Most drivers take vehicle performance for granted. They may know that the car has thousands of individual parts and they have all been designed to work together in harmony, but some of those components need to be adjusted on a regular basis or that performance may certainly suffer. This is particularly the case when it comes to front wheel alignment and is why technicians spend so much time worrying about things like toe angle. What exactly is this, and why is it so important in the quest for hasslefree motoring?

Crucial Adjustments

While the rubber tyre and alloy wheel have to be balanced so that they perform correctly, several adjustments need to be made to the suspension settings once that combination has been fitted to the car. If these adjustments were not made, then the vehicle would be difficult to control, and the tyres would wear out very quickly indeed.

Making It Easier

Several adjustments need to be made to set up caster and camber angles, but the toe angles are critical as well. This angle refers to the direction that the wheels point when compared to a notional line, which is completely parallel to the length of the car. When the wheel is put on the car and bolted down, it will typically point straight ahead when the steering wheel is perfectly centred. This is not the ideal scenario, however, as it will make the vehicle hard to drive. Instead, the technician will adjust the position by tightening or slackening certain bolts so that the wheels either point slightly inwards or outwards.

Toe In and Out

When the wheels point inwards, this is known as positive toe-in. You typically find this setting on rear-wheel-drive cars, and it'll reduce the tendency of the car to push from the back and oversteer. On the flip side, negative toe angles are typically applied to a front-wheel-drive car so that the wheels point slightly outward. As there is so much activity at the front of the car in this configuration, this alignment setting will help provide more stability and avoid understeer.

Periodic Adjustments

Technicians will make all of these fine adjustments when a brand-new set of tyres is fitted to the vehicle. Everyday driving will nevertheless have its effect, and those adjustments will slacken with time. This is why it is so important to take your car or truck back into the technician for a tyre alignment service so they can once again perfect the angles.

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