Is it dangerous to drive with a bad alignment?

[Drew]

I have a 1994 honda prelude and I recently replaced a outer and inner tie rod on the passenger side. I tried to match it up the best I could to the old tie rod but after I replaced it the steering wheel is off center, its turned to the left a bit when driving straight down the road. It tracks pretty straight when I take my hand off the wheel and it doesn’t really shake or anything on the highway, I can feel a minor vibration through the steering wheel at about 60-70mph its not bad at all though and goes away completely at about 75mph+. I am getting my snow tires off in 2 weeks and I was planning to get the alignment done then when I have the money.

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[college man]

As long as everything is tight it should not be unsafe. But you will start to wear down your tires most likely.

[Adam]

Interestingly, I am in the process of replacing the ball joints and outer tie rods on the Ford Explorer that I inherited. Once complete, I plan to get an alignment. I am curious though, when I am done…and before I get the alignment, how the vehicle will react. I know it is a bad idea, I am just curious. I imagine this is one of those, if you suspect you need an alignment, you are probably right.

[Author]

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