IS IT TIME FOR NEW TIRES ON MY CAR ?

Coming out to a flat tire on your car is enough to cause a bad day, but having a tire blow out while driving can cause a disaster. You can reduce the likelihood of such a situation by replacing your car tires as needed.

Its Time for New Tires If:

• Rough Ride
• Unsure Steering
• Shiny Metal Showing
• No Tread Worn Slick Tires
• Uneven Tread Wear Across Tires
• Cracks or Lumps on Sides of Tires** Alignment advised with new tire installations
  ** Unequal Air Pressure’s can cause noise and steering problems

Auto Alignment Does Save Me Money and Increase Safety

The two most often asked questions when it comes to new tires are:

“Do I have to have them balanced?” followed by, “Does it need an alignment too?”

We understand why consumers ask these questions. Tire balancing coupled with wheel alignment can be expensive. So let’s look at why balancing new tires and performing a wheel alignment are necessary.

If you’re wondering whether your car needs an alignment, first look at your tires. Uneven tire wear — often, more wear on the outside of some tires — is a prime indicator that your car is likely out of alignment.

Here are a few more indicators:

• Rough Ride
• your steering wheel vibrates
• you are driving straight, but your steering wheel isn’t centered
• your car seems to be drifting to one side, even when you think you’re driving straight

If none of these indicators occurs but it’s been a while since your last alignment, check your owner’s manual to see how often the manufacturer recommends having this service.
An out-of-alignment car is a common result of everyday driving. But the term alignment doesn’t really refer to your car’s wheels but rather to the suspension. As part of normal driving, parts of your car’s suspension may become worn, and springs can be stretched out. Even a small accident or bumping a curb can disrupt your suspension, knocking some of the highly calibrated components off-kilter, making your wheels sit at improper angles. An alignment restores these angles to their correct measurements, making sure that your wheels sit straight.
The most visible benefit of an alignment is less tire wear. And when tires do wear down, they’ll do so evenly on a properly aligned suspension. Tires can be quite expensive — easily $100 or more per tire. Having an alignment performed on your vehicle will increase tire life and the drivability safety of your vehicle, making it a cost-effective procedure that should be part of regular car maintenance [source: Consumer Reports].
An alignment will ensure that your car drives straight and handles properly, making your ride safer. You’ll also get better gas mileage because your tires will be properly aligned with the road, decreasing resistance.

What happens during an alignment?
A car alignment is actually an elaborate process that brings the car’s suspension into its proper configuration, positioning and adjusting components so that wheels are aligned with one another and the road surface. The alignment should be performed by an experienced mechanic, who uses an alignment machine.
Newer alignment machines feature clamplike devices that are attached to the wheels of the car (which is raised up in the air) and that link to a computer that helps make precise measurements. The mechanic will also take this opportunity to make sure that no suspension components are excessively worn or broken.
An alignment essentially requires squaring a car’s wheels and axles with each other so that they’re moving in the same direction. The mechanic adjusts the various suspension angles — known as toe, thrust, camber and caster — that influence tire movement and position. The technician will also ensure that the steering wheel is centered.
Each car’s manufacturer designates standard angles for the alignment, specified in degrees. If you’re a driver of a high-performance car or sports car, your mechanic may be able to align your suspension to improve handling and tire performance, but such an alignment still may lead to uneven tire wear.
The type of alignment you receive will depend on your car’s suspension. A four-wheel alignment is reserved for all-wheel drive vehicles or front-wheel drive vehicles with independent or adjustable rear suspensions. In this case, both axles have to be properly aligned so that all four wheels align in a rectangle, parallel to one another and perpendicular to the ground.
If you don’t have a four-wheel or all-wheel drive vehicle, your car will likely only require a front-end alignment, in which only the front-axle components are adjusted, or a thrust-angle alignment. Thrust angle refers to the angle that a car’s rear wheels point relative to the car’s center. In such an alignment, the rear wheels and axle are realigned so as to be parallel with the front axle and perpendicular to the center line of the car.

Reprint from
Silverman, Jacob. “How do I know when my car needs to be realigned?” 05 October 2009. HowStuffWorks.com. 26 August 2012.

Q & A: Frequently-asked questions
about the NC state electronic inspection program

1. Why did we change the way we perform safety and emissions inspections?
In the past, vehicle owners would receive a windshield sticker to note the vehicle had
passed its inspection. Now, you no longer receive a windshield sticker. Your vehicle
inspection date is due no more than 90 days before your plate expires.

