Facts About Car Alignment

While it's often referred to simply as an "alignment" or "car alignment," it's really complex suspension angles that are being measured and a variety of suspension components that are being adjusted. This makes a car alignment an important suspension-tuning tool that greatly influences the operation of the vehicle's tires.

Out-of-alignment conditions occur when the suspension and steering systems are not operating at their desired angles. Out-of-alignment conditions are most often caused by spring sag or suspension wear (ball joints, bushings, etc.) on an older vehicle. They can also be the result of an impact with a pothole or curb, or a change in vehicle ride height (lowered or raised) on any vehicle regardless of age.

Incorrect car alignment settings will usually result in more rapid tire wear. Therefore, car alignment should be checked whenever new tires or suspension components are installed, and any time unusual tire wear patterns appear. Car alignment should also be checked after the vehicle has encountered a major road hazard or curb.

Front-End, Thrust Angle and Four-Wheel Car Alignment

The different types of car alignments offered today are front-end, thrust angle, and four-wheel. During a front-end car alignment, only the front axle's angles are measured and adjusted. Front-end car alignments are fine for some vehicles featuring a solid rear axle, but confirming that the front tires are positioned directly in front of the rear tires is also important.

On a solid rear axle vehicle, this requires a thrust angle car alignment that allows the technician to confirm that all four wheels are "square" with each other. Thrust angle car alignments also identify vehicles that would "dog track" going down the road with the rear end offset from the front. If the thrust angle isn't zero on many solid rear axle vehicles, a trip to a frame straightening shop is required to return the rear axle to its original location.

On all vehicles with four-wheel independent suspensions, or front-wheel drive vehicles with adjustable rear suspensions, the appropriate alignment is a four-wheel car alignment. This procedure "squares" the vehicle like a thrust angle alignment, and also includes measuring and adjusting the rear axle angles as well as the front.

Not all vehicles are easily adjustable or fully adjustable. Some vehicles require aftermarket kits to allow sufficient adjustment to compensate for accident damage or the change in car alignment due to the installation of lowering springs.

When aligning a vehicle, it's appropriate for the vehicle to be carrying its "typical" load. This is important for drivers who continuously carry loads in their vehicles, such as sales representatives with samples or literature in the trunk. Additionally, when a vehicle is used for autocross or track events, some racers will sit in their car, or have the car alignment shop "ballast" their vehicle to include the influence of the driver's weight on the suspension angles.

Car Alignment Ranges

The vehicle manufacturers' car alignment specifications usually identify a "preferred" angle for camber, caster and toe (with preferred thrust angle always being zero). The manufacturers also provide the acceptable "minimum" and "maximum" angles for each specification. The minimum and maximum camber and caster specifications typically result in a range that remains within plus or minus 1-degree of the preferred angle.

If for whatever reason your vehicle can't reach within the acceptable range, replacing bent parts or an aftermarket car alignment kit will be required. Fortunately there is a kit for almost every popular vehicle due to the needs of body and frame shops doing crash repairs and driving enthusiasts tuning the suspensions on their cars.

Recommendations

An accurate wheel alignment is critical to balance the treadwear and performance a vehicle's tires deliver. Regular wheel alignments will usually save you as much in tire wear as they cost, and should be considered routine, preventative maintenance. Since there are "acceptable" ranges provided in the manufacturer's recommendations, the technician should be encouraged to align the vehicle to the preferred settings and not just within the range.

If you are a reserved driver, aligning your vehicle to the vehicle manufacturer's preferred settings is appropriate.

If you are an assertive driver who enjoys driving hard through the corners and expressway ramps, a performance car alignment is appropriate for you. A performance car alignment consists of using the vehicle manufacturer's range of alignment specifications to maximize the tires' performance. A performance car alignment calls for the manufacturer's maximum negative camber, maximum positive caster, and preferred toe settings. While remaining within the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations, these car alignment settings will maximize tire performance.

If you are a competition driver who frequently runs autocross, track or road race events, you'll typically want the maximum negative camber, maximum positive caster and most aggressive toe settings available from the car and permitted by the competition rules. If the rules permit, aftermarket camber plates and caster adjustments are good investments.

