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When it comes to car insurance, GET THE WHOLE PICTURE Competitive rates are just part of the picture. With a State Farm agent, you get personal service and the money saving discounts you deserve. Talk to me today. Lora Greene, Agent 211 Guelph Street, Unit 6 Georgetown, ON L7G 5B5 Bus: 905-873-1615 lora@loragreene.ca State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company Aurora, Ontario statefarm.ca P050446CN 11/05 WHEELS May 23, 2008 9 That curb you bumped while negotiating an icy corner last winter might not appear to have done any damage, but chances are your vehicle is a candidate for an alignment check. If you hit it or that frost-heave or spring thaw pothole hard enough, you might notice your vehicle no longer tracks straight and tends to pull to one side, particularly while braking. In a severe case your steering wheel might even be askew. But in most cases wheel misalignment is more subtle and often goes unnoticed until it becomes obvi- ous through unusual tire wear patterns. When a vehicle leaves the factory its wheels are aligned in a geometric relation- ship with the actions of the suspension and steering. The main settings, known as cam- ber, caster and toe-in and ride height, deter- mine how it will react during acceleration, braking, turning, hitting bumps or just rolling down the highway. Tire tread wear patterns are a clear visual clue to bad alignment and are easy to detect, but only after theyve become established, by which time youve usually ruined an expen- sive set of tires. A simple check can be conducted using a coin to measure tread depth on the inside, centre and outside of the tire. If the tread is deeper on the edges than the centre, the tire has been running over-inflated. If the tread is deeper in the centre than the edges, its been running under-inflated. Simply inflating them to the correct pressure can solve these problems. If the tread is deeper on one side than the other, however, you have a camber problem. Another check involves running your hand over the tire. If you find the sur- face is smooth in one direction and jagged in the other, youve likely discovered the saw- tooth wear pattern related to a toe-in prob- lem. In both case professional attention is required. Car Care Canada recommends having an annual alignment and suspension compo- nents check-over. It could save you the cost of replacing prematurely worn tires, and will ensure your vehicle operates safely in ane- mergency. Car Care Canada Frost-heaves and potholes a recipe for a realignment Drinking and Driving Can Distort Life. Drink and drive, and your life may never be the same again. You not only risk your life when you drink and drive, you also risk losing your license, incurring expensive fines, doing time in jail or even causing injury or death to an inno- cent bystander. With all these conse- quences facing you, driving under the influence is the worst decision you can make. Dont take chances with drinking and driving; theres always a bet- ter alternative.