It is a common misconception that geometry or wheel alignment is a non essential vehicle service often ranking low on the priority list of drivers. Considering the varied factors & their effects on a vehicle, it is a service we that we strive to provide our customers with the knowledge & understanding of its importance.

 

With that in mind we invested heavily in specialist equipment & training for our technicians to ensure we remained at the forefront of industry developments whilst allowing us to deliver accuracy achieved at the stage of manufacturing.

 

Despite promises, road maintenance is underfunded & our roads remain in poor condition, plagued with pot holes subsequently costing motorists upwards of £2.8 billion annually. With the very best intentions we may avoid these nuisance holes but it is often the root cause of our wheel alignment woes & are held responsible for countless incidents including buckled wheels, damage to tyres & suspension components & although it may not be noticeable initially – misaligned wheels.

Pot holes are not completely to blame however, vehicle components can weaken & wear out over a period of time – springs weaken & collapse, suspension & steering components wear out becoming loose – all contributing to a less pleasurable drive, increasing fuel consumption in addition to accelerating tyre & component wear.

 

To reaffirm the importance of this service we offer a complimentary geometry check to all, in which we provide a print out illustrating a visual representation of the adjustments required. Our 3D, 4 wheel, high definition geometry equipment allows our technicians to measure & make the necessary adjustments to compensate for wear related changes whilst ensuring adjustments are made within the allowable tolerances established by the vehicle manufacturer.

 

After a thorough assessment of steering & suspension components & tyres addressing any anomalies, the ride height is used to establish the correct suspension height of which all other angles are measured. The positive or negative camber is measured in degrees & minutes with a true vertical angle.

 

An accurate camber setting is necessary for several reasons; it maximises the tread in continuous contact with the road whilst establishing the correct load point of the suspension & is used in conjunction with other angles to diagnose problem suspension components. If incorrect, it can pull or lead the vehicle.

 

Caster provides the function of directional stability by tilting the vehicles steering pivots (axis) to the front or rear. Increasing positive caster will increase directional stability & steering effort whilst decreasing caster naturally has the opposite effect, reducing directional stability & steering effort.

 

Drawing a line between the pivot points as a comparison to the vertical line drawn through the wheel determines the angle known as steering axis inclination (SAI). This measurement helps us to establish the scrub radius which alongside other suspension data enables our technicians to establish toe specifications.

 

When a vehicle is driven, normal dynamic driving forces strive to steer the wheels away from the straight ahead position. The direction they steer is derived from the scrub radius & suspension design.

Measuring the rear individual toe in relation to the vehicles geometric centreline is called thrust angle. If the thrust line is not identical to the geometric centreline the driver must compensate when steering the vehicle to navigate a linear route, this can result in a cocked steering wheel in the direction of the thrust line which is a typical complaint from most drivers. The misalignment of the rear wheels in relation to the centreline can cause the tracking to be offset, this is regularly referred to as 'dog tracking' or 'crabbing'.

 

Using a predetermined sequence whilst considering the unique measurements taken from each vehicle & the adjustments that can be made - our technicians can design 'drivers feel' in to the vehicle to compensate for downsized compacts, luxury & high performance vehicles in addition to any other desirable characteristics.

 

We recommend integrating a geometry check to your normal servicing schedule biannually, sooner if incident occurs (such as hitting a bad pot hole). In addition to the added safety aspects, this service will return savings on fuel consumption & prolong the life of vehicle components.