Wheel adjustment by loosening and turning the inner pivot bolt
Wheel alignment has a significant effect on vehicle stability, tire wear and fuel consumption. There are the following wheel alignment angles.
Collapse
Camber is the tilt of the wheel in a vertical plane relative to the center line of the car. It can be positive if the wheels are tilted outward, or negative if the wheels are tilted inward. The camber angle mainly affects the uniformity of front tire wear. If the camber of one wheel is positive and the other is negative, then the car will pull to the side when driving in a straight line.
Convergence
Convergence - the lateral distance between the wheels. Positive toe means the wheels are closer together at the front than at the rear when measured at wheel midpoint height. Negative toe means that the wheels are further apart at the front than at the rear.
Cross tilt of the axis of rotation
The lateral inclination of the axis of rotation of the wheel is the angle between the axis of inclination of the steering knuckle and the vertical drawn through the wheel attachment point, looking in the longitudinal direction of the car.
Due to the camber angles and the transverse inclination of the axis of rotation, the points of contact of the wheels with the road are located closer to the axis of the steering knuckle. This supports the so-called "running shoulder". The less "running shoulder", the easier it is to drive. Also, bumps from uneven surfaces are less transmitted to the steering.
Angle of longitudinal inclination of the axis of rotation
The angle of the longitudinal inclination of the axis of rotation - the axis, relative to which the wheel rotates, is placed in space so that its lower part is tilted forward. Such an angle of longitudinal inclination is called positive. With a positive value of the angle, the self-return of the wheel to the middle position after the turn is improved.
Checking and adjusting the wheel alignment must be done at the service station, due to the complexity of the equipment used.
Conditions for checking wheel alignment:
- tire pressure must be correct;
- the car must be installed on a flat horizontal surface;
- the car must be empty, with the fuel tank half filled;
- before checking the wheel alignment angles, shake the car body;
- the steering must be in good working order and correctly adjusted;
- there must be no play in the steering rods;
- there must be no play in the wheel suspension.