Wheel Alignment

Fundamentals
Chapter 67

Objectives
Describe each wheel alignment angle
Tell which alignment angles cause wear or pull

Introduction
Correct wheel alignment allows vehicle to run
straight on the highway
Little steering effort

Chapter discusses different alignment angles

Alignment Angles
Five wheel alignment angles

Toe
Camber
Caster
Steering axis inclination (SAI)
Turning radius

Toe
Alignment angle most responsible for tire wear
Comparison of distances between fronts and
rears of a pair of tires
Toe-in tires closer together at the front
Toe-out tires further apart at the front
Every 1/16" of toe-in results in 11 ft per mile
scuff
Tires move sideways for 11 ft. out of every mile

Toe (continued)
Causes of incorrect toe

Improper adjustment
Looseness in steering linkage due to wear
Collision with a curb
Change in caster or camber adjustment

Front toe adjustable on all vehicles

Rear toe adjustable on some

Change in toe affects position of the steering

wheel

Camber
Camber is inward or outward tilt of tire at top
Adjustable on most vehicles

Positive camber tire tilts out

Negative camber tire tilts in

Inside and outside edges of the tread on

cambered tire have different radii
Rotate at different speeds

Camber angle controlled by position of control

arms or struts
Camber roll tire tends to roll in a circle

Caster
Caster is the angle that describes the forward or
rearward tilt of the spindle support arm
Positive caster top tilted to the rear
Lead point in front of true vertical

Car pulls to side with most negative caster

Too much positive caster results in front wheel
shimmy
High amount of wear if car driven on winding
roads, or in city

Steering Axis Inclination

Amount the spindle support arm leans in at top
Not a tire wearing angle

Three functions

After a turn, SAI helps vehicle return to straight

SAI keeps vehicle going straight down the road
Allows car to have less positive caster

Included angle combination of SAI and camber

Some cars with large SAI wear outsides of tires
SAI can be used as diagnostic angle to
determine if parts are bent

Scrub Radius
Factor of steering axis inclination
Pivot point for front tires footprint
Distance at the road surface between centerline
of true vertical and steering axis pivot centerline
More scrub radius makes it harder to steer
Positive camber reduces scrub radius

Scrub Radius (continued)

Causes of incorrect scrub radius
Lower profile tires and offset wheel rims
Tires and wheels too tall installed on rear-wheeldrive vehicle
Bent front suspension part
Damage to frame at crossmember

Turning Radius
When turning, outside wheel must travel in wider
arc than inside wheel
Turning radius alignment angle that controls
arc traveled
Also called Ackermann angle

Tires toe out during turn

Tracking
Wheel base distance between front and rear
tires
Track side-to-side distance between axles
tires
All four wheels should form an exact rectangle
When tracking is off, car tries to steer to the side
Increases tire wear

Dog tracking rear axle out of line to the right,

causes steering to be aimed to the right

Set-Back
Set-back amount that one front wheel is
behind front wheel on other side
Measured in degrees

Negative set-back wheel on left side is set

back
Cause vehicle to steer to left
Cause brake pull

Collision causes incorrect set-back

Special Handling Characteristics

Slip angle tendency for a tire to continue to go
in the direction it was going
Amount of slip angle depends on

Tire pressure
Weight exerted vertically on the tire
Wheel alignment setting
Positive camber

Understeer car does not respond to movement

of steering wheel during hard turn
Oversteer car turns too far in response to
steering wheel