Have you been told that your vehicle needs a wheel alignment, and you're not sure what that means? The process of making sure that all your tires and wheels are pointing in the proper direction takes some special equipment and expertise to make sure it is done correctly. Here is what is done when you have your vehicle's wheels aligned.
The Initial Assessment
Everything starts with assessing your vehicle's wheels. This is done by putting your vehicle on a hoist so that the wheels are off the ground and can move freely. Special measurement devices will then be attached to the wheels, which identify all of the various alignments that can be changed. The mechanic will look at a computer to see which components are not in alignment and assess what kind of work needs to be done.
Camber Adjustment
One adjustment is to the wheel's camber, which is how much the wheels tilt vertically. If the wheel's camber has a positive measurement, it means that the wheel is tilted toward the vehicle. A negative measurement means the opposite, where the wheel is tilting away from the vehicle.
Caster Adjustment
The next adjustment is made to the vehicle's caster, which impacts the stability of steering. The caster refers to the angle of the wheel when looked at from the vehicle's side, and can be modified by adjusting the height of the control arm to get the caster into proper alignment. The wheel will have to be raised or lowered so that they align with all the other wheels.
Toe Adjustment
One of the most important measurements is the toe of the tire. In order to understand what the toe is, picture your car from a top-down perspective. If the front end of the front tires is pointing inward, then your vehicle has a positive toe. If they are outward, you have a negative toe. The impact of these misalignments is that they can cause your car to skid on the surface rather than drive smoothly, which impacts the overall lifespan of your tires.
Test Drive
After your mechanic makes all of the necessary adjustments, they will take your vehicle for a test drive to see if it behaves as expected. A wheel alignment should fix problems with the vehicle drifting, a shaking steering wheel, or a steering wheel that is not aligned in the center when the car is driving straight.
For more info about wheel alignment, contact a local company.
