What is Wheel Alignment?

Checking the wheel alignment or tracking is the measurement of the wheel angles in the vertical and horizontal planes to ensure that they conform to the manufacturers specification. The specification will include a tolerance.

Correct Wheel Alignment will ensure:-

Reduced Tyre Wear


Improper alignment is a major cause of premature tyre wear. Over the years, a properly aligned vehicle can add thousands of miles to tyre life.

Research indicates that the average car is driven about 12,000 miles per year. A car with toe alignment just 0.34 degrees (Just 0.17 inches) out of specification has dragged its tyres sideways for more than 68 miles by the end of the year! Have you ever driven a car where the steering wheel is slightly out of line when driving in a straight line and on a flat road? There’s a good chance that the alignment is incorrect and you are actually forcing the tyres to drag slightly against the natural tread direction.

Better Fuel Mileage


MPG decreases as rolling resistance increases. A tyre is designed to run directly forward in order to maximise the benefits of its tread design and contact patch.  A tyre that’s forced to rotate even slightly off this designed line will create vastly increased rolling resistance.

Improved Handling 


A tyre should rotate in such a way that the contact area utilises 100% of the tread width. This is never more important than during wet road conditions. Many modern tyres are now of a directional or asymmetric design. In order to effectively disperse water and prevent aquaplaning the tyre tread must be used fully to benefit from its advanced design.

To explain in greater detail, look at a vehicle from a bird’s eye view. On most modern vehicles, the rear wheels are ‘fixed’ in direction and not used for steering (there are a few exceptions). The front wheels, usually connected to one another by a ‘rack’, perform the steering function. These are the wheels that the terms alignment or tracking refer to.

‘Wheel alignment may be considered to be the angles of the wheels relative to each other and the car.’ Steering that is out of alignment may cause steering and handling difficulties, vehicle instability under braking, excessive tyre wear and increased fuel consumption.

Precision wheel alignment equipment is used to measure all alignment angles on today’s cars. These include measurements of both adjustable and non-adjustable angles. (Incorrect non-adjustable angles may mean that repair or replacement of suspension or steering components is required.)

The most common adjustable angle is Toe:

• Toe - 
This refers to the angled direction of the wheels toward or away from one another at their front edge when viewed from the top. Toe is the most critical tyre wearing angle.
• Positive Toe is the leading edge of the wheels closer together. Toe ‘in’
.
• Negative Toe is the leading edge of the wheels further apart. Toe ‘out’.
• Zero Toe is when the wheels are parallel.