Checking the car wheel alignment - extremely important

Normally, drivers only perform dynamic tire balancing when replacing new tires or conduct a general inspection when the vehicle shows abnormalities while driving. However, if the wheel angles are incorrect or not up to standard, it can lead to dangers for the driver, cost a lot of money to replace the tire; and in severe cases, there is a risk of accidents when traveling on the road...

What is wheel alignment?

Every car is designed so that the wheels form certain angles with the body and the road surface. These contact angles help the car grip the road, as well as ensure safety when moving. And, of these, the 3 most important types of angles to pay attention to are: Toe, Camber and Caster.

- Wheel camber (Toe):Wheel camber is the difference between the distance between the two tire treads measured from the rear and the distance between the two tire treads measured from the front on the same axle.

Toe-in is measured in inches, millimeters, degrees, and minutes. Positive toe-in is when the distance between the front tire treads is shorter than the distance between the rear tire treads. Negative toe-out is when the distance between the front tire treads is longer than the rear tire treads. Zero toe-in is when the two tires are parallel to each other.

- Camber angle:Lis the angle created by the plane of the wheel and the vertical axis. In theory, the wheel must be placed vertically so that the tire surface is always in contact with the road surface.

In fact, when the suspension system is working, especially when the car enters a curve, the centrifugal force causes the body of the car to tilt, causing the wheels to no longer be vertical. Therefore, the wheels need to be adjusted to tilt a little bit from the vertical plane.

- Caster angle:Lis another angle between the axis of rotation of the suspension system and the vertical. Caster angle is set for the steering wheels to stabilize the straight-line motion of the vehicle and return the steering after turning.

Why wheel alignment?

During operation, due to wear of mechanical parts, the wheel will deviate from the original standard angle. Therefore, vehicle owners need to regularly align the wheel angle.

According to experts, vehicle owners should have their wheels aligned every 10,000 km or every 6 months... If the wheel angle is not aligned, the following consequences will occur:

- Crooked steering wheel:For example, the car has a left toe-in of 0 degrees, a right toe-in of 0 degrees 50' - when the car moves through the steering mechanism, the left toe-in will automatically be divided into 25' and the right toe-in of 25' but at this time the steering wheel is deviated at an angle.

- Causes loss of steering feel, causing slippery, sideways, and swaying:This is dangerous for the driver, and can even cause unpredictable accidents. If the Caster angle of the steering wheels is not correct, it will cause loss of straight-line motion and difficulty in steering after turning.

- Causes tire wear:Too much positive toe will wear out the outer side of the tire, too much negative toe will wear out the inner side of the tire.

- CThe parts are bent quickly:If the camber angle of the rear wheel exceeds the allowable limit, it can cause the parts to bend. Therefore, when the vehicle is aligned, the wheel angle will eliminate the above risks, while helping to save fuel, increase tire durability, and ensure the safety and stability of the vehicle.

Signs to check wheel alignment

In actual use, after the vehicle has been running for a long time, due to natural mechanical wear of the steering system mechanisms (tie rods, shock absorbers, A-arms, etc.), the wheel positioning angles will deviate from the manufacturer's standards.

At this time, the wheels will not move in the same direction, the tires will gradually wear unevenly due to being dragged while turning, and the steering wheel will be crooked when the car is running straight.

When the car enters a curve, the road is bumpy, the two wheels will be pushed in the same direction, leading to the phenomenon of steering wheel snatching. When adding the bad road factor, the tire wear process will also occur faster, unevenly, the wheel will have a conical shape.