Club X, Nissan X-trail Club, Philippines

X2

Important Questions About Wheel Alignment
Q. How important is wheel alignment?

A. Think of it this way. Research indicates that the average car is driven about 12,000 miles per year. A car with toe alignment just 0.34 degrees (Just 0.17 inches) out of specification has dragged its tires sideways for more than 68 miles by the end of the year!

Q. What are the “symptoms” of a car that's out of alignment?

A. Have your car checked if you notice:

Excessive or uneven tire wear.
Steering wheel pulls to the left or right.
Feeling of looseness or wandering.
Steering wheel vibration or shimmy.
Steering wheel is not centered when car is moving straight ahead.
Q. How often should I have my car aligned?

A. Follow the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation noted in your owner's manual. But, as a general rule, have your vehicle's tires checked every 10,000 miles or at least once a year.

Camber:
Camber is the tilting of the wheels from the vertical when viewed from the front of the vehicle. When the wheels tilt outward at the top, the camber is positive (+). When the wheel tilts inward at the top, the camber is negative (-). The amount of tilt is measured in degrees from the vertical. Camber settings influence the directional control and the tire wear.

Too much positive camber will result in premature wear on the outside of the tire and cause excessive wear on the suspension parts.

Too much negative camber will result in premature wear on the inside of the tire and cause excessive wear on the suspension parts.

Unequal side-to-side camber of 1° or more will cause the vehicle to pull or lead to the side with the most positive camber.

Caster:
Caster is the tilting of the uppermost point of the steering axis either forward or backward (when viewed from the side of the vehicle). A backward tilt is positive (+) and a forward tilt is negative (-). Caster influences directional control of the steering but does not affect the tire wear and is not adjustable on this vehicle. Caster is affected by the vehicle height, therefore it is important to keep the body at its designed height. Overloading the vehicle or a weak or sagging rear spring will affect caster.

When the rear of the vehicle is lower than its designated trim height, the front suspension moves to a more positive caster. If the rear of the vehicle is higher than its designated trim height, the front suspension moves to a less positive caster. With too little positive caster, steering may be touchy at high speed and wheel returnability may be diminished when coming out of a turn. If one wheel has more positive caster than the other, that wheel will pull toward the center of the vehicle. This condition will cause the vehicle to pull or lead to the side with the least amount of positive caster.

Toe:
Toe is a measurement of how much the front and/or rear wheels are turned in or out from a straight-ahead position. When the wheels are turned in, toe is positive (+). When the wheels are turned out, toe is negative (-). The actual amount of toe is normally only a fraction of a degree. The purpose of toe is to ensure that the wheels roll parallel. Toe also serves to offset the small deflections of the wheel support system that occur when the vehicle is rolling forward. In other words, with the vehicle standing still and the wheels set with toe-in, the wheels tend to roll parallel on the road when the vehicle is moving. Improper toe adjustment will cause premature tire wear and cause steering instability.

Wheel Balance: Out-of-balance tires will cause a car to vibrate at certain speeds, usually between 50 and 70 mph. A tire is out of balance when one section of the tire is heavier than the others. One ounce of imbalance on a front tire is enough to cause a noticeable vibration in the steering wheel at about 60 mph. To balance a wheel, the technician will mount it on a balancing machine which spins the wheel to locate the heavier part. He will then compensate for the heavy part by attaching a lead weight on the opposite side. Many people are pleasantly surprised at how smooth their car drives after balancing all four wheels.

Most high quality tires will hold their balance fairly well and go out of balance very gradually. If you notice a vibration that wasn't there the day before, it is possible that one of the lead balancing weights fell off. If you feel the vibration mostly in the steering wheel, the problem is most likely in a front wheel. If the vibration is mostly in the seat, the problem is probably in the rear.

For those of you who are very sensitive about vibrations and your shop can't seem to get that last bit of vibration out, check to see if you have locking wheel lugs. Some locking lugs are as much as 1.5 ounces heavier than the other lug nuts which translates to about 1/2 ounce at the wheel rim. Try putting a 1/2 ounce weight opposite the locking lug and see if it helps.

chubibo · Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 12:42 pm Post subject: wheels

galing! very informative!

thanks!

ILD - X14 · Site Admin Joined: 05 Jun 2006 Posts: 489

Peter, maybe we can post a list of shops that do wheel aligment, etc etc.

You mentioned to me before about Dallas in Tomas Morato.

After doing some research here are other shops i found:
Bridgestone The Fort
Tireboy along Maria Clara
Wheelers Suspension House along N.Roxas near Banawe

X2 · Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 4:28 pm Post subject:

Yes we can do that. we'll just post it under the "recommended shops" the list of reputable wheel alignment shops.

dubalaver · Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 6:42 pm Post subject: wheel alignment

Minerva Yokohama west gate.. kaso lang last time nagpa-align n balancing ako ni-loose thread nila isang nut & stud ko Confused

feeling ko dahil sa baril baril yun. Sad

X2 · Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 8:59 pm Post subject: Re: wheel alignment