Toe is the dimension of how much the rear or the front wheels are turned out or in from the straight-ahead pose. Whenever the wheels of the vehicle are turned in, the toe is said to be positive. Whenever the wheels of the vehicle are turned out, the toe is said to be negative. The actual capacity of toe is basically only a given fraction of an extent or a degree. The main objective of the toe is to make sure that the wheels of the vehicle roll parallel.

Toe also works to offset the little deflections of a wheel support system which occurs when the wheels are rolling forward. For instance, when a vehicle has stopped and the wheels position with toe-in, the vehicle’s wheels will have a propensity to roll in a parallel manner on the road whenever the vehicle is on the move. If the toe is not well adjusted, it may result steering instability and premature tire wearing.

Toe in and toe out affects three major areas; corner entry handling, straight-line stability and tire wear. For a minimum tire wear, it would be necessary for the wheels to be o degrees/ parallel while driving. This can be done in order to give a little static toe-out to the front wheel-drive car, or the toe-in to the rear wheel-driver. A front wheel-drive car always has the habit to under steer. These vehicles may be to have a negative toe (Toe-out) in an effort to reduce under steer.

The oval race cars are often set up with a front toe-out, which lowers the straight-line stability although it will assist to provide an extra grip in the braking zones and in corners as the left-wheel accelerates at more of the angle towards the left rather than the right front. From this concept of toe in and toe out, is also states that the minimum toe you have is probably going to offer you the minimal tire wear in most scenarios.

Caster Camber and Toe are only adjustable on vehicles with independent suspension. Vehicles with axles such as a rear wheel drive truck can only have the front end aligned.

A vehicle with a solid axle has its specs set from the factory and is set in place. Even if the axle is removed and replaced, no alignment is needed. There are pins coming out of the leaf springs to ensure it is properly aligned.

Whenever a wheel is positioned to have a bit of camber angle, the interface between the road and tire surfaces cause the wheel of the vehicle to tend to need to roll parallel in a curve. The propensity to turn enhances the rolling resistance together and increases tire wear. The small extent of toe will cancel the turning tendency, rolling resistance and reducing wear. On some competition, the vehicles like go-karts, particularly where the power is really restricted and is highly synchronized by the rules and regulations of the sport, the effects can turn to be very major in terms of the competitiveness and performance.

The relationship of every wheel is very important in the sense that the left front wheel and the right front wheel should be set straight ahead and also should be balanced. If the steering wheel is crooked after the wheel alignment, it indicates that either the rear or front toe is set improperly. Hence this should be sought out quickly in order not to cause any accident or wearing out of the tires

Specifications vary from vehicle to vehicle and are set by the manufacturer.

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Wheel alignment is very important to the health of your car or truck. It is sometimes referred to as breaking or tracking. It is part of regular automobile maintenance which involves adjusting the angles of the wheels so that they are according to the car maker’s specification. It refers to the position of the wheels of the vehicle relative to each other and the ground. Wheel alignment is important because it leads to better fuel mileage, expands tire life (including rear and front tires) and ensures that vehicle travel is straight and true.

An easy way of getting your car aligned is by following the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation written in your owner’s manual. As a rule of thumb, always have your alignment once a year or after every 10, 000 miles.

People are not too familiar with the terminology that is associated with wheel alignments. Maintaining proper alignment is very fundamental to preserving both the safety and tread life of your car. Although it may not interest you to become used to the terms caster, camber, and toe; it is very important to understand the way these major alignment parameters work. Wheel alignment ensures that all four wheels are consistent with one another and are optimized for full contact with the surface of the road.

While most enthusiasts have a better understanding of what alignment settings are and what they embroil, a lot of people may not know why a specific setting is called for, or how it affects performance. Appropriate wheel alignment is crucial to maintaining vehicle and tire longevity, while making sure that your ride is safe and comfortable. There are three major components that determine the way a wheel is oriented on your car. These three major components are; caster, camber, and toe.

How Are Wheels Aligned?

For minimal tire wear, and for the vehicle to handle properly; the three alignment angles must be in line. Correcting wheel alignment involves changing the angles of the wheels so that they have the definite amount of toe in / toe out and camber. These three main adjustment angles include: caster, camber and toe. Explained below, are definitions, conditions and possible causes of each angle and its influence on a vehicle and its tires.

Camber

Camber is the most widely discussed and controversial of the three elements (toe, caster and camber). It is the angle (in degrees) of the wheel relative to the vertical alignment of the vehicle, as viewed from the front or the rear of the car. If a wheel leans too far, uneven wear will occur. A wheel’s camber would be zero degrees if it is perfectly perpendicular to the surface. Camber is usually considered positive or negative. When the top of the tires tilt away from the center of the vehicle, it is known as positive camber. Consequently, when the top of the tires are tilted inwards towards the fender wells, it is known as negative camber.

