Any discussion of alignment usually involves three terms — caster, camber, and toe. What is “toe”?
This describes the measured distance between the front of the two tires on the same axle as compared with the distance between the rear of the same two tires. Proper Toe makes the tires roll essentially parallel to each other with the tread true and flat against the road, and compensates for steering linkage flex under torque. A small amount of toe-in is required for optimum vehicle handling and to prevent steering “wander”. Excessive toe-in, however, causes a feather-edging type of wear on the outside edges of the tire tread. Too much toe-out causes the reverse — feather-edging of the inside edges. Radial tires may show still other types of wear as a result of improper toe — sometimes a diagonal, wiping type of wear across the tread. Incorrect toe on rear wheels also causes irregular wear. In addition, incorrect rear wheel toe can cause the vehicle thrust line to vary from the centerline of the vehicle, causing tracking problems as well as problems with the front tires.
