GERALD's TIRES & BRAKES

 

Camber: Here we an example of positive Camber, the top of the tire is leaning away from the vehicle. Negative Camber would be just the opposite, leaning inward towards the engine. As a note, if the Camber angle were perfectly straight up & down it would be even with the 0 mark shown above. ** When the Camber angle is out it can cause long term smooth tire wear on one side of the affected tire(s). Though rare, in some cases Camber can actually create a "pulling" or "drifting" effect like tire with radial pull or a Caster problem.

 

Caster: If the top of the strut (or upper ball joint) is set back relative to the lower ball joint the Caster angle will be positive. If the top is ahead of the lower ball joint Caster is negative. Of course if the top is even with the lower it will be the 0 mark shown above. ** Caster has little to do with any form of tire wear. Its claim to fame however it its ability to cause a car to "pull" to one side. Many times however what most think is a caster problem is actually one of two tire issues, a separated tire (below illustration) or radial pull.

 

Toe: Positive Toe is when the leading edges of both tires are turned in towards the vehicles center line (hashed line in center). If the leading edges were turned away it would be negative Toe. If both tires were perfectly parallel with the vehicle center line they would be at 0 Toe. ** Toe is the Godzilla of alignment angles. If you have a toe problem you will see immediate signs of "feathered" tire wear patterns. Bad Toe can actually ruin a new set of tires within days! Check your tires for wear each time you rotate them to stay ahead of possible Toe wear. Feathered Toe angle wear is caused by misalignment. It can be easily felt by running your palm along the tread clockwise or counter clockwise.