Some of the things that cause excessive camber include worn ball joints, strut bearings, control arm bushings, or extremely worn wheel bearings. To insure accurate alignment of any camber angle, these parts must not be sloppy (they must be tight). Although varying chamber angles have different effects on the vehicle, one angle is not better than the other.

To ensure that the wheels gain positive camber when they are been deflected upward, designers always configure the front suspensions of passenger vehicles; while the ideal camber angle is being maintained. This ensures that the tire is operating effectively. The reason for this kind of design is to decrease the cornering power of the front end relative to the rear end, so the car understeers in steadily greater amounts up to the limit of adhesion. Understeer is a much stable and more safer condition than oversteer, making it preferable for cars that are made for the public.

Caster

It is a bit harder to conceptualize caster; it is defined as the angle to which the steering pivot axis is tilted forward or rearward from vertical, as seen from the side. The caster is positive when the line is angled forward and it is negative when the line is angled backward. Caster is the angle that detects the forward or backward slope of a line drawn through both the lower and upper steering pivot points. Although it has an effect on the steering’s directional control, it has no effect on tire wear.

At high speeds, the stability of the vehicle is made possible by positive caster. It also increases tire lean when cornering. Most vehicles have slightly different caster and camber; they are also known as cross-castered vehicles. They cause most road vehicles to drift a little to the right when rolling. It’s a safety feature that helps vehicle drivers to move toward the side of the road when they lose complete control of their steering.

Most vehicles are not always sensitive to caster settings. But it is important to make sure that the caster is the same on both sides to elude the tendency to of pulling to one side. Although bigger caster angles help to improve straight-line stability, they can also cause steering effort to increase.

Toe

It represents the angle (in degrees) derived from positioning the tires inward or outward from top-down view – it is more like angling your toes inward or outward when you look down. Three very important areas of performance are affected by toe settings; they include – straight-line stability, tire wear, and corner entry handling characteristics.

Ensuring that all four parallel wheels roll parallel to one another is one of the main functions of toe. When the fronts of both tires begin to face each other, positive toe is said to occur. It allows both wheels to continually generate force against each other, which reduces turning ability. It also allows for straighter driving. Negative toe tend to reduce straight line stability. Any little change in direction will cause the vehicle to move towards one direction or the other.

Cars are often made with the manufacturer’s settings for a purpose. Uncountable hours of research and development often go into designing suspension components. Take note of the different results caused by adjusting your toe, caster and camber.

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In order to check to see if your tires are cupping, park your car on level ground and turn your wheel to one side.

Do a visual inspection first check for and protruding things from the tire. If your tire is bald or smoothe on the inside then the tire needs replaced immediately. If it is more than bald and steel is poking out then put a spare on and drive to a tire shop and have the tires replaced.

Once you have new tires go and get either a front end alignment or 4 wheel alignment immediately.

If all looks good, continue the inspection

To protect your hands from dirt and any other items we didn’t see put on some gloves. Run your hand across the surface of the tires. Pay attention to any roughness or unevenness. Check going in both directions and be sure to feel on the inside and outside of the tire.

Continue this check by turning the wheel the other direction, and once done back to center. Check all 4 tires for any unevenness or roughness.

If you noticed any issues then take your care to a maintenance shop to have it inspected. If they are excessively choppy, then I would advise replacing the tires and immediately taking the vehicle for an alignment and inspection of the suspension components.

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Inflate your tires to 40 lbs. If the tires are cupping and the manufacturers specifications are 30-35 try the higher inflation. P metric tires will handle up to 44 psi.

Rotate your tires in a X pattern

• LF to RR
• RF to LR
• LR to RF
• RR to LF

Cupping usually occurs on the outside only. You could have the tires flipped to have the outside be in the inside. This will require a tire shop to dismount and remount the tire. Can cost anywhere from 10-20 per tire.

Buy new tires and preferably better tires. Going back to the tires the car came with can be a good idea, assuming they aren’t the same tires giving you the problem now. Talk to a tire expert about this.

Have an inspection done for all of your suspension and drive components. You may need to replace ball joints, struts, wheel bearings, CVC joints or any other suspension parts that are worn or faulty. Consult with professionals to determine which parts are bad or could be contributing to cupping.

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ire cupping is a term used to describe uneven tire wear which causes tires to get indentations in them. Cupping usually occurs when excessive wear is happening. This could be do to poor quality material, or the improper tire was used for the vehicle, or from hard driving. Small pieces of the tire may wear away or chip away while driving. These rough sections are rounded from normal driving thus creating cupping. Cupping is also called “scalloping” and some people use the phrase tire feathering as well.

What Causes Cupping in Tires?

Most of the time cupping occurs due to the purchase of cheap tires. Many times people only look at the price of the tire and don’t consider the long term benefits of purchasing a better tire. Better quality means longer lasting, and more resilient towards improper wear.

