How To Align Tires? What You Need to Know About Tire Alignment new for 2022

Misaligned tires can cause a number of problems, including decreased fuel efficiency and uneven tire wear.

If your car is pulling to one side or the other, it’s likely that your tires are out of alignment. This can lead to decreased fuel efficiency and uneven tire wear, both of which can be expensive to fix.

So How To Align Tires? What You Need to Know About Tire Alignment. In this post, we’ll show you how to easily align your own tires at home in just a few minutes using our simple step-by-step guide. Not only will this save you money on costly repairs, but it will also help extend the life of your tires.

How To Align Tires? What You Need to Know About Tire Alignment

Wheel alignment can help your tires perform properly and help them last longer

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Alignment involves the suspension, which connects the vehicle to its wheels. The angles of the tires rather than the tires or wheels themselves are what keys into proper alignment, and this then affects how they make contact with road.

How to align your tires? Below are steps to align tires:

Getting Ready to Measure

Check the pressure of your tires

Before you start, make sure your tires are appropriately and evenly inflated. If your tires aren’t properly filled, they might be the source of your driving problems, so double-check this first. You may not have to anymore if this is done correctly. Furthermore, having your tires properly inflated before taking measurements enables you to get correct readings on the data you’ll collect later.

Examine your specs

Check your vehicle’s repair manual for precise alignment settings. You should discover figures describing the automobile’s ideal toe, camber, and/or caster. Then make a note of them.

Check the front end suspension

After you drive the car onto a level surface and jack up the front end, place the car on jack stands. Make sure to unlock the steering wheel. Once the vehicle is lifted, an easy way to check its suspension is by gripping each tire and shaking it both horizontally and vertically.

If you don’t sense much movement, your suspension is probably in good working order. If not, this may be the source of your issue. If the suspension is loose, worn parts must be replaced. This might include bad ball joints, rack bushings, gear boxes, tie rod ends, or steering pads.

Toe Measurement

Determine the appropriate toe

Toe is the car attribute which refers to whether the wheels are closer (toe-in) or further apart (toe-out) at their front edges than at their rear edges, as viewed from above. Depending on your car model, your manual will likely recommend either zero toe (equal distance between the front and back tires) or slight toe-in, for increased stability while driving.

Make a line

With the car still up on the jack, hold a pocketknife, a piece of chalk, or a white pencil against the tire tread’s center. Hold your hand as motionless as possible while an assistant turns the tire one full turn, creating a line around the circumference. On both sides, do the same. If there is no location on the tire where the tread is flat, you may need to suspend your marking tool with a clamp or some other form of stabilizer.

Lower the vehicle

After you lower the car to the ground, push down on the car above each wheel a few times to allow the car to settle.

Roll the vehicle

Push the car forward at least 10 feet with the steering wheel unlocked to make sure the wheels are straight.

Make a string stretch

With an assistant, take a piece of string or wire and stretch it between the lines on the front of the tires, even with the spindle, and measure the distance on the string. Repeat at the process at the back of each tire.

As long as you use string or wire that does not stretch, you can get a very accurate measurement this way.

Subtraction of differences

If the distance in the front is smaller than in the back, your wheels toe-in. If the measurement in the back is smaller, they toe-out. If they are identical, you have zero toe.

Rear toe is also important for control and tire life. It is also important to have your front and rear wheels aligned with one another. You can measure your rear toe similarly to the front. If your rear toe is out of alignment, you may need to see a professional mechanic. Rear toe should be adjusted before front toe, so if you find a problem with the rear, don’t waste time adjusting the front yourself.

Camber Measurement

Determine the proper camber

Camber is the vertical angle of the wheels when looking at the car head on. Wheels that are closer together at the top are considered to have “negative” camber, those closer together at the bottom have “positive” camber.Depending on your car, the manual will probably recommend slight negative camber, as this increases stability.

Make a triangle for measurement

Get a piece of stiff cardboard or wood and cut it into a perfect right triangle (one with a 90 degree angle) that is the same height as your wheels.

Insert the triangle

Starting in the front of the car, put the base of the triangle on the ground, perpendicular to the car, and the other side of the 90 degree angle against the center of one of the wheels.

Take a measurement

There will be a gap between your measuring device and your tire, probably at the top. Measure this with a ruler or calipers.

• Repeat with the other front wheel. The two wheels should be about the same and within the range specified by your manual. If not, your camber may need alignment. Repeat the process in the back.
• If you think the camber is off, move your car forward or backward enough to spin the tires half a turn, then try measuring again.
• Camber cannot typically be corrected at home with ordinary tools, and indeed, for some cars it cannot be adjusted at all without bending or replacing major parts.

Changing Your Toe

Find your tie rod ends

Tie rods connect your steering system to your wheels. The rod ends, sometimes known as L-shaped parts near the inside of the wheel, are L-shaped components. It’s a good idea to study your car’s handbook and/or look at photos on the internet to figure out what tie rod ends look like and where they’re positioned on your vehicle.

Remove the lock nuts

A nut holds each tie rod in place between the tie rod and the first tie rod end. This nut should be loosened with a wrench. On some vehicles, the driver’s side locknut may be turned counterclockwise, while the passenger side is turned clockwise.

To remove the bellows boot, you may need to unclamp it at each end, depending on your steering system. For more information, consult your car’s manual. If it has been a while since your last alignment, the threaded parts may be tough to turn and require some lubrication like WD40.

Make your changes

There are two ways you can adjust your toe, depending on the type of steering you have.

