How to Adjust Your Car's Wheel Alignment
When driving on a straight level road a car should drive or track straight also, not veer to the left or sway to the right. If the car is pulling in either direction a wheel alignment is needed. Proper wheel alignment is important to the life of your car’s tires and can increase the handling and steering performance of the car.
- Look in the manufacturer’s manual or repair guide and locate the proper toe setting for the car. The toe setting can also be found online or in repair manuals provided at the local library.
- Jack up the car and place it on jack stands. Check the stability of the wheel components by shaking each wheel firmly to see if it is loose. If the wheel components are loose adjust the components appropriately.
- Mark each of the tire’s circumferences with a pocket knife. Accurately mark the circumference by going underneath the tire and putting the pocketknife against the tire, hold it firmly in one place and spin the tire. Take the car off the jack stands and lower it back to the ground.
- Push down on the fender several times to settle the car. Put the car in neutral and loosen up the steering wheel, keeping the tires pointed straight. From behind push the car forward 10 to 15 feet without securing or holding on to the steering wheel.
- Measure the distance between the line marks on the front of each of the tires. Use a piece of string or measuring tape and line it up at the same height on each side level with the spindle. Repeat this step to measure the distance between the lines on the backs of each tire. The difference between the two measurements will give you the toe setting. If the measurement in the front is smaller it is represented as a “toe-in” measurement. If the measurement is bigger it is represented as a “toe-out” measurement.
- Tighten the lock nuts and repeat step 5 to check if the car’s toe setting is correct.