2. Wheel placement includes four factors:
- Camber is the angle by which the wheels deviate from their vertical position when viewed from the front or rear of the vehicle. Positive camber is the angle (in degrees), by which the wheels deviate outward (on top of the wheel) from a vertical position.
- Roller toe is the angle between the steering axis and the vertical line when viewed from either side of the vehicle. Roller toe-in is considered positive if the steering axle is inclined towards the rear of the car with its upper end.
- Steering axis tilt is the angle, when viewed from the front or rear of the vehicle, between the vertical and a mental line drawn between the upper and lower mounts of the front suspension strut.
- Wheel toe is the difference in distance between the inside edge of the wheel rims at the front and the inside edge of the wheel rims at the rear. If the distance between the front inner edges is less than between the rear ones, then they say that the wheels are located "toes inward". If the distance between the front inner edges is greater than between the rear ones, then the wheels are said to be "toes out".
3. Since measuring small angles requires special precision tools, it is preferable that the wheel camber and roller alignment be checked at a service station that has the necessary equipment for this. Wheel camber and roller toe are set during vehicle manufacture, and any deviation from these values should be the result of accidental damage or severe wear in the suspension mounts.
4. To check the position of the front wheels, first make sure that the lengths of both rods are equal when the steering is on. pregnant "straight ahead". If necessary, the rods can be adjusted in length by loosening the pinch bolts and turning the rods.
5. Buy a measuring tool. These can be obtained in various types from auto supply stores, or such a tool can be made from a piece of steel pipe suitably bent to avoid contact with the pan and having an adjusting screw and lock nut at one end.
6. Using this tool, measure the distance between the inner rims of the two wheels (at hub height) behind the wheels. Push the car forward until the wheel rotates 180 degrees (half a turn) and measure the distance between the inner wheel rims, again at hub height, in front of the wheels. This last measurement must differ from the first by the corresponding amount of wheel toe-in "toes inward" / "toes out" in accordance with the Specifications. The machine must be on a level surface.
7. Where the wheel toe-in value is "toes inward" / "toes out" is not correct, release the pinching bolts of the rod clamp and turn the rods to one angle. Turn them only a quarter turn at a time before making another alignment check. Do not handle the threads of the rod/ball joint during adjustment, but use a wrench (see Fig. 8.20). It is important to prevent the rods from becoming unequal in length during tuning, which will cause the steering wheel to be misaligned and cause tire friction when cornering. The maximum difference in distance between the rods should not exceed 5 mm (0.2 inches).
Pic. 8.20 Place for a wrench on the outer rod - indicated by arrow
8. When finished, tighten the rod clamps without disturbing their installation. Make sure that the ball joint is centered in its feed arc and that the notches in the clamps are aligned with the slots in the ball joint seat of the rod, and that the clamp nuts are on top of the pinch bolts of the clamps.
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