Alignment
The alignment of a vehicle is the adjustment of its suspension to set the wheels and tires to the optimum angles for performance and tire life. Toe is a measurement of how far off from straight ahead that each tire is pointing. In order to have good stability and tire wear, a small amount of toe is desired. Excessive toe can cause outside edge wear and negative toe can cause inside edge wear, tramlining, and poor stability. Camber is a measurement of the tilt of each tire from vertical. A small amount of camber is desired in order to provide even tire wear and good handling. Too little camber can cause outside edge wear and too much camber can cause inside edge wear. The factory alignment settings are intended BMW’s best guess at a compromise between wear and handling. Because your actual driving may differ from this balance, tire life can almost always be improved by aligning the car based on observed tire wear. Between that and our bumpy and pothole covered streets, an alignment every 3-5 years can help extend the useful life of your tires.