Collapse is the angle of the wheel plane relative to the vertical. If the wheels are tilted with their upper edges outward, the camber is called positive, and vice versa. The camber value is measured in degrees. Correct camber adjustment determines the size and position of the contact patch of the treads with the road surface and allows for compensation for changes in the suspension geometry that occur when turning and when the car is moving on an uneven road surface.
Convergence (convergence) is the amount of convergence of the front edges of the car wheels. This violation of the parallelism of the wheels helps to minimize tread wear by preventing skidding when turning. With zero toe-in, the distance between the front edges of the wheels is equal to the distance between their rear edges. Normal toe-in usually does not exceed fractions of an inch (1 inch = 2.54 cm). Violation of the toe-in adjustment leads to accelerated wear of the tire treads due to their slipping on the road surface.
Run-out is called the angle of longitudinal inclination of the kingpin/wheel pivot axis, i.e., the angle of deviation of this axis from the vertical in the plane of the wheel disk. If the pivot axis/kingpin is tilted back, the runout is called positive, vice versa.
Note: By analogy, the transverse angle of inclination of the wheel's pivot axis is the angle of deviation of the imaginary kingpin from the vertical in a plane perpendicular to the vehicle's DP.
Divergence of the steering wheels when turning is the difference between the angles of rotation of the inner and outer wheels when the former is turned at a given angle.
Conditions for checking wheel alignment angles
Checking the vehicle's installation angles requires a specially equipped overpass/lift. Before starting the check, make sure that the following conditions are met:
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- The air pressure in the tires corresponds to the nominal;
- The front wheels are mounted in a straight line;
- The car is not loaded, the fuel tank is full;
- The vehicle's suspension elements are forced down;
- The steering gear is adjusted correctly;
- Play in the steering rod ends and suspension ball joints does not exceed the permissible limits;
- The tread depth of tires mounted on wheels of the same axle is the same.