Step 6: Find the tie rods to adjust the front. They are a bit easier to see and reach. Step 8: Loosen the clamps. You can adjust the tie rod the same way as the radius arm, but turning the center point to move the tires.
Step 9: Since the front wheels are measured together, you only need to adjust one side. Make sure to measure after each turn to ensure precision. After a sharp impact with a curb or when the vehicle starts pulling to one side, almost all drivers suspect that the wheels might be out of alignment. Vibration, odd handling characteristics, and irregular tire wear are other signs. The three factors that influence alignment are toe angle, camber, and caster.
The first two can effortlessly be checked at home. It is the most often required alignment adjustment. The toe angle also causes the fastest tire wear. It is the straight-ahead position of the tires. Imagine walking with the toes on your feet inward, this would be considered toe-in. If your feet are perfectly straight, that is considered zero toe. If your feet are pointed outward, that would be toe-out. The toe angle can be set on the front and rear of most vehicles and it usually sets fairly close to zero.
It is an angle that is set which you can see when looking at some vehicles. When you are looking at a tire and its top appears to lean towards the engine, that would be considered negative camber. Camber angle is usually set close to straight up and down which would give you zero camber.
This angle can be set on the front and the rear of almost all vehicles. It is the angle at which the front suspension is positioned with regard to the vertical position. When the vehicle starts pulling to one side — or after a sharp impact with a curb — most drivers suspect that the wheels might be out of alignment. Irregular tire wear, vibration and odd handling characteristics are other clues. The three factors that affect alignment are toe-in, camber and caster.
The first two can easily be checked at home. Toe-in Car front tires are slightly pigeon-toed to intentionally place a very slight load on the wheel bearings. Typical toe-in specs vary from one-thirty-second to one-eighth-inch, depending on the vehicle. Check a service manual for your car's acceptable range. The best tip-off to a toe problem is a saw-tooth wear pattern that's equal on both front tires. If the tread blocks point toward the frame, then toe-in is excessive; pointing outward indicates too much toe-out.
Toe-in spec-check and adjustment are shown in the accompanying photos. Although no specialized tools are necessary to check toe, companies such as Eastwood, JC Whitney and Harbor Freight sell tools specifically for this purpose. Two things to remember when measuring and adjusting toe: First, true spec is measured midway up the tires.
If the car's body makes this impractical, take the front and rear measurements one-quarter of the way up the tires, then double that to get the true toe as it would be in the center of the tires. Also, an off-center steering wheel can sometimes be corrected by adjusting one tie-rod more than the other. Steering wheel position has no effect on your final alignment. Camber Camber is the measurement of tire lean in degrees.
Make your adjustments. Depending on the type of steering you have, there are two different ways you can adjust your toe. If you have rack and pinion steering, you should turn the inner tie rod itself.
Spinning the rod will adjust the toe in or out. These sleeves can be damaged by this process, so be careful. There are special tools for rotating tie rods which can prevent damage. Re-check the toe. Tighten your nuts and clamps, if applicable back up.
Then, recheck the toe using the same procedures you followed in part 2. Readjust as necessary. Unless you are well practiced at this, there may be a certain amount of trial and error to get this right. Test drive the car. Take the car for a drive to verify that any obvious alignment issues have been corrected e. If your alignment problems persist, you may have a problem that requires a professional mechanic. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube.
The modern alignment machines used by the professionals is the most accurate way to measure and adjust your vehicle's total alignment. Helpful 14 Not Helpful In addition to camber and toe, there is a third alignment measure called caster. Caster is the angle of the steering axis when viewed from the side of the car. Caster is very difficult to measure without specialized tools and impossible to adjust at home.
If a toe correction does not solve your problems, it is possible caster needs to be adjusted. A mechanic will be able to tell you if this is necessary or even possible. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1. There are commercially available devices that can be use to measure camber. If you are having trouble making your camber measurements using the method described, you may find one of these easier to use.
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. After you jack up the car, make sure it is very stable before you climb underneath, and in particular before you start shaking your wheels to check the suspension. If the car were to fall off the jack stands, you could be badly injured or even killed. Helpful 29 Not Helpful 9. The total alignment of today's modern cars consists of several angles and measurements all working together.
If the adjustments are done incorrectly, handling can be negatively affected and may cause a safety issue in extreme situations. Helpful 8 Not Helpful 2. Related wikiHows How to. How to. More References About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: June 7, Negative camber is when your wheels appear to be leaning in towards your vehicle, with the bottom of your tires angled further out and the top. You will typically want just a slight bit of negative camber, usually between
0コメント