If you spend enough years behind the wheel, you will inevitably run into more than one situation that will cause you to scratch your head. These situations tend to be most memorable, for their ability to bewilder the average motorist, due to the seemingly impossible circumstances that they present. One mind-boggling situation that perfectly illustrates … Read more
For the average motorist, few circumstances are as frustrating as that which surrounds the sudden appearance of oily residue on the driveway. This, of course, is the tell-tale sign of a fluid leak, which indicates that your vehicle is experiencing a mechanical issue of one sort or another. Be this as it may, one must … Read more
The brakes are often something we take for granted when driving our cars. But when there is a malfunction in the braking system, it will be easy to notice these symptoms because they will affect our driving experience, many times in a dangerous manner. One of the most common braking problems that someone may experience … Read more
For most motorists, few things could be more terrifying than having the steering lock up while driving. With little or no warning you suddenly cannot control your car. It’s fortunate that automobile steering systems are designed to greatly minimize the occurrence of this heart-pounding event. In this article we will discuss two modes of steering … Read more
The Automobile Safety Foundation argues that steering wheel lock systems are inherently unsafe. This information leads me to believe that all US manufacturers have discontinued this anti-theft feature, replacing it with the electronic immobilizer system. However, that doesn’t seem to be entirely true. It appears that Toyotas still had this feature as recently as 2018 … Read more
Vehicle technology continues to improve, allowing people to have and enjoy dynamic systems and in-vehicle handling, such as toe angle improvement. But you may ask: “What is toe?” What is Toe? Toe, or tracking, is when a car’s wheels point to the right or left side in an asymmetric angle. Toe-in, also known as positive … Read more
Power steering was created in 1951 to help drivers turn their vehicles with ease. During a time when cars started getting bigger and heavier, this was a welcome advancement in technology. It takes more energy to move something with more mass, especially at low speeds. Classic power steering uses a power steering pump that moves … Read more
Camber refers to the angle of the wheel and tire relative to a perfectly flat road. The tops of the wheels can lean either towards or away from the center of the car when viewed from behind. The ideal camber balances tire traction and tire wear, and thus varies for each vehicle depending on how … Read more
A vehicle’s suspension geometry has three common measurements, which can often be adjusted, called caster, camber, and toe. Caster is measured on the steering wheels (i.e the front wheels) as an angle which evaluates the forward or backward tilt of the steering axis when viewing the car from the side. This axis connects the lower … Read more
Wheels can become misaligned if the vehicle is suddenly jarred, such as by driving over a pothole or an object in the road. Parts in the wheel assembly and suspension can also wear and shift to cause noticeable symptoms that it’s time to realign the wheels. A properly aligned vehicle will perform better and more … Read more