# Can I have bad alignment even though the car drives straight?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-have-bad-alignment-even-though-the-car-drives-straight/505716>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 8, 2009, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-have-bad-alignment-even-though-the-car-drives-straight/505716 "2009-08-08T02:19:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![happywaffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ee59a6/32.png) [@happywaffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happywaffle)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-have-bad-alignment-even-though-the-car-drives-straight/505716/1 "2009-08-08T02:19:27Z")

</div>

I tried doing some technical research into how car alignment works, but all the geometry talk melted my brain. My basic question is this: last time I was getting my tires rotated, the guy noted some uneven wear from inside to outside, and said I should get my alignment checked. But if I take my hands off the wheel, the car drives straight.

Could I _still_ be misaligned?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-have-bad-alignment-even-though-the-car-drives-straight/505716/2 "2009-08-08T02:49:42Z")

</div>

I’m no car expert but I’d think that if your wheels were both toed in or out too much by the same amount then you’d get tyre wear problems with out having associated directional problems.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Discipline](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Discipline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Discipline)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-have-bad-alignment-even-though-the-car-drives-straight/505716/3 "2009-08-08T02:53:03Z")

</div>

There are quite a few axis around which your tires could be poorly aligned.

So, yes. Likely either toe (like your toes, pointing inward or outward) or camber (roll your foot to the inside or outside) misalignment.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-have-bad-alignment-even-though-the-car-drives-straight/505716/4 "2009-08-08T03:18:39Z")

</div>

> [@happywaffle](#):
>
> …if I take my hands off the wheel, the car drives straight.
> 
> Could I _still_ be misaligned?

Yes. Each of the main alignment parameters (caster, camber, toe-in) can affect the hands-off “aim” of the car. Corollary to that is that two or more items out of spec can cancel each other out.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-have-bad-alignment-even-though-the-car-drives-straight/505716/5 "2009-08-08T03:20:14Z")

</div>

But then, wouldn’t getting an alignment make her car pull right or left?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Silophant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Silophant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silophant)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-have-bad-alignment-even-though-the-car-drives-straight/505716/6 "2009-08-08T03:35:47Z")

</div>

Well, presumably an alignment would get them all in spec, so then it’d aim perfectly straight again.