Does wheel alignment affect suspension?

The HACK said: Camber: Camber is affected when you lower your car. The lower the suspension travel, the more the wheel will tend to bow out on the bottom and point in on the top. That's Negative Camber.

Ride height can also affect caster. Spring sag or overloading a vehicle can alter ride height up to several inches, which can increase caster readings by up to a degree or more. ... That's why ride height should always be measured prior to checking wheel alignment.

Wheel size does not influence an engine's horsepower. It just changes the engine's rpm for a given road speed.

Not only can poor wheel alignment accelerate tire wear, it can reduce your fuel efficiency, make wheels work against each other, place strain on suspension components, and impede braking ability. When your vehicle is out of alignment, it effects your entire vehicle and may put your safety at risk.

Changing wheels and tires doesn't change your alignment settings. However if its been a few years since your last alignment, then it isn't a bad time to have it checked.

Struts are a structural part of the suspension system that support the weight of the vehicle. ... For these reasons, struts can affect a vehicle's alignment. Shocks do not support the vehicle weight, nor are they part of the steering system. They only provide vehicle dampening by controlling spring and suspension movement.

The diameter of a larger wheel means that its circumference is larger. ... So, a larger wheel will actually turn slower, but move a vehicle forward faster than a smaller wheel. The smaller wheel will take less torque to get moving, but the larger wheel will give a faster overall speed.

Re: wheel alignment with McGaughy drop spindles? Yes. The McGaughy spindle moves the steering arm toward the inside. So you must adjust each tie rod shorter by the distance the steering arm moved.

Struts are part of the suspension and they effectively replace the upper control arm and ball joint. ... As a result, struts affect riding comfort and handling, as well as vehicle control, braking, steering, wheel alignment and wear on other suspension components, including the tires.

So, does wheel balancing affect alignment? Not necessarily. However, because the symptoms of misalignment and lost balancing are so similar, it is difficult to know which one might be the problem leading to damaged tires, suspension problems, and steering problems.

rotating your wheels DOES NOT mess with alignment.

Rotating your wheels DOES NOT mess with the alignment.

Its Recomended to do often to help keep the wear on the tires even..

Damping changes won't affect alignment.

Damping changes won't affect alignment.

Alignment assumes even greater importance as vehicle performance increases. Incorrect wheel alignment conditions affect tire wear and can cause drifting and/or pulling during cruise, acceleration and braking, plus poor directional control.

Tire wear, engine performance, smoothness of the ride, braking, and other components can all be adversely affected by a vehicle suffering from improper wheel alignment. If you continue to drive a vehicle that is out of alignment, you will be faced with bigger and more expensive problems to repair.

Ride height can also affect caster.

Spring sag or overloading a vehicle can alter ride height up to several inches, which can increase caster readings by up to a degree or more.

...

That's why ride height should always be measured prior to checking wheel alignment..

No, the alignment will not be affected. Different rim width and offset will affect the scrub radius and camber, although minimal, with smaller offset the wheel will stick out further out and the car will sit lower.

If you do not also have a modified suspension, wider tires have the potential to make your car less safe by making it harder to handle. You may find it harder to steer, and your wheels may react so violently to changes in the road that the steering wheel jerks out of your hands while driving.

The effect of wheel weight on performance Reducing the wheel weight in a performance vehicle – especially one meant to take corners, means you'll quickly find better handling when you're behind the wheel. In tests, drivers saw substantial improvements in lap times when they cut 12 pounds off each wheel.

Brake rotors are held in alignment by wheel bearings. If you have a faulty or loose wheel bearing, the rotor will wobble on its axis. This wobble causes the rotor to push the caliper piston into its bore (See Image 2). ... This causes a low or spongy brake pedal.

Unlike shock absorbers, struts provide structural support for the vehicle's suspension. As a result, struts affect riding comfort and handling, as well as vehicle control, braking, steering, wheel alignment and wear on other suspension components, including the tires.

Sway bar links, be they front or rear, don't effect the alignment. The only time you need an alignment is if you disturb the steering linkage or suspension mounting points…

Sway bar links, be they front or rear, don't effect the alignment. The only time you need an alignment is if you disturb the steering linkage or suspension mounting points…

Suspension upgrades in GTA affect ride height which in turn affects center of gravity. Honestly, the visual change is more significant than the handling improvement in most cars...but this is not to say that suspension upgrades don't affect handling.

There are several things that are affected by a car that is out of alignment. Tire wear, engine performance, smoothness of the ride, braking, and other components can all be adversely affected by a vehicle suffering from improper wheel alignment.

