FOUR WHEEL ALIGNMENT

£ 36 + vat

• Full Geometry Check
• Front Wheel Toe (tracking) Adjustment

£ 60 + vat

• Full Geometry Check
• Front & Rear Camber Adjustment*

EQUIPMENT USED

We use a SUN PRISM Machine made by Snap On with the latest John Bean software. This very hi-tech piece of equipment comes with high resolution cameras and allows us to measure the target position and orientation on each wheel, this in turn gives accurate data. Also gives you a print out (before and after readings) for you to take away with you.

We can carry out wheel alignment on the very latest vehicle (including imports) confidently thanks to our database library of vehicles (over 12000 models).

Both 2 and 4 wheel alignment on anything other than a flat surface is counterproductive and that’s why we use a specialist wheel alignment ramp.

CALL NOW TO BOOK YOUR CAR

WHEEL ALIGNMENT EXPLAINED

Safety on the roads is the highest priority, so regular checks on your car's wheel alignment should also be a high priority! It also affects fuel economy, even tyre wear (increase lifespan of the tyre), vehicle handling and safety stopping distances.

To help there are visual checks you can make (Fig 1 / Fig 2)

The other questions raised are:

• Is your steering wheel straight when you drive your car?
• Does your car pull or drift to the left or right when driving?
• Are you experiencing uneven tyre wear?
• Does your car understeer or oversteer?
• Do the tyres squeal on roundabouts?

If you have any of these symptoms you could have a problem that can be addressed with a four wheel alignment check at Treads Tyres And Autos Exeter LTD.

DRIVER FATIGUE

If a car is constantly trying to pull left or right (Fig 3) the driver has to correct this pull all the time and can over time have an effect on their concentration. Over longer journeys this could prove fatal.

FUEL CONSUMPTION

It’s all about the resistance! The better your tyres run along the road the better the fuel consumption. This can be achieved with you correct wheel alignment.

TYRES

Even tyre wear equals an increase lifespan of the tyre. Fact! The correct alignment must be applied for the tyre to reach its full potential.

UNDER-STEER / OVER-STEER

Under-steer (Fig 4) is when the car does not turn enough and has the influence of wanting to go straight on. Oversteer (Fig 5) is the opposite when the car turns tighter than intended, this can lead to cars spinning. Both of these conditions are a symptom of misalignment and can be solved at Treads Tyres And Autos Exeter LTD.

WHEEL ALIGNMENT ANGLES

The wheel alignment angles all have an important role to play in the performance of the motor vehicle. Below are the five most important angles are explained.

1) FRONT TOE

Front toe or “Tracking”, relates to the way the actual width of the track varies from the front to the rear of the front wheels (Fig 6). As you can see from above the front road wheels will be either pointing towards the centre line of the vehicle or away from it. If the wheels are pointing away from the centre line this is called Toe Out (Negative Toe). If the wheels point towards the centre line it is called Toe In (Positive Toe). The effect will lead to the steering wheel not being straight.

2) REAR TOE

Again the rear toe on a vehicle is set to give minimum tyre wear. It is also used to assist straight line stability. Wheels need to be set equal on both sides of the vehicle, otherwise a thrust angle is introduced. The effect of this will be uneven tyre wear and the steering wheel will not be straight. (Fig 7)

3) THRUST LINE

Thrust Line, also referred to as Thrust Line, is the angle of the centre line in relation to the rear axle or the theoretical rear axle. If this angle is 90 degrees it will affect the relationship between the front and rear wheels. The car will drift either left or right, again indicated by the steering wheel position (Fig 8).

4) CAMBER

Camber is the angle of the road wheel measured vertically (Fig 9). Negative camber is when the top of the wheel is leaning into to the vehicle. Positive camber is when the top of the road wheel is leaning away from the vehicle. This angle is set to assist the vehicle when cornering as well as assisting straight line stability. The camber angles must be equal either side of the vehicle. If not the vehicle will pull of drift either left or right. If the camber is not set correctly the tyres will show wear on just one side. Too much negative camber will wear the inside edge of the tyre, too much positive camber will wear the outside edge of the tyre.

5) CASTOR

It is designed to give the vehicle straight line stability. This angle is only adjustable in a few vehicles and the cause of castor problems is usually accident damage. Both castor angles do not need to be the same as the effects of the road. Camber can influence the vehicle drifting left or right. In the UK, cars are often set with the left castor slightly higher than the right to compensate for the road camber (Fig 10).