Wheel Geometry

Steering Geometry
The front end assembly of the modern motor vehicle requires careful design and adjustment because each front wheel is pivoted separately on a steering knuckle. Because of this construction, the front wheels are not in the same radius line, that why cars use Ackermann steering geometry which is a geometric arrangement of linkages in the steering of a car or other vehicle designed to solve the problem of wheels on the inside and outside of a turn needing to trace out circles of different radius.

When a vehicle is making a turn as each wheel should be at right angles to its radius line, it is necessary for the front wheels to assume a toed-out position when rounding curves. If they do not, the tires slip, which causes excessive tire wear. The inner wheel (the one closer to the center of rotation) turns more than the outer wheel, so it will travel in a smaller radius. This difference in the turning ratios of the two wheels is called toe-out. It is usually specified as the number of degrees over 20 that the inner wheel is turned when the outer wheel is turned 20 degrees. Toe-out on turns may be checked but there is no provision made for its adjustment. The steering linkage must be examined carefully for bent or defective parts if this angle is not within the manufacturers specifications.

Caster
Its defined as the angle created by the steerings pivot point from the front to back of the vehicle. Caster is positive if the line is angled forward, and negative if backward. Typically, positive caster will make the vehicle more stable at high speeds, and will increase tire lean when cornering. This can also increase steering effort as well. Caster tends to keep the front wheels pointed straight ahead, making it easier to return the wheels to a straight ahead position after a turn has been made. Most road vehicles have what is called cross-caster. Cross castered vehicles have slightly different caster and camber, which cause it to drift slightly to the right while rolling. This is a safety feature so that un-manned vehicles or drivers who lose steering control will drift toward the side of the road instead of into oncoming traffic.

Camber/ Camber Angle

Camber angle is the angle made by the wheels of a vehicle; specifically, it is the angle between the vertical axis of the wheels used for steering and the vertical axis of the vehicle when viewed from the front or rear. It is used in the design of steering and suspension. If the top of the wheel is farther out than the bottom (away from the axle), it is called positive camber; if the bottom of the wheel is farther out than the top, it is called negative camber.

Camber angle alters the handling suspension design, for example, negative camber improves grip when cornering. This is because it places the tire at a better angle to the road, transmitting the forces through the vertical plane of the tire rather than through a shear force across it. Another reason for negative camber is that a rubber tire tends to roll on itself while cornering. The inside edge of the contact patch would begin to lift off of the ground if the tire had zero camber, reducing the area of the contact patch. This effect is compensated for by applying negative camber, maximizing the contact area. IT is necessary to mention that this is only true for the outside tire during the turn; the inside tire would benefit most from positive camber. On the other hand, for maximum straight-line acceleration, the greatest stability will be attained when the camber angle is zero and the tread is flat on the road. Proper management of camber angle is a major factor in suspension design, and must incorporate not only idealized geometric models, but also real-life behavior of the components; etc. Due to mathematical Models employed for camber adjustment we have vehicles over which driver have a greater control. Off-road vehicles such as agricultural tractors generally use positive camber. In such vehicles, the positive camber angle helps to achieve a lower steering effort. Also, some single-engined general aviation aircraft that are primarily meant to operate from unimproved surfaces, such as bush planes etc. have their tail gear's main wheels equipped with positive-cambered main wheels to better handle the deflection of the landing gear, as the aircraft settles on rough, unpaved airstrips. Excessive camber causes continual slippage of the tire on the road, because each wheel tries to follow a path away from that traveled by the vehicle.

Kingpin Inclination
King pin, or pivot, Inclination is the amount in degrees that the steering knuckle pivots are tilted sideways toward the center of the vehicle. Steering knuckle pivots tends to keep the wheel spindles pointed outward in line with the axle, Just as caster tends to keep the wheels of a vehicle pointed straight ahead. The effect is the same and also will result in easier steering. Setting the steering knuckle pivot at an angle causes the pivot axis to meet the ground close to

the center of the tire contact. It is to be noted that there is difference between camber and kingpin inclination. They are closely related and dependent on each other. Wheels with large camber require large kingpin Inclination and those with small camber require small kingpin Inclination. Pivot Inclination allows the front wheel brakes to be applied with little affect on steering.

Tracking
Tracking is the ability of the vehicle to maintain a right angle between the centerline of the vehicle and both the front and rear axles or spindles. If this angle is off, the vehicle will appear to be going sideways down a straight road. This problem could be caused by shifted or broken leaf springs or a bent or broken rear axle.