Learn All About Car Alignment Parts

Know about an alignment? Well, it is also known as tracking and is an essential part of the generic vehicle maintenance that includes the adjustment of wheels (so they are set according to the automaker’ requirements). These adjustments serve the purpose of decreasing tire wears in order to ensure a straight and true travel for the vehicle (without actually ‘pulling’ to one side).

The task of wheel alignment consists of adjusting the angles of the wheels so that they are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other. These adjustments are made to attain maximum tire life and enable straight tracking for the vehicle along a straight and levelled road. Excessive tire wear, steering or tracking problems are certain issues triggered when if the alignment goes out.

In fact, worn steering, suspension and driveline parts often lead to noise, vibration, premature tire wear and misalignments. All the damaged components should be changed, in order to regain steering control and handling that helps in achieving the original vehicle performance.

We have mentioned here the various types of alignment:

1. Camber Alignment - when noticed from the front side, the ‘camber’ can be seen as the inward or outward tilt of the car (that is the vertical view of tires). When the tires are pointed inward or outward concerning to the axle, it can create a lot of troubles. The term ‘cross chamber’ comes to light when there is a noticeable difference in camber between one side of the car and the other. A straight alignment would a straight up and down line: “|”. If your tires have a “negative camber”, they would be pointed in toward the car, like this: “/”. If they had a " positive camber", they would be pointed away from the car, like this: “\”.
2. Toe Alignment - this denotes the inward and outward angle of the car’ tires (when viewed from a distance). This is often termed as the ‘toe angle’. You can imagine it by simply visualizing your your toes. If the toes are angled inward, it is a toe-in and if outward, it would be a toe out.
3. Caster Alignment - the caster symbolizes the angle of the steering axis when looked at from the side. When the caster is perfectly aligned, the steering axis points straight up and down. When the steering pivot tilts towards the front side of the car, it is a negative caster. A positive one occurs when the steering pivot tilts towards the back of the car. This results in determining the stability of the steering and cornering.
4. Ackermann Effect - this symbolizes the turn radius of the vehicle. When both the inside and the outside wheels turn at the same angle, that is known as the parallel steering, the vehicle ends up having a wider degree than the outside wheel. With a stable and tight turn, this enables the two wheels to create circles of different radii. Ensure that the steering arms of the front wheels are aligned to the centre point of the rear axle for it to work out well.

• The car’s alignment holds the responsibility of bringing the car’ suspension into the correct configuration, positioning and adjusting parts so that the wheels are aligned with one another and the road surface. We advise you to take the help of a professional while doing the alignment. Use an alignment machine for doing so. Clump like devices are present in the latest alignment machines, that link to the computer for accurate measurements. When you take the help of a professional, he will make sure that none of the suspension parts and worn out or damaged.
• This entire process involves squaring the cars' wheels and axles with one another so that they start moving in the same direction. Different suspension angles known as the toe, thrust, camber and caster are adjusted by the professional. He will also ensure that the steering wheel is cantered well.

Wheel alignments tend to enhance the vehicles' performance. Wheel alignment provides protection at times when the vehicle turns hastily or dodges. So, if the wheel alignment of your car is damaged, you are likely to notice these symptoms immediately:

1. The car slides over to one side - Any drive on a straight road that stretches out for a considerable distance presents a favourable opportunity to perform this test to check the steering wheel: if you take off your hands off the steering wheel and feel that the vehicle is sliding down to one side, and this repeats on performing this experiment a second time, it indicates that the wheels need to be realigned. If this issue is neglected for a while, it will gradually become harder to control the vehicle’s direction with the steering wheel and the driver will need to maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel all through the drive. Any auto mechanic who is well versed with this problem, will be able to realign the wheels in no time.
2. The steering wheel balance - It is essential that the steering wheel of the vehicle should be straight and unerringly cantered when the vehicle is being driven on a straight road. One of the most common ways this can be done is by looking over at the emblem in the centre of the steering wheel. There is no reason to worry if it remains at the same level as the driver but if this is not the case and the emblem seems to be a little off centre in any direction, it would mean that the wheel requires realignment at that very point of time. Once this problem has been fixed, the wheel would go back to being cantered, and it would increase the efficiency of the vehicle.
3. Messy steering - A common symptom of the problem in alignment of the wheels is the movement of the wheels in a somewhat sloppy way or the wheel coming loose at a firm grip. Other issues stemming from the steering wheel could be the slow responsiveness of the steering wheel, and it will not turn in the required direction at the right time. These symptoms, however, may have been due to any other fault in the vehicle, and the owner should get the vehicle checked and fixed regardless.
4. The steering wheel vibrating - Any alignment problems or balancing problems in the steering wheels may cause the steering wheel to vibrate while driving. There may be many reasons leading the wheels to get misaligned, such as if the vehicle has been driven over a pothole or a rocky road. The vehicle should be inspected by a professional if thi symptom is noticed because it might indicate bigger problems in the vehicle.
5. The tire wear is not even - A bad wheel alignment may at times also lead to uneven wear in certain tires of the vehicle, and some tires may be wearing out faster than the treads of other tires. The rubber depth of the wheels should be checked to ensure that the wheels are correctly aligned, which can be made sure by checking that all tires have the uniform rubber depths on the tires.