2. What does this system achieve for vehicle owners, for the environment, for the
state?
Because owners cannot renew their vehicle’s registration until after it has passed its
safety and/or emissions inspection, the state expects inspection compliance to increase
to 97 percent. Increased compliance means vehicles will be kept in better running order
and vehicle emissions will be properly controlled.

3. What are safety and emissions inspection fees?
Safety inspection fees are $13.60. Emissions inspection fees, which include safety
inspections, cost $30.00.

4. How is the program electronic?
The program is electronic because a record of the vehicle’s inspection is entered into
the DMV’s vehicle registration database. DMV license tag agencies and law
enforcement personnel use this database to look up information about your vehicle,
such as its license tag number and registration information. The database is updated
anytime an inspection occurs.

5. How does the electronic inspection program work?
When you go to get your inspection, the mechanic will inspect and test your vehicle, you
will pay for the inspection and receive a receipt and inspection report. A record of your
vehicle’s inspection is entered electronically into the DMV vehicle registration database.
Your next inspection will be due the same month your vehicle registration renewal is
due and must be obtained no more than 90 days before your plate expires.

6. How will I know when my next inspection is due?
Vehicle owners will receive an annual vehicle registration renewal notice to renew their
license plate and/or license tag sticker. The renewal notice will also indicate when your
vehicle is due for inspection.

7. What happens if I do not get my vehicle inspected by the due date indicated?
Your vehicle registration will be automatically blocked until the vehicle is inspected. This
means that you must get your vehicle inspected before you renew your registration.

8. Which should I get first, my inspection or my vehicle registration?
Your vehicle must pass inspection before its registration can be renewed. You must
have your vehicle inspected no more than 90 days before your plate expires.

9. How will the police know that my vehicle has passed inspection?
A record of the inspection will appear on the DMV computer database that police now
use to check registration information about vehicles.

10. How will I get a license plate for a new vehicle I just purchased?
A new vehicle must be inspected before it is sold at retail in this state. Upon purchase,
you will be provided a receipt certifying inspection compliance. The inspection
conducted prior to your purchase is valid until the license plate is due for renewal.

11. How will I get a license plate for a used vehicle I just purchased from a dealer?
A used vehicle must be inspected before it is offered for sale at retain in this state. Upon
purchase, you will be provided a receipt certifying compliance. The inspection
conducted prior to your purchase is valid until the license plate is due for renewal.

12. I purchased a used vehicle from an individual, not a dealer. How do I get my
license plate?
A used vehicle acquired from a private sale in this state must be inspected before it is
registered unless it has received a passing inspection within the previous 12 months.

13. I have an unregistered vehicle that I now wish to drive. What do I need to do?
An unregistered vehicle must be inspected before the vehicle can be registered.

14. If the registration cannot be issued until it is inspected, and I can’t drive the
vehicle to the inspection station, how do I legally get the car in compliance?
DMV may issue a 10-day permit to a person that authorizes him/her to drive an insured
vehicle for the purpose of inspection and registration. You should contact your local
license plate agency or License and Theft Bureau office for the permit. Office addresses
and phone numbers are available at www.ncdot.org/dmv under “Office Locations.”

15. My vehicle is due for inspection, but I will be out of the state. What do I do?
A person who is out of state may obtain an emissions inspection in the jurisdiction
where the vehicle is located in lieu of an inspection in North Carolina as long as it meets
the requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (40 C.F.R 51).

16. I’m moving from a non-emissions county to an emissions county. Do I have to
have my vehicle inspected again?
No. You will not have to get your vehicle inspected until the current registration expires.

17. I’m moving to North Carolina from another state. Will my vehicle need to be
inspected before I obtain my North Carolina license plate?
You will be allowed to register the vehicle without an inspection. When your next annual
registration renewal is due, you must have the vehicle inspected to renew your
registration.

18. Are some older vehicles exempt from an emissions inspection?
Yes. If a vehicle is a model 1995 or older, it is exempt from having an emissions
inspection. However, it will still need to have a safety inspection.

19. My vehicle is 35 years old or older. Do I need to have it inspected?
No. Vehicles that are 35 years old or older are exempt from North Carolina safety and
emissions inspections.

20. Does a heavy-duty vehicle require an emissions inspection?
A vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) greater than 8,500 pounds
requires only a safety inspection.

21. I have permanent plates on my vehicle. When is my inspection due?
Permanent-plated vehicles must be inspected between January and December of every
year, but their inspections are not synchronized with registration renewal. The date the
inspection is conducted will not affect the vehicle’s registration, as long as the
inspection occurs on a yearly basis.

FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
NORTH CAROLINA INSPECTION PROGRAM,
CALL 877-421-0020