That being said, buying high quality tires doesn’t fully protect you from cupping. If a vehicle is not maintained properly then it is not possible for the vehicle to maintain all of its tolerances. People tend to forget about their suspension which is a key factor in a car and takes a lot of abuse every day.

Alignments are very important and should be done after every tire purchase. The alignment of a car changes over time due to expansion and contraction, bushings wearing out, potholes, vibrations and so on. This is why it is important to have a Front End Alignment or 4 wheel alignment done every time you make changes to the suspension or new tires are installed.

If your tires are cupping only in the rear, then you probably never rotated the tires. Tire rotations should be done every 6000 miles. This will ensure your tires wear evenly all around the vehicle. Don’t forget to have them balanced every 12,000 miles as well. Doing this will help prevent many issues.

If you have a situation where only two tires are cupped, then you are probably better off replacing them. It is best to replace in sets, but if you cannot afford it then 2 new tires are better. New tires should always be placed in the rear no matter the drive line. Make sure to rotate them regularly!

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Tire Air Pressure is a very important thing to keep up to date. Not doing so will cause issues for your tires, and for fuel mileage. Keeping your tires properly inflated can increase your fuel mileage by up to 1 mile per gallon.

Obviously this depends on your driving city versus highway and how low they are but it is possible. As an example I had a vehicle I drove on the highway daily about 60 miles per day and once I started maintaining the pressure regularly I gained 1 mile per gallon! It was HUGE!

How often should I check the air pressure?

Tire pressure should be checked once per month

My tires are losing air

This is normal within reason. Wheels leak no matter how new they are. You can expect to lose 2-4 psi per month, which is why it is so important to check the pressure. Wheels and tires expand and contract as they heat and cool and thus causing some loss of pressure. The wheels should all loose roughly the same amount of air.

If you are losing more or you feel like your tires are going low faster than normal, than it would be advisable to go to a tire shop and have the tire in question checked. You may have a nail in your tire or have run over something in the road.

What if I don’t check my air pressure?

If you choose not to check your tire air pressure, you will suffer from poorer performance. Your fuel mileage will decrease, your traction will not be as good, and your tires will wear out faster. See tire feathering for more.

How much air should I put in?

The simple answer is the manufacturer’s specifications. These are found on the driver’s door on a sticker from the manufacturers.

If your care doesn’t have this, then a general rule of thumb would be 32-35 PSI. If you have a work truck like a ¾ ton or higher than it may be more because the vehicle should have LT rated tires instead of P metric tires.

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Bent wheels are caused by a few different things and can happen to even the most careful of drivers.

Generally they happen when we hit a pot hole, run over some road debris, or maybe hit a curb. Accidents are also part of the equation but for normal everyday driving the other three items will suffice.

How to tell if you have a bent wheel

Does your care shake? If you have a really bad vibration in your seat or steering wheel, this may be caused by a bent wheel.
The best way to tell is take your vehicle to your preferred maintenance shop or tire store. If you bought the tires from them, they generally do rotations for free as well as balancing although it depends on what you paid for. Discount tire co includes all of this when tires are purchased there.

Have a rotation and balance done and ask them to check for any bent wheels as well as bad tire wear. If you don’t have a bent wheel and the vibration continues you may have some other issues with the vehicles suspension or may need an alignment.

So you have a bent wheel

If you have a bent wheel, most tire repair shops can either fix the wheel there or send it out and have it straightened. Straightening of a wheel can generally run from 100 to 150 bucks depending on the company.

Another option is to buy a used wheel, maybe from craigslist, online, or a local dealer. Discount Tire Co offers this service, the nice thing about it is that you know the used wheel won’t be bent if you get it from them. Cost can vary depending on the vehicle and the wheel so I cannot give a proper estimate for this.

Lastly you could buy a new or refurbished wheel. Again the costs vary but can range from 50 to 300 depending on if you have steel wheels or aluminum wheels. Size, and type of course always change the pricing of things. A cavalier steel wheel may run about 50 bucks but a cavalier aluminum wheel may be around 200 or so. Again cost varies quite a bit depending on what you want.

Fix it right away

If you bend a wheel, get it fixed as soon as possible. Not doing so with cause your car to shake, tires to wear badly, and can also damage the suspension. Fixing it upfront will save you money in the long run!

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Tire feathering is caused by several different things and may be caused due to the vehicle needing a tire alignment (wheel alignment).

Uneven tire wear can be problematic not only from the standpoint of the performance, but also the longevity of your tires. Let’s face it tires are expensive, and we want them to last as long as possible. So have a look below at some of the causes of tire feathering, and maybe we can prevent it going forward.

