How to Fix a Wheel Alignment of Your Car without Professional Help?

by Colemans Garage Automotive

Are you facing Issues with your car, like uneven and rapid tread wear, a defiant steering column, and a tendency to drift towards one side while driving? Chances are your wheels are out of alignment. In this situation, you have two options. You can head over to a professional garage, or try to fix it by yourself before your next car servicing.

You may want to try your hands at fixing the misalignment, before opting for a professional garage. This way you can save money on total repair costs.

A DIY Guide to Fix Wheel Alignment

Wrong toe angle is the most common alignment problem. The angle between the wheel and the longitudinal axis of the vehicle is its toe angle. A misaligned toe means, a deviation in the toe angle from the value mentioned in your car’s manual.

Guide to Measure the Degree of Toe Mis Alignment

Make sure you evenly inflate your tyres, up to the correct pressure. At the same time, check whether your tyres have a tread depth of more than 1.6 mm. Wheel misalignment often damages the tyres. So look for a new set of Tyres Alfreton if the tread depth is already below the mark.

Also, check your manufacturer's specifications for the requisite wheel angles. You will find angles describing your car’s ideal toe, camber and caster. Note them down.

Measure the Toe Angle

I. Put your car up on a jack and then hold a thin chalk against the centre of the tyre tread.

ii. Hold your hand very still and have someone turn the tyre one full turn. This will trace a line around the circumference. Do the same on the other tyres.

Iii. Now lower the car to the ground, and push the car forward at least 10 feet.

iv. With a helping hand, take a string or wire and stretch it between the chalk marks on the front of the tyres. The string should stay parallel to the spindle. This way, measure the distance between the circumferences of the tyres. Do the same with the back tyres.

v. Now, compare the lengths. If it’s more up front, your wheels are ‘toe in’. If it’s more out back, they are ‘toe out’. No difference means a zero toe and you’re good to go!

vi. If you require adjustments, adjust the rear toe before the front toe.

Correcting the Toe:

I. Locate the Outer Tie Rod Ends of Your Car

Tie rods connect the wheels to the steering system. Take a look at your car’s manual to have an understanding of how it might look for your specific vehicle.

ii. Loosen the Joint Between the Tie Rods and Tie Rod Ends

Between the tie rod and its end, there will be a nut holding these two parts together. Loosen this nut with a wrench.

Iii. Adjust the Toe

If your car employs a rack and pinion steering, twist the inner-tie rod. Turning the rod will adjust the toe degree.

If your car uses a parallelogram linkage system, the tie rods will be attached to adjusting sleeves. Twisting this adjusting sleeve will change the toe angle. Make sure that, you make the half the amount of adjustment you need, to each wheel.

iv. Recheck the Toe

Using the same procedure as mentioned earlier, recheck the toe angle.

Finally, test-drive the car to verify whether the issues are still there. Following these procedures should help you with fixing the alignment issue.

The other parameters of alignment are camber and caster. It is better to consult professionals for Wheel Alignment in Alfreton in case of camber issues. You can head over Colemans Garage for a reliable wheel alignment service. They are also well known for their MOT test facility.