Hi guys,
Just wondering if someone can explain this alignment sheet to me.
The front axle camber and caster is normal?
Thanks
You see the print in red? That means the value is out of specification. The spec is in the middle. The cirst number is nominal, the second is the range.
Both your front camber and caster are out of spec. That is not normal.
It looks like the front camber is out of specification. The top of the front wheels are supposed to be leaning inward ever so slightly. They are not. Many cars are not built with a way to adjust camber, so there may be some parts that need to be replaced or updated to get that angle in spec.
The caster measurement is off as well. This is a measurement of how far forward or backward the wheel hubs are leaning (for lack of a better explanation). But that will not cause any tire wear and being more positive than spec may actually help the car stay tracking straighter, but cause increased steering effort. However with your cross caster numbers the car may drift right ever so slightly. Adjusting the camber will also change the caster numbers to that will need to be addressed first.
What kind of car is it? How are the tires wearing? How does the car drive?
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No, I don’t. I have the same problem with the aligner print outs at work. They all look the same color. It’s easier for me to look at the bar graphs sometimes.
I also have a 2-channel labscope where channel 1 is yellow and channel 2 is green and I can’t tell them apart.
Wiring can be fun for a red/green colorblind guy.
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I worked with a chief electronics engineer who was colorblind. He needed help reading resistors. Wires he mostly traced back. He was a very good EE.
Tracing wires through an engine compartment or under a dash is impossible. Fortunately connector cavities are also labeled by position. So instead of looking for the green wire going into the transmission I look for the cavity B or 10.
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I agree with that! He worked for a forklift manufacturer, much easier to trace wires.
2007 Mitsubishi Outlander
@Cfyikian Explain why when you had the alighnment check done you did not ask them to show you what was out of the correct numbers and put them right . It just seems when you got the print out you would have asked what the red numbers were for instead of going on the web.
It looks like the alignment tech only did a toe alignment. The camber and caster mat not be adjustable on your vehicle, but wear and tear has thrown them slightly out of spec. To correct this may involve the replacement of very expensive parts, more than the vehicle is worth and certainly much more than the return on investment.
The bottom line is that the front tires will wear slightly more on the inside treads than the outside. I don’t see that it will reduce the life of the tire enough to offset the cost of repairs, especially if you rotate the tires periodically. I would have added a little more front toe in because of the age of the vehicle and expected wear on the bushings in the suspension. That would help offset the wear caused by the camber, but for now, the vehicle is perfectly fine for day to day use.
The caster is slightly out of spec on the front, but probably not worth worrying about. The only problem worth noting is that the front camber is supposed to be biased negative, and yours is measuring positive. That could possibly make the vehicle not track correctly, turning problems, or wear the tires a little more than normal. If it is possible to correct the front camber, depends on the car’s design, suggest to take it back and have that done. It may not be possible without some expensive repairs. In that case ask the pros at the shop for any practical advice they can offer.
I missed that on the spec sheet so my statement about the front tires wearing on the inside should be that the excessive wear would be on the outside of the treads. If it is not adjustable as I suspect, then that maybe why the tech dialed in less toe in to compensate for this.
It is still not that bad though. Some things that could cause this would be control are bushings or ball joints. Either of which would require the replacement of the lower control arms. The cost of that would have to be balanced against the expected remaining life of the vehicle and the cost of replacing tires slightly more frequently. I don’t think it would be cost effective. At this point it is not a safety issue either.
Edit: there are low cost kits to add adjustment to the camber but it will not correct the underlying cause. Worn parts can make the alignment reading different every time the vehicle is checked and every time it moves so I don’t see that as a solution.
My truck’s camber can only be adjusted by installing a differently designed control arm bushing.
My ‘83 GTI had eccentrics on the front strut mounts to the spindle, an easy and cheap way to adjust camber. Wonder why makers don’t do something that simple.