Causes of tire feathering

Air Pressure- This is one thing we all are bad about! If it isn’t flat then its good right? Well sadly no. Air checks should be done once a month. All wheels leak a small amount of air generally ranging from 2-4 psi per month.

Balancing- This can make you thing you need an alignment, when in reality it is just part of regular maintenance. Have a look at our article on wheel balancing for more.

Bent Wheels- Most of us probably have at least one bent wheel. Things like potholes, curbs or road debris can all cause this.

Once a wheel is bent it is no longer round and causes the tire to shape matching the wheel. This will cause vibrations as well which balancing cannot fix.

Front End Alignment- Having the wheels misaligned will also cause tire feathering as well as other bad wear for your tires decreasing the life of the tires and the performance.

Wear Patterns

One Shoulder: This is most commonly caused due to the camber being set incorrectly which is a normal adjustment that is made every time you get an alignment. Camber can change from as time goes on due to parts wearing out, tire wear, potholes and so on. You will know if the camber is off by looking at the tire and seeing if it is tilting in or out. Camber is not always perfectly perpendicular on all vehicles as it varies for performance.

Scalloping/Feathering: Scalloping is sometimes used and refers to feathering, occurs when all the tread blocks on the inside or outside shoulder of the tire develop a wear pattern where a block edge is higher on one side compared to the other side of the block. This then leaves raised edges on the blocks of the tires which will make a lovely rumbling noise while driving, generally more notable when turning. Generally this is caused by the camber and can be an early indication of excessive shoulder wear coming in the near future.

Both Shoulders: This is caused by low air pressure or under inflation. The best thing to do is set the tire pressure to the manufacturer’s specifications which is generally on the driver’s door on a sticker. If you are unable to find this then the general pressure to use for most cars and trucks with P metric tires would be 32-32 PSI.

Center Rib: This is most definitely caused by over inflation. Again the best thing to do is set it to manufacturer’s specifications. See Under inflation for a better explanation.

Spot Shoulder: If parts of the tire are more worn then this is generally caused by a bent wheel. See our article on bent wheels for more.

Lateral Wear: Most of the time this will be an alignment issue. It generally occurs when the toe is not set properly. Lateral wear as said is generally caused by the toe of the wheels. Toe is a setting where the wheels are parallel to one another. If the toe is of one tire may point in (toe-in) or point out (toe-out) compared to the other wheel. This is generally noticeable if your car is pulling to one side or the other. It is something that can be fixed with a simple alignment.

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The cost of a 4 wheel alignment usually runs between 80 and 150 dollars. The thing about it is, is that not all vehicles require a 4 wheel alignment.

An example of this would be a pickup truck. They have an axle in the rear which can have nothing adjusted. The front is the only thing that can be adjusted. In order to be able to have an alignment done the vehicle needs to have an independent suspension.

The simplest way to determine this is by looking under the back and seeing if there is an axle. Most cars will need a 4 wheel alignment as they all have independent suspension.

So assuming you need a 4 wheel alignment and you know the cost, what is the benefit of doing it? Will something happen if you don’t?

The answer to this is simple. DO IT!

By skimping on maintenance as simple as this you will drive your long term costs up. Not having this done can affect the performance of the vehicle, longevity of tires, as well as the suspension.

By doing this you will increase the life of your tires, increase the quality of the ride, and have a much better commuting experience.

What is an alignment? Well you should check out the home page for a nice explanation!

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Tire rotation cost can be a very good question. Most places that you have purchased tires from will include rotation and balance in their package, but this may not always be the case.
Rotating tires is one of the most important things you can do to extend the life of the tire as well as keep your car rolling smoothly. As tires wear they tend to wear a bit more on the front due to the added weight from the engine as well as added pressure of braking. In addition to this turning, the alignment, and suspension can all have an effect on your tire wear.

So if you have just purchased your car and think the tires need to be rotated what do you do. The beauty of this is there is a place to go where you can have your tires rotated for free! Tire rotation cost doesn’t need to be something you need to worry about. Discount Tire Co. will rotate your tires for FREE whether you bought the tires there or not. They will not balance them for free but do offer packages to purchase if you wish to have this done.

The company is broadly located across the US and growing continuously. There are plenty of other tire shops out there so it wouldn’t hurt to give them a call to see if they charge or do this for free. Generally for a plain rotation going to a shop may run you around 20 bucks. Not too bad, or if you are a bit mechanically inclined you could do this yourself at home.
The simplest way would be to rotate the tires front to back, but you could also cross the rear tires to the front and bring the front tires straight back.

1. So the left rear goes to the right front.
2. Left front goes to the left rear
3. Right Rear goes to the Left Front
4. Right Front goes to the Right Rear.

Hopefully this article has given you an idea on where to go to find prices, a general price, and an idea on how to get it done for free. Again Discount Tire Co. does this for free in the hope that you will be wowed by their great service and will come back there for your next tire purchase.






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