How Does Truck Alignment Work?

Truck alignment is the angle that the truck’s wheels and axles should be aligned so they can move together in the same direction while driving. A properly aligned vehicle will move in accordance with the steering wheel direction. Some common signs that indicate your truck is not aligned are your truck being harder to steer than normal, uneven tread wear,  or a crooked steering wheel when you are driving straight. It is important to get a truck alignment done as soon as these signs are noticed, as the issue will get worse the more you force the car to drive. Not only is it not safe, but the fuel consumption will increase and your tires will sustain uneven wear, shortening the tire’s lifespan.

There are 3 main types of alignments:

Front-End Alignment:

This type of alignment is mainly concerned with the front axle. Front-end alignments are the easiest to do but are not the most common in present-day trucks. Newer vehicles prefer to use a four-wheel alignment. Front-end alignment is for solid rear axle vehicles.

Four-Wheel Alignment:

This is the most common type of alignment seen in today’s vehicles, predominantly found in all-wheel drive vehicles such as trucks. This type of alignment is similar to front-end and thrust alignment, but a camber and toe adjustment is applied to the rear wheels.

Thrust Alignment:

This type of alignment is used with the front-end alignment to correct the thrust angle. This ensures that the rear wheel and rear axle are parallel to the front wheel and axle.

Truck alignment is making sure the four specific suspension angles, including toe, camber, thrust, and caster are consistent with the recommended angles. The toe is the angle at which the wheel turns. Thrust is the direction of the rear axle compared to the centerline, and whether the rear and front axles are parallel. Camber is whether the tires are oriented facing straight ahead. Finally, the caster is the angle of the steering axis when viewed from the side. The truck alignment is done with professional knowledge and specialized machinery, and is vital to keep up to date to maximize safety and efficiency when planning your projects.

If you still have questions about determining your vehicles’ alignment, please feel free to contact us at OTRUSA.COM, or give us a call at +1-855-687-8721! We have over 20 years of experience in the industry, and our specialists are happy to answer any questions and provide good quality tires to serve all your needs and maximize the performance of your vehicle.