Steering wheel out of alignment, is it safe to drive short-term?

Question

I parked extremely close to a curb and when pulling out of the spot, the tires weren't free to turn and I accidentally got the wheel out of alignment. Now the car drives straight when it's about 10 degrees CCW. The vehicle stays straight on its own without any vibration or drift.

The only scary symptoms associated with this have been a high pitched, soft rubbing sound when turning occasionally. Most turns, sharp or slight, are fine. Only on some occasions does turning make an unusual sound and feel as if extra pressure is needed to turn. As I pulled into my driveway (a sharp turn) I felt the tires skipping on the ground, similar to the feel when turning a 4WD truck on dry pavement while going slow or not moving at all.

I plan to get this fixed ASAP, but am wondering if it's OK to drive it short distances (10-30mi/day) until then. What could be causing the rubbing sound and pressure/skipping of the wheels when turning? Is it only tire wear at stake or could a more critical safety issue be at hand?

Answer 1

There would most definitely be an alignment issue, which would most likely mean extra tire wear. I would say beyond that you'd be fine, but really, that is an unknown. You don't know what damage was done to the steering system and therefore you don't know how long it will be "okay" to drive. From an internet diagnosis standpoint, my best advice to you is to say, No, driving it until it's fixed is not a good idea. Get it fixed so you, your passengers, and those around you are safe. If I was there diagnosing what's going on, it might be a different story.