Alignment FAQ

A wheel alignment involves the adjusting the angles of the wheels so that they are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other. The purpose of these adjustments is to maximum tire life and to insure that the vehicle tracks straight and true when driving along a straight and level road. With today's modern vehicle systems, improperly aligned wheels can also affect engine performance, ride comfort, miles per gallon due to road friction, steering, and the life of other suspension parts.

nlike others, our experienced alignment specialists will always check and adjust ALL of the interrelated suspension angles:

Camber

The inward or outward tilt of the wheel, measured from top to bottom. Camber is adjusted to prevent excessive tire wear and to enhance straight ahead stability.

Toe

The difference in the distance measured on any axle between the leading edges and trailing edges of the wheel assembly at spindle height. This is the most critical tire wearing angle.

Individual Toe

A horizontal line that is drawn through the plane of each wheel. When they intersect in front of the wheels, this is called toe-in. When they intersect behind the wheels, this is called toe-out.

Caster

Measurement in degrees from the steering axis to vertical. The forward or rearward tilt of the steering knuckle pivot points is the steering axis, from which caster is compared to vertical. It is computed in degrees by looking at the camber change of each wheel through a specified steer. If your vehicle has unequal caster, it can cause the vehicle to pull from side to side, and negative caster will cause wandering and weaving at highway speeds.

Set-Back

Is the angle formed between the centerline and a line perpendicular to the front axle. Set-back, when extreme, can bring about adverse handling which may also cause the vehicle to pull to the side of the set-back or to pull during braking. On front wheel drive vehicles, it can also cause increased torque steer.

Thrust Angle

The angle formed by the thrust line and the geometric centerline that is drawn between the mid-point of the front axle and the mid-point of the rear axle. When toe is off on either of the rear wheels, it causes a thrust angle that causes rear axle steer, which affects the position of the front wheels when driving straight ahead.