Many of today's car alignment machines are equipped with printouts that compare the "before" and "after" alignment angles with the manufacturers' specifications. Requesting a post alignment printout can help you confirm the thoroughness of the car alignment technician and preserve a record of your vehicle's intended settings in the case of an encounter with a suspension damaging road hazard.

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Antifreeze & Coolant

What does Antifreeze Coolant do and which should you use?

Making sure that you've got the correct antifreeze coolant in the right concentration is critical to the health and well-being of your engine.

The coolant capacity of modern systems is smaller and the operating temperatures and pressures higher, while greater use of lightweight materials such as aluminium increases the risk of corrosion.

As a rule of thumb, only about 28% of the thermal energy released by burning fuel in the engine is available for driving the car.

• About 7% is used to overcome friction in the engine, drive train, tires etc.
• Another 35% disappears out of the exhaust, and
• The remaining 30% has to be removed by the antifreeze coolant or the engine block would go into melt down.

Engines are constructed from several different metals and it's important to prevent corrosion and scale build up in the cooling system at normal operating temperatures. Around 60% of engine failures can be attributed to cooling system problems.

Antifreeze coolant is multi-functional and vital to the correct operation of the engine. A modern antifreeze coolant needs the following features:

• Corrosion prevention
• Excellent heat transfer
• Protection from freezing
• Prevention of scale build up
• Compatibility with hard water
• Stability at high temperature
• Compatibility with plastics and elastomers used in the engine
• Low foaming

Since around 1930 the necessary freeze protection and heat transfer has been provided by mixtures of water and ethylene glycol. This is available in large quantities from the petrochemical industry and has the added advantage of raising the boiling point of the mixture.

More recently propylene glycol has been introduced as a less hazardous alternative to ethylene glycol although this is much more expensive and some manufacturers have been reluctant to use it.

The important recent technical advances have been in the field of corrosion prevention, hard water compatibility and control of scale build up. Engine design has changed to improve fuel efficiency and lower emissions as well as reducing weight and costs. These demands have made engine operating conditions even more severe, so that much more is required from the cooling system.

The antifreeze coolant used at first fill is chosen by the vehicle manufacturer as the most suitable. Subsequent service top ups or renewals should use a product meeting the original specification so the vehicle warranty is not affected.

Beyond the warranty period, it is still best to follow the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation, however the antifreeze coolant used should at least meet minimum specifications such as BS6580:2010 or ASTM D 3306. These are national standards that provide a basic level of performance for cars and light vans.

The concentrate is diluted with water prior to use and to ensure adequate cooling system protection a concentration of between 40% and 50% (by volume) is recommended. It's important to remember that vehicle cooling systems are sealed and, under normal circumstances, should not need topping up. If the coolant level in the radiator expansion tank drops, the cooling system should be checked fully.

Developments in coolants have led to the introduction of Organic Acid Technology (OAT). The corrosion inhibitors in OAT products last much longer in service than those in traditional antifreeze and are usually only changed every 5 years.

In spite of improvements in the quality and life expectancy of the products there are many older vehicles which still use traditional antifreezes and these must be renewed every 20,000 mile or 2 years. These coolants are cheaper than the longer life technologies and, although they do not achieve the same corrosion protection performance at the higher temperatures generated in modern engine cooling systems, they should at least meet recognised national standards e.g. BS6580:2010 or ASTM D3306.

Water quality

Although tremendous progress has been made in improving the performance of modern day antifreeze/coolants there is still one factor that can reduce their effectiveness – the quality of the water used for dilution! High levels of calcium and magnesium in tap water, that cause furring of kettle heater elements, can also lead to deposits and scale build up in the engine cooling system. If you are in a hard water area it is advisable to use distilled or deionised water in the cooling system rather than tap water.

So to insure many long years of service from your vehicle, keep your car's cooling system in tip top shape.

Contact Fifth Gear Automotive to set up an appointment to stop by for a coolant flush and fill with the apropriate antifreeze coolant for your vehicle.

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