When the car needs a new alignment, you are likely to notice the following symptoms:

• You will notice rough or rapid tire wear
• You are likely to notice a crooked steering wheel while driving straight
• The steering gets noisy
• At times, pulling towards the right or the left
• Screeching tires

There are a number of skilled auto mechanics who have a goal of opening their own car repair shop at some point in their career. But let’s face it; if you want to put up an efficient as well as profit making shop, then you might need much more than mechanical skills. There are a number of tools which you might need to perform the car repairs quickly as well as reliably. Auto repair equipment that you will need to repair your alignment may include:

• Tape measure
• A spool of string
• Jack Stands
• Camber gauge
• Wrench
• Control arm shims

When it comes to vehicle owner’s choice, the brands really matter a lot. You might pay a premium for a specific car part brand, over time, as it has created a perception of quality, stability as well as trust. There are some leading car parts brands which are more than just products or services as they give rise to memories and emotions related with the quality. So have a look at some of the top brands for alignment:

It is very important to arm yourself with information before you shop any auto part. We are here to help you dive deep into the names of the alignment related parts:

• Alignment Shims
• Camber Adjusting Bushing
• Caster Adjuster Bolts
• Rear Axle Toe Link
• Camber Plate
• Alignment Wedge

More than any other kind of failure in a car, there's almost nothing that's quite as heart-breaking as a completely damaged Alignment Now when we talk about the replacement cost, it might vary a lot even on the same car depending upon its performance, labour cost, brand etc. The estimated expenditure of getting two wheels aligned is around $50 and $99, when the vehicle has no troubles and unusual designs. Also, a full vehicle alignment is estimated to be around double of that amount.

How can you measure the toe with the “String Method”?

In most vehicles, the front and the rear are given with different toe track settings. It would be useful to measure the vehicle’s precise dimensions. Most of the times the rear wheels are placed on the inner side as compared to the slightly further out-front wheels. It has to be determined that the distances on both sides is uniform. Follow the steps given below: -

• 4 tire jacks should be placed on the four corners of the vehicle, one at each corner.
• Next, the tape should be used to measure and it should be made sure that the tire jacks are placed perfectly in line with each other, and at least 4-6 inches apart from your vehicle.
• The next step is to take a string and get it tied to the jacks, around the vehicle. The centre of the string should be placed to the hubcaps. Make sure that the string is taut and the vehicle is appropriately boxed with the line of the string.
• The car manufacturers use millimetres as the unit of measurement, so it would be convenient to use the tape to measure the distance between the tires and string. 
• The changes required to be made should be made on the basis of the differences between the rear and the front tracks. If the rear tracks are found to be closer in than the front tracks, that is, they are farther away from the string, the track would have to be increased and vice versa. 

The steps to adjust the toe alignment of the wheels:

• First, you should find the radius arms under and behind the rear wheels.
• Before making any adjustments, note the placement of the clamps. The clamps will have to be returned to this location later on.
• Next, loosen the clamps which are holding the arm in position
• For adjusting the toe inside or out, twist the arm. The direction in which the arm has to be twisted can be found out with hit and trial method. The arm should be twisted in the required direction to obtain the correct distance from the string.
• Repeat the same for the other rear tire, if required.
• To adjust the front, the position of the tie rods would have to be determined.
• It would be helpful to write down the position of the clamps on the tie rod. 
• The clamps on the tie rod will have to be loosened. The position of the tie rod can be changed in a similar way as the radius arm. The difference would be changing the centre point for moving the tires.
• Only one side is required to be adjusted, as the measurement of the front wheels is done together. To ensure precision, it would be helpful to measure after every turn.

DIY Camber and Caster Alignment

• The camber gauge has to be connected to the centre of the tire. The camber gauge must be placed straight and flat inside the middle of the tire. The hubcap may have to be removed for this to be done.
• The adjustment of the gauge must be done until it is positioned straight. To adjust the camber as per the specification of the manufacturer, the car’s user manual should be referred. Different manufacturers have different degree specifications for their vehicles.
• Next, the tire should be removed.
• The position of the upper control has to be determined.
• After the upper control arm has been located, make use of a wrench to adjust it to the required degrees.
• Lastly, insert an equal number of shims in frame rail and cross-shaft mounting bolts as this will help keep everything fixed. 

Wheel Caster Adjustment

• Now if the camber has been fixed in place, you can adjust the caster easily:
• For that you need to put the wheel back on
• Then the tire should be adjusted inward
• You will see that the camber gauge will have a caster adjustment knob. Make use of it to make the caster setting to zero.
• Lastly, move the tire 20 degrees outward and if your caster reading is negative, add shims to the bolt. This will solve your problem.