Wheel alignment is also called tire alignment. All the angles are aligned when a vehicle is aligned. As you drive over different kinds of surfaces and imperfect bumpy roads, the wheels become misaligned as the angles shift. Large potholes or objects can mess up your suspension and disrupt its alignment. When you get Dubai tyres online, make sure you get timely wheel alignment when you feel it is out.
The purpose of wheel alignment is to reset and re-optimize the wheel angles to each other and the road. Misalignment can impact your driving experience, and affects the stress on the suspension, tire wear, and gas mileage.
Types of Wheel Alignments
A certified technician will surely know the ideal alignment your vehicle needs.
Following are the different wheel alignment types:
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Front-End Alignments
These are also called two-wheel alignments. As the name suggests, they are performed on the front two wheels only because in many vehicles, the rear suspension part is not designed for adjustments.
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Four Wheel Alignments
This alignment is performed on all four wheels. Typically, only on all-wheel drive vehicles. Front-wheel drive vehicles might still get 4-wheel alignments if they have rear suspension that is adjustable.
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Thrust Alignments
This alignment occurs along with a two-wheel alignment. This happens when technicians ascertain that the front wheels align with the back wheels.
The Process of Wheel Alignment
You should know that wheel alignment is not something you can do yourself. There is a lot more involved than ensuring the wheels are pointing straight ahead and parallel to each other. Only a trained professional can restore the vehicle to the OEM specification using approved equipment.
The three main factors of wheel alignment are:
Camber
This is a term used to define how far the wheel is tilting outwards or how far it leans inward. To ensure your car corners safely, you must get the camber angle right. An incorrect camber angle causes a ring of wear on the inside/outside of the tyre, whichever way the excess slant is.
Toe
The toe angle is whether the wheels point straight ahead or not. They should neither be excessively in the Toe-in nor Toe-out angle. If they are, they need to be adjusted back to the original OEM setting. One must get toe alignment issues corrected as they rapidly penetrate through the tyre’s tread.
Caster
The caster angle is how far backward or forward the steering axis is tilted towards or away from the driver. The steering axis is the line between the wheel’s upper and lower ball joints. The pivot points where the wheel attaches are the ball joints. Most vehicles come with a positive caster in which the steering axis tilts towards the driver.
A full alignment check determines if the caster angle is misaligned. The number of vehicles with an adjustable caster is very small. Correcting the camber/toe angles and vehicle thrust line might reset the caster angle back to specification.
There, you have it. The above information covers the basic facts you need to know about wheel alignment. Looking to buy new tyres? You can buy Hankook tyres, a brand specializing in high-tech performance tyres.