What is wheel alignment and its adjustment? How to adjust wheel alignment and wheel alignment? What is geometry and convergence tuning?

Wheel geometry and toe - why is their correct location so important? 

In the long term, you should not drive a car with incorrect geometry or wheel alignment. This can lead to serious malfunctions and failures in steering and suspension systems. In order to understand what the risk of underestimating this problem may be, it is worth figuring out what convergence is, how to recognize that the car has the wrong systems, and how wheel alignment and geometry are distributed.

Are convergence and geometry the same thing?

In short - no. The toe setting consists in obtaining the camber value of the wheels of each axle relative to each other in the range specified by the vehicle manufacturer. If the front rims of the wheels of one axle have a smaller distance between them than the rear rims of these wheels, we are talking about convergence. The tires then face "in", as if they were shaped like an inverted "V" when viewed from above. The discrepancy lies in the reverse arrangement, i.e. the distance between the front rims of the wheels of a given axle is greater than the size of the rear of the rims of these wheels.

Wheel alignment is more than that. It includes setting the convergence, as well as controlling the position of individual elements of the suspension system relative to each other. With the right settings, the vehicle can be stable while driving, cornering or braking. It can be seen that the two terms cannot be used interchangeably as they mean different mechanical actions.

What does collapse really mean?

It all starts with faulty steering and suspension components. When replacing some parts, such as tie rod ends, the position of the front or rear wheels relative to each other changes. If parts are used that differ in length even by millimeters, a visit to the service will almost certainly be required to tidy up the evenness of the wheels. The mechanic then connects the appropriate gauges to the wheels so that the computer can get information about their position in relation to each other. Then loosen the fasteners and adjust the length of the steering rods until the desired parameters are obtained.

Alignment should only be performed by a mechanic!

It is not recommended to use "home" methods of distributing wheel comparability. Someone may promise you that they can do it for half the price in their workshop, but remember that changing the camber value even by 0,5^o can cause serious driving difficulties. Therefore, it is better to go to a specialized workshop and be sure that the specialist will correctly adjust the wheel alignment on your car. 

What can incorrect wheel geometry lead to?

You already know what wheel alignment is, but you may be asking yourself: why do you need it? The answer is simple. If the commensurability of the wheels is not at the proper level, precisely determined by the manufacturer, you can encounter many unpleasant surprises on the road:

• the car may be unstable when cornering;
• tires may wear unevenly;
• during sharp maneuvers at high speed, the car will behave unpredictably. 

So it's about the safety of you and your loved ones you're traveling with.

Camber check

Not sure if your car's wheels are aligned? Check it! A little test is enough. When driving, try to keep a strictly straight line. If the car continues to move straight without any adjustments on your part, then the alignment is in order. However, if it drifts to the side, constantly in the same direction, you may need a service visit.

What is a collapse?

You already know that convergence and geometry are two completely different things. However, a coordinated setup often begins with taper measurements and adjustments. At a later stage, the mechanic analyzes the setting of the angles of inclination of the wheel axle and the plane of the wheels of a particular axle to each other. By looking at the car from the front, you will know if the wheel is upright, tilted up inward, or possibly outward.

Step by step wheel alignment

The front axle uses a negative setting, i.e. the wheels point upwards. This is of great importance, because it is this axis that is responsible for giving the direction of movement and is torsion. The rear axle geometry setting should fluctuate around zero. Thanks to this, the factory driving characteristics of the car will be preserved. The last step is to set the caster angle. We are talking about the angular value of the axis of the rotary finger relative to the axis running perpendicular to the ground. If the axle of the steering knuckle is in front of the contact of the tire with the road, this is a positive value, if behind the contact, this is a negative value.

Setting the front wheels to a positive caster angle helps maintain precise, straight-line motion with little or no contact with the steering wheel. However, a large positive value makes cornering more difficult and requires more force. Negative values ​​reduce the turning radius, help maintain the vehicle's maneuverability at low speeds, but on the other hand affect the deterioration of the vehicle's stability in crosswind gusts.

When should wheel alignment and wheel alignment be adjusted? Take care of the suspension!

Correction of these values, which determine the position of the front and rear wheels, is mandatory after replacing the transverse arms and any intervention in the steering and suspension. For your own comfort and safety of travel, you should not save on this service. Wheel alignment should be checked after tire change for winter and summer. This will help you save on excessive tire wear while driving and ensure safer driving.

How much does it cost to adjust wheel alignment and wheel alignment in a car?

The cost of such an operation depends on the class of the car, and hence the level of complexity of the suspension. In premium cars and sports cars, this can be more than 20 euros. If only adjustment is needed, without replacing defective components, then the cost in city and medium class cars should not exceed 20 euros. In the event of a malfunction, the costs are higher due to the need to replace some components . Remember that the geometry of the steering wheel affects the safety and driving comfort!