Front End Alignment

A front end alignment is also commonly called a four wheel alignment. The reason for this is that adjustments can be made to the rear end of the vehicle. Front end alignment literally aligns the direction of the wheels for pointing the vehicle in an absolutely straight line. There are three key expressions used with reference to the vehicle and its position. These are ‘caster’, ‘camber’ and ‘toe’.

If the front tire is aligned towards the centre of the vehicle, it is called ‘toed in’. In the same case, if the front tire points outwards, it would be referred to as ‘toed out’. In both circumstances, it can put a damper on the stride of the vehicle and its tires. A camber problem occurs when the top part of the tire is inclined towards the centre of the vehicle, or away from it, causing problems in the wheel and leaning of the vehicle in one direction.

The measurement of the association between left and right tires is called caster. A caster problem is caused by misalignment between the two. For equally balanced distribution of the tire weight and the wheel, small lead weights are attached to the wheel and a machine keeps a check on the balance between the two. An imbalanced tire is probably the sole reason for problems in the front end of the vehicle. Re-balancing of the wheel would fix this inconvenience, and if left unchanged it might cause severe accidents. Sometimes, unbalanced tires cannot be fixed but need to be replaced by a new tire.

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