About Wheel Alignment

Wheel alignment on a car refers to the actual vertical and horizontal placement of the wheels in relation to the body and the axles of the vehicle. It might be hard to believe, but the wheels of a car can move by degrees from hitting a pothole or bumping into a curb. Accidents can throw your car out of alignment too. Wheel alignment should be part of your regular maintenance plan for your car since correct alignment plays a big part in the proper wear of your car's tires.

Significance

Correct wheel alignment can prevent a host of problems with your car. Improper tie wear leads the list of issues affecting the performance of your car. Improperly aligned wheels can cause uneven wear on your tires, which ultimately results in less life for your tires. Vehicle handling isn't as smooth either. In addition, there can be a loss in gas mileage due to improper wheel alignment. A properly aligned suspension on a vehicle makes for a much safer driving experience. You should always have a wheel alignment when replacing the tires on your car.

Features

Understanding wheel alignment begins with knowledge of the parts of the car requiring alignment and just exactly how mechanics align your car's suspension. Of course, you have four wheels on your car. These wheels connect to the suspension and spring system of the vehicle, which allows the tires to move up and down over bumps to provide a smooth ride. Excessive bumps, hitting a curb or even regular driving can cause wheel alignment to change by slight degrees. This seemingly miniscule measurement can cause a pulling or loose feeling in the steering wheel and vibrations. If you noticed the steering wheel is not centered when the car is pointing straight, you very likely have a wheel alignment issue.

Identification

Wheel alignments are actual measurements and adjustments that a mechanic will make to align your front and back tires in relation to each other and to your suspension and axles. Taking and adjusting wheel alignment measurements on a vehicle requires the use of special caliper rulers and gauges. Most measurements are in degrees and angles.These measurements are called caster, camber, toe and thrust angle. With all measurements, the mechanic compares the values against manufacturer's specifications and makes adjustments to reach the preferred settings.

Types

Caster is a measurement taken looking directly at a front tire from the side. Caster also is one measurement that can affect steering. The mechanic draws an invisible line through the steering pivot points on the wheel and looks for forward and backward slope from the side view.

Camber is the measurement that shows how far a tire slants away from a vertical plane from front to back. Camber is measured looking at the tread part of the tire from the immediate front or back of the tire.

Imagine looking from above through your car to the position of your four tires. Now imagine the placement of the axles that connect each front tire and the rear axle that connects the back tire. Toe is the direction in which the tires are pointed when the car is viewed from above. It's best if all four wheel are angled the same with proper specifications for the vehicle.

Thrust angle is used to compare the front and back axles. The basis for this measurement is whether the two axles are actually measuring parallel to each other. This measurement is typically first checked on the rear axle to check the direction of the rear wheels based on an imaginary center line running down the vehicle.

Considerations

If you've got a good mechanic, knowing the ins and outs of wheel alignments will help you know wheel you've got a problem with your car. Wheel alignments should be done with every tire change and whenever you feel a pulling, vibration or have an off-center steering wheel.

Wheel alignments should be measured when the vehicle is bearing it's typical load. Vehicle should never be measured when placed on jack stands or lifts.