A ball joints is made to fit tightly into its steel casing; excessive wear will allow for more room for the ball to move in the socket, which can affect wheel alignment, tire wear, and suspension noise. ... Bad ball joints can lead to abnormal wearing of your tires.

Does changing the sway bar end links affect the alignment of the car? They have nothing to do with alignment. When the car is level they should have no tension on them. They only work when one wheel moves up/down relative to the other wheel.

Wheel alignment, or tracking as it is also referred to, dictates the angle in which your wheels come into contact with the road. ... Accurate wheel alignment ensures optimal car handling – resulting in a smoother ride, longer lasting tyres and improved fuel economy.

Tire height will not change the alignment.

Yes, spacers affect the alignment. Spacers (or wheels with odd offsets) may also technically affect your suspension warranty.

Unless you mess with lowering, camber, or caster, adding spacers to widen your wheel stance will not need you to get an alignment.

you are just pushing the wheels out more.

Unless you mess with lowering, camber, or caster, adding spacers to widen your wheel stance will not need you to get an alignment..

spacers can potentially change the ride quality.

You are altering the suspension geometry after all.

But its a minute difference at best.

You will have a wider track front and rear so theoretically more stability..

Wheel spacers can cause accelerated wear on suspension and hub components because of the added stress that they place on parts that were designed to certain tolerances by the manufacturer.

Spacers will not void your warranty unless somehow your wheel bearings go out. They might blame the wheel spacers for that whether it is a direct cause and effect or not. Brakes, however, are definitely not affected by wheel spacers.

Worn out shocks and struts are unable to keep the tire in constant contact with the road surface which can cause loss of control of the vehicle. ... Any time the vehicles steering or suspension components are changed a wheel alignment will be required.

Four-wheel-drive pickups typically have slightly lower towing capacities than their 2-wheel-drive counterparts due to the extra weight of the 4-wheel-drive components. They're also typically less fuel efficient than 2-wheel-drive trucks, but having a 4×4 can be very handy, especially for pulling a trailer.

Since the suspension isn't really touched, a body lift kit doesn't affect the ride quality of your vehicle. ... Suspension lift kits can alter steering and suspension geometry in significant ways, affecting road manners and handling and possibly wearing out suspension and drivetrain parts prematurely.

Thus, as jerromyjon said above, changing the wheel offset or tire size will not change the alignment. ... Consequently, if you want to keep the same handling with different wheel offset or different tire size, you will have to change the alignment such as caster, toe, and camber.

By changing the wheel offset, you change the tire "scrub radius", and this will affect the handling. ... If you change the tire width, this will again also change the handling because it also affects the tire stiffness. Thus, as jerromyjon said above, changing the wheel offset or tire size will not change the alignment.

On most cars, changing offset by just 5 mm is enough to notice a change in the car's handling because it changes scrub radius by the same amount, and that might already be only a few millimeters. ... The only way to know for sure how much the new offset will affect scrub radius is to put the car on an alignment rack.

Changing wheels and tires doesn't change your alignment settings..

Too much negative offset (the wheel sits too far outwards from the car) can also contribute to poor handling due to additional stresses on the suspension components. The steering wheel can flick back in hard cornering causing unstable handling and a possible accident.

By changing the wheel offset, you change the tire "scrub radius", and this will affect the handling. ... If you change the tire width, this will again also change the handling because it also affects the tire stiffness. Thus, as jerromyjon said above, changing the wheel offset or tire size will not change the alignment.

Backspacing is the distance between the mounting pad and the back of the wheel. ... If you've lowered your car or you're running an oversized custom fit tire size, a higher offset wheel will allow for better fender clearance and a lower offset wheel will create additional inside clearance.

Removing the spacers will return the alignment geometry back to the correct “scrub radius”. The BMW engineers designed the suspension and wheel offset for the best scrub radius resulting in better steering feel and to minimize tire wear.

Suspension components, including poor shocks or struts, become worn or loose affecting alignment.

A failing tire and improper tire rotation are two more causes of steering wheel pull. Poor alignment may not be the issue if your steering wheel sometimes tugs in one direction and then the other. ... Uneven wear can also be caused by driving on over-, underinflated or imbalanced tires.

Unless you mess with lowering, camber, or caster, adding spacers to widen your wheel stance will not need you to get an alignment. you are just pushing the wheels out more. Unless you mess with lowering, camber, or caster, adding spacers to widen your wheel stance will not need you to get an alignment.

control arm bushings don't affect alignment really, they just help locate the arm properly during suspension movement.

If they are destroyed yes your alignment could be effected, but you would have noticed steering issues way before that..

control arm bushings don't affect alignment really, they just help locate the arm properly during suspension movement. If they are destroyed yes your alignment could be effected, but you would have noticed steering issues way before that.