What is Wheel Alignment? Its Functions and Maintenance!

You must have heard the term wheel alignment? But do you know what that term means? Wheel alignment is a car maintenance procedure aimed at aligning the wheels. In the wheel alignment process, the car's wheels will be aligned using a tool called an alignment machine. In the automotive world, wheel alignment has an acronym, which is spooring.

Function of Wheel Alignment 

Wheel alignment has an important function for the car being driven. The complete functions are as follows.

1. Enhancing stability and facilitating car control

Wheel alignment plays a significant role for the car being driven because it can enhance stability and facilitate car control. This happens because wheel alignment is a wheel alignment process that pays attention to precision, ensuring that a car that has undergone wheel alignment can travel straight without tilting to one side. Thus, the car will be easy to control and can run stably.

2. Reducing tire wear 

Wheel alignment also functions to reduce tire wear. Proper wheel alignment will certainly reduce the risk of uneven tire wear.

3. Improving fuel efficiency

Wheel alignment also functions to improve fuel efficiency because wheel alignment can prevent and reduce rolling resistance.

4. Enhancing driving comfort and safety

Wheel alignment can also impact driving comfort and safety because aligned wheels can prevent vibrations and shocks in the car when passing over uneven or damaged road surfaces.

Proper Wheel Alignment Maintenance

As is known, cars used daily will gradually experience problems with suspension and tire health. This can cause the car to tilt to one side, experience vibrations and significant shocks, and even have tire blowouts while driving. 

Therefore, car owners must perform wheel alignment when the car has traveled approximately 5,000 to 6,000 kilometers at each tire change or every six months. In addition to wheel alignment, car owners also need to perform balancing. 

To achieve accurate results in wheel alignment, several factors must be considered.

1. Camber

Camber is the angle of the front wheels of the car on the vertical axis when viewed from the front or rear of the car. Camber is formed from the vertical line on the road surface and the wheel. Camber is divided into two types: positive camber and negative camber.

When the top of the car wheel leans outward, this condition is called positive camber. Conversely, when the top of the car wheel leans inward, it is called negative camber. 

2. Toe 

Toe is the angle formed by the distance between the front and rear wheels of the car when viewed from above. When the distance difference between the front wheels is smaller than that of the rear wheels, it is called toe in. Conversely, it is called toe out.

3. Caster

Caster is the depiction of the tilt of the wheel axis of the car against the vertical axis. Caster is said to be positive if the steering axis is tilted and leans backward when viewed from the side of the car. Conversely, it is called negative caster.

Wheel alignment should be performed at a professional workshop such as Daihatsu official workshop. This is because the wheel alignment process requires an alignment machine or alignment computer to measure the angles of camber, toe, and caster to adjust the angles accurately according to the manufacturer's specifications.