Wheel Alignment in Mitcham, South London
Hunter HawkEye Elite precision — the same system used by main dealers and motorsport teams. We measure to hundredths of a degree and give you the printout to prove it.
Your car is telling you something.
Maybe it's pulling to the left on a straight road. Maybe the steering wheel sits slightly off-centre when you're driving forward. Or maybe you've just replaced your tyres and they're already wearing unevenly on one edge. These aren't minor annoyances.
Misalignment doesn't announce itself dramatically. It works quietly — wearing your tyres faster on one side, making your engine work harder, pulling your steering subtly off course. By the time you notice, you've already spent money you didn't need to.
A tyre with just 2mm of toe misalignment can lose up to 10,000 miles of its usable life. That's a new set of tyres you'll be buying far sooner than you should.
What Wheel Alignment Actually Means
Three angles. All of them matter.
Wheel alignment — sometimes called tracking — refers to the angles at which your tyres contact the road. Three primary angles define alignment: toe, camber, and caster. Each affects how your vehicle handles, how your tyres wear, and how much fuel your engine burns to maintain speed.
Toe
Most commonly adjusted
Whether your tyres point slightly inward (toe-in) or outward (toe-out) when viewed from above. Even a small deviation causes the tyre to scrub sideways as it rolls forward — wearing the inner or outer edge far faster than the centre.
Camber
Inward/outward tilt
The inward or outward tilt of the tyre when viewed from the front. Excessive camber — whether by design or damage — causes uneven wear on the inner or outer shoulder of the tyre and affects cornering grip.
Caster
Steering axis angle
The angle of the steering axis when viewed from the side. When it's off, the car feels unstable at speed or requires constant steering correction to drive straight. Most drivers never think about caster until it's wrong.
Important: All three angles interact. Adjusting one affects the others. That's why precise measurement matters — and why camera-based systems like the Hunter HawkEye Elite produce better results than older sensor-based equipment.
2-Wheel or 4-Wheel Alignment: Which Do You Need?
The right choice depends on your vehicle's drivetrain and suspension design. We'll tell you which is appropriate — and we won't sell you 4-wheel alignment if 2-wheel is all your car needs.
2-Wheel Alignment
Front-axle alignment for vehicles with a solid rear axle — most front-wheel-drive cars. We adjust the front wheels to manufacturer specification while using the rear axle as the reference point.
Suitable for:
Most hatchbacks, saloons, and city cars with a non-adjustable rear suspension.
- Front-wheel-drive vehicles
- Non-adjustable rear suspension
- Most budget-friendly option
4-Wheel Alignment
Full alignment of all four wheels — required for vehicles with independent rear suspension. We measure and adjust all four corners to manufacturer specification, ensuring the entire vehicle tracks correctly.
Suitable for:
AWD vehicles, SUVs, performance cars, and any vehicle with adjustable rear suspension.
- All-wheel-drive vehicles
- Independent rear suspension
- SUVs and performance cars
Why the Hunter HawkEye Elite Changes the Result
Not all alignment equipment is equal. The difference matters more than most garages will tell you.
Most alignment equipment uses sensors clamped to the wheel. Those sensors can be knocked slightly out of position during attachment, and they rely on the technician's skill to compensate. The result is accurate enough for most purposes — but "accurate enough" isn't the same as precise.
The Hunter HawkEye Elite uses high-definition cameras mounted on a gantry to image your wheels from multiple angles simultaneously. There's no physical contact with the wheel during measurement. The system calculates all four wheel angles in seconds, compares them against a database of over 40,000 vehicle specifications, and displays the results in real time.
What this means in practice: we see adjustments happening as we make them. If we adjust the front-left toe, we see immediately how it affects the thrust angle of the rear axle. We fine-tune to within hundredths of a degree. That level of precision is what separates a proper alignment from a rough adjustment.
Camera-Based Precision
No physical contact with the wheel. HD cameras measure all four angles simultaneously to within ±0.01°.
Real-Time Adjustment
We see the effect of every adjustment as we make it — no guesswork, no re-measuring after the fact.
Printed Before & After
You leave with a documented report showing your vehicle's angles before and after adjustment. Proof you can verify.
When Your Car Needs an Alignment Check
Most drivers wait too long. Here's when to act — and what happens if you don't.
After hitting a pothole or kerb
Act immediatelyA single significant impact can knock alignment out of spec. You may not feel it immediately — but the tyres will show it within a few hundred miles.
Uneven tyre wear noticed
Before next tyre changeIf one edge of your tyre is wearing faster than the other, misalignment is the most likely cause. Fitting new tyres without correcting alignment means the new ones wear just as unevenly.
Car pulling to one side
As soon as possibleA car that pulls on a level road is working against itself. Your engine burns more fuel compensating. Your tyres wear asymmetrically. Your steering components wear faster.
Annual maintenance check
Once per yearEven without obvious symptoms, alignment drifts over time. Road vibration, temperature changes, and normal wear all affect angles gradually. An annual check costs far less than a premature tyre replacement.
The Most Expensive Mistake We See
Customers who fit new tyres without checking alignment first. Within 6,000 miles, the new tyres show the same uneven wear as the old ones. They've paid for new tyres twice — and the alignment issue is still there. Always check alignment before or at the same time as fitting new tyres.
How We Work at IQ Tyres
Every alignment starts with a free check. We put your car on the Hunter HawkEye Elite, take a full measurement, and show you exactly where your vehicle sits against manufacturer specification. If everything's within tolerance, we'll tell you — and you won't pay for an adjustment you don't need.
If adjustment is needed, we'll explain what's out of spec, what it's causing, and what we're going to do. We carry out the adjustment with you able to see the real-time readings on the screen. When we're done, we print the before-and-after report. You leave with documented proof of what was measured and what was corrected.
We offer both 2-wheel and 4-wheel alignment. We'll tell you which your vehicle actually needs — not which earns us more. That's how we've built our reputation in Mitcham.
Free Initial Check
We measure before we charge. If your alignment is within spec, you pay nothing.
Typically Under 1 Hour
Most alignments are completed within 45-60 minutes. Book in, drive away the same morning.
Printed Report Included
Every alignment comes with a before-and-after printout. Documented proof, not just a verbal assurance.
Ready to Get Your Alignment Sorted?
Book online or call us. We're in Mitcham, South London — easy to reach from Croydon, Wimbledon, Tooting, and Streatham. We'll measure first, adjust only if needed, and give you the report to prove it.
IQ Tyres · Mitcham, South London · Open Mon–Sat