres, steering and suspension, digital adjustment of camber, caster and toe, and a printout showing what was corrected.
We can’t vouch for every workshop that offers wheel alignments, but Fulcrum Suspension was happy to provide us with pricing and also offer a full service for this price. We like them because they’ve been doing this since 1976 and are experts in 4WD alignment and suspension. Basically, they know what they’re doing and they don’t cost a fortune.
A 4WD wheel alignment might not be as exciting as a lift kit or new tyres, but it’s one of the smartest things you can do for your rig. Whether you’re heading off-road, towing a camper, or just doing the daily grind, it’s worth checking that your wheels are pointing exactly where they should be.
Great article – and couldn’t agree more.
However – towing a caravan or trailer – can also alter your wheel alignment.
Regularly getting your trailer or Caravan wheel alignment done is another MUST DO!!