A proper truck wheel alignment is crucial to the safe operation of your truck. Not only does an accurate wheel alignment improve fuel economy, but it also extends the life of your tyres by preventing uneven tyre wear.
A truck wheel alignment should be part of any professional driver’s regular maintenance routine, wheel alignments should also be checked whenever new tyres are purchased.
Misalignment can be caused by anything from road conditions, potholes and bumps to driver habits. No matter the cause, when your truck starts pulling to either side or you feel vibrations in your steering wheel, AxleFix truck wheel alignments can set your truck back on track.
Australian roads are different to other countries and because of this we need to set the camber and caster to suit our conditions. Making this adjustment is better done sooner rather than later in order to save the life of your tyres.
Camber: The camber angle is the vertical line when facing the tread (facing the front of the vehicle) Incorrect camber readings are most commonly the main reason causing premature edge wear / shoulder wear / uneven wear across the face of the tyre.
Castor: Castor is the vertical line when facing the wheel from the side of the vehicle. Leaning back at the top of the wheel is positive castor and leaning forward at the top is negative castor.
Castor is broken up into 2 main specs;
Castor height: The overall height of the castor can make the vehicle handle in completely different ways. Too low makes the vehicle struggle to hold a line while castor that is set too high can cause a rather nasty castor shake.
Castor split: The castor split is the main reading to stop the vehicle from pulling. It is the castor reading for the difference between left and right. No split or split going the wrong way (lower reading on the left) will make the vehicle pull left.
If the castor has too much split (excessively high castor on the left in reference to the right) will make the vehicle pull right. Setting the ideal split and height is part of what we do to keep you driving straight.
As no axle in any truck is locally made, the correct camber must be set to ensure a maximum tread print on the road which in turn will give you ideal wear on your steers.
The toe reading is one of the most basic of wheel alignment specs, however can cause significant tyre wear if not set correctly.
Excessive amounts of toe in or toe out can effectively destroy a steer tyre in well under 1000km so making sure the toe is set correctly is very important. Toe readings can be changed over time by potholes, running over gutters, rough road driving or long term wear and tear on the vehicle. Toe readings can also be changed greatly by running over rocks or curbs and incorrect towing where a strap or chain gets wrapped around the axle and bar assembly bending the tie rod bar.
Replacement of most suspension parts will also alter this so a wheel alignment should always be your first stop directly after any suspension work has been carried out.
Rear alignments are just as important to handling and tyre wear as the front. If your front end is set up correctly and your rear drives are out of alignment this will flow through to the front steer tyres and cause uneven tyre wear.
Rear ends that are out of alignment can create severe pulling both left and right of the vehicle, vibrations due to misalignment and also tyre wear at the rear as well as the front steer tyres.
Most rear alignments are a quick process and should always be considered when looking at getting the vehicle to handle and wear tyres well.
At AxleFix we never complete a truck wheel alignment without checking the rear alignment as we understand just how important it is and the effect it can have on the drivability and tyre wear of the vehicle.