• If you have rack and pinion steering, turn the inner tie rod to adjust the toe in or out.
• If your car has a parallelogram linkage system, you can adjust the toe by rotating the adjusting sleeves. Be careful though – these sleeves can be damaged in this process and it’s best to use special tools for rotating tie rods which will prevent any damage.
• Whatever system you choose, keep in mind that the toe modification will be split between two wheels. Adjust each tie rod by 1/2 of the entire amount of change desired.

Check the toe again

After you tighten your nuts (and clamps, if applicable), recheck the toe using the same procedures. Readjust as necessary.

Test drive the vehicle

Take the car for a spin to ensure that any obvious alignment problems have been addressed (for example, that it does not pull to one side or vibrate excessively). If your alignment difficulties persist, you could have a problem that needs the attention of a professional mechanic.

Are there multiple kinds of alignments?

Front-end, thrust, and four-wheel alignments are the three most common forms of alignment. The sort of suspension in your vehicle determines the type of alignment it will get. Your mechanic will be able to advise you on the best alignment solution for your car.

Front-end alignment

A front-end alignment adjusts the front axle. This is the most basic kind of alignment, and it isn’t always suggested for modern cars.

Thrust alignment

A front-end alignment is followed by a thrust alignment to make sure all four wheels are equally aligned. This sort of alignment is typically suggested for vehicles with a solid rear axle.

Four-wheel alignment

This alignment is thorough, positioning elements of the front-end as well as the rear axle angles. A four-wheel alignment typically accommodates for four-wheel and all-wheel drive vehicles, as wellfront= wheel drive cars with an adjustable or independent rear suspension.

Read more What Is A Wheel Balance? Wheel Balancing vs. Wheel Alignment

How can I tell if I need a tire alignment?

There are a few ways to figure out if your vehicle needs an alignment. If any of these symptoms appear, you should have your alignment checked by a professional service expert immediately.

• Uneven tread wear
• Vehicle pulling to the left or right
• When driving straight, your steering wheel is misaligned
• Vibration in the steering wheel

How to check a wheel alignment

In general, all four wheels should be parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. Most drivers suspect that the wheels are misaligned when they pull to one side or suffer a severe strike with a curb. Tire wear is uneven, as well as unusual handling characteristics and vibration.

Toe-in, camber and caster are the three primary factors that affect alignment. The first two of these can be easily checked from the comfort of your own home.

Toe-in

The tread blocks on car tires are slightly pigeon-toed to apply a little weight on the wheel bearings. Depending on the automobile, toe-in specs vary from one thirty seconds to eight twentieth of an inch. Check your vehicle’s acceptable range in the service handbook. The most telling symptom of a toe problem is a saw-tooth wear pattern that is uniform across both front tires. If the tread blocks point toward the frame, you have too much toe-in; if they point outward, you have too much toe-out.

The photos demonstrate how to check and adjust your car’s toe. Toe is the snugness of fit between a cap and shoes. You don’t need any special equipment to measure it, but companies like Eastwood, JC Whitney and Harbor Freight sell tools that are designed for this task.

When measuring and adjusting toe, keep these two things in mind: First, the real spec is taken midway up the tires. If the car’s body makes it impossible to take this measurement halfway up the tires, take the front and rear measurements one-quarter of the way up, then double that to get the true toe as it would be in the middle of the tires. An off-centered steering wheel can sometimes be corrected by adding or removing a tie-rod on one side only.

Camber

The degree of camber on a tire is measured in camber. Negative camber implies that the top of the tire is leaning inward; positive camber refers to an outward lean. To improve stability and handling, most recent cars have slightly negative camber.

The vehicle pulling to one side (the one with more positive camber or possibly less air in the tire) and uneven tire wear across the tread are two signs of camber problems. Camber can be identified easily with an angle finder and a straight edge, ideally one that’s as long as the wheel diameter so that tyre sidewall bulge doesn’t obstruct the straight edge.

The camber of front-wheel-drive cars often indicates bent or worn parts when it is out of specification. On vehicles that have adjustable camber, the job can involve adding shims between the control arms and frame and turning cam bolts. Many people prefer to let an alignment shop make these adjustments, particularly if their car has independent rear suspension.

Caster

Caster is the angle in degrees of the steering pivot. Much like water-skiers lean backward, most vehicles are designed with a slight negative caster; meaning that the upper ball joint is behind the lower ball joint (this is similar to how front wheels work on a grocery shopping cart).

A telltale symptom of a steering problem is the vehicle pulling to one side (the side with less positive caster). Oversteer and light steering but excessive wander are indicators of too much positive caster, while understeering and light steering but rapid movement are signs of too much negative caster. The general public is probably better off leaving caster adjustments to the experts since alignment generally entails chassis repairs or changes.

Taking a few minutes to examine your alignment might help your vehicle run smoother and extend the life of your tires. Even if you have a professional try to straighten the car, you’ll know more about what’s wrong with it – and that knowledge usually translates into power.

Read more How To Grease A Wheel Bearing?

FAQs How To Align Tires

How much does a tire alignment cost?

Wheel alignments usually cost $50 for smaller vehicles, and can be up to $120 for larger vehicles. 4WDs and SUVs might have slightly higher prices.

How long does a tire alignment take?

A standard one-hour wheel alignment, whether it’s a two-wheel or four-wheel drive car, is typical. If the suspension system, steering bushings, track rods, or other components are badly worn or damaged, the procedure will take longer since some parts must be replaced.

Do I need an alignment after replacing tires?

When you have new tires installed, a wheel alignment isn’t necessary, but it’s still a fantastic idea. You may experience a rough ride and uneven tire wear sooner than expected if you don’t get an alignment with new tires, which can reduce the life of your tires.