The vehicle must have proper straightline performance for stable driving, cornering performance for driving around curves, recovery force for returning to the straight-line condition, the capacity to soften the shock transmitted to the suspension when the tires are impacted, etc. Therefore, the wheels of a vehicle are mounted at specific angles to the ground and specific suspensions for each purpose. This is called wheel alignment. The wheel alignment has the following five factors:
- Camber
- Caster
- Steering axis inclination (kingpin inclination)
- Toe (toe-angle, toe-in and toe-out)
- Turning radius (wheel angle, turning angle) If even one of these elements is incorrect, the following problems can occur:
- Difficult steering
- Poor steering stability
- Poor recovery on curves
- Shortened tire life