Front Wheel Alignment, With a Tape Measure

Front Wheel Alignment, With a Tape Measure.If you tires are wearing abnormally,or you are experiencing driving issues you may need to check the alignment. In this video I show how I check the toe on cars and trucks.There are many ways of doing this job. You can use Strings from front to back or as I do it with a tape measure. Sometimes to center the steering wheel you may have to make adjustments to tie rods on both sides of the vehicle.Also before attempting to check alignment or make any adjustments You need to check and make sure you do not have any worn out parts. If any parts are worn out you will not be able to check or adjust the alignment correctly.
car repair, wtbm123

[@eddiewilson3419]

You should be a teacher of auto mechanics at a vocational school or something man. You stay on subject and you have an excellent ability to explain in thorough detail. Much appreciated

[@wtbm123]

Thank you

[@DressCIA]

You did a really good job on this video .. lots of detail. I learned how to do this in school .. but, they didn't teach us to use the 4x4 .. your method is definitely more exact. Thanks.

[@2bitProjects]

Watched a BUNCH of videos tonight. I am done after this one. THIS taught me the information I needed and the line at the very end about why toe in exists was excellent thanks.

[@wtbm123]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lilibethdoherty295]

Such a good looking truck and all it needs is new tires to match !

[@jewllake]

this is exactly how I fixed the alignment on my 2018 GMC. The guy at the alignment shop did a great job but had the tow set dead even so the truck had a floaty vague feel to it. Since the wheel was straight I towed in each side about 1/16" of an inch. Now it has about 1/8" tow in. Truck drive real precise. You can't beat this method for a tow alignment. Many times the shop leaves it worse than it was when you first drove in.

[@wtbm123]

Thanks for watching

[@MichaelBorne-rh8co]

Finally, a video I can understand about alignments. Dude, you are very skilled at teaching. Thanks!!

[@leewasden6735]

Well that explained it with ease sir you know your stuff thanks for the video now I can try to finish up my front end work I've been slowly doing

[@wtbm123]

Glad to help

[@froglegs4910]

Amazing DIY to keep old used automobile running on road by simplest way of tape measure method and the old monster truck can run crazily forever ! what a Great video ! Thanks your upload Video !

[@Flatbaby]

Just wanted to say youve explained feather wear better than ive heard it working on cars for 7 years haha thank you

[@wtbm123]

Thank you for the kind words .

[@bigaricj]

Thumbs up my dad showed me this when I was younger brought back some memories.

[@easy-draw]

Man my alignment now is better than my last prof.service done for money. Thanks. Farmer Rule!

[@wtbm123]

Thank you for watching and commenting

[@mikeb5012]

Of all the videos I have watched this one is the best. I have great general automotive knowledge and always like learning new things. This video shows exactly what you should do to get a good measurement.

[@wtbm123]

+mike b Thank you for watching and the nice comment

[@ChippinFlint]

Those cords from the steel belting are sharp! 😂

[@wtbm123]

Yes agree

[@Tahimate]

So far I like this video best as DIY alignment.

[@wtbm123]

Thanks for watching and commenting

[@Velvethamma]

Good explanation on doing an alignment that will get you real close to setting your toe correctly. Enjoyed it

[@Nickdawg350]

Came with a question, stayed for the mayzurin' Excellent video man keep up the good work!

[@wtbm123]

Thank you

[@exrae1992]

U saved me with this brother ur demonstration was simple and easy great job

[@wtbm123]

Glad it helped . Thanks for commenting

[@jwredfish]

best damn demo ive seen.great job thats exacly how we did it at the track .Team Mitsubishi

[@wtbm123]

+Larry Mack Thanks for watching and commenting

[@MakeDoAndMend1]

My Father was a mechanic for over 45 years. He showed me a simple method of driving over newspaper to check front wheel alignement. A sheet of newspaper under each front wheel on a very flat surface. Drive over the paper and then look at the creases in the paper and then correct toe in or out accordingly until the correct crease pattern is obtained. Experience is needed something I havent got though.

[@wtbm123]

+MakeDoAndMend1 Yes , it works something like the old alignment boards , Do not remember the name of them , but they had sliding plates and you drove over them then checked the scale to see how far it moved . I believe the news paper would be kinda the same principal.

[@Finnigan9]

weegee board. I wish I could find one.

[@AndyMartin92]

you said exactly what the other guy said in spanish lol

[@heavenstuna3036]

This is a life saving video. I just bought my first car, and I drove it across town with terrible alignment. I'll be trying this on my van very soon. Thank you!

[@wtbm123]

It is not as exact as a allignment machine , but can get it pretty close.

[@heavenstuna3036]

@@wtbm123 Hey, it'll at least make it more road legal and safe!

[@hankbridges7824]

Heavens' Tuna Get a Longacre toe bar and a Snap On caster/ camber gauge and a scriber and maybe a turntable.

[@ricktaylor3748]

@@wtbm123 It's "an " alinement machine.

[@brentbradley6711]

I have been doing this for 50 years and also use a carpenters level to do the camber. Never paid a shop and never a problem.

[@wtbm123]

Yea , with basic tools one can get them pretty close . Thanks for watching and commenting

[@brentbradley6711]

@@wtbm123 Close enough to work perfectly

[@jesserousseau2481]

It took me a min to figure out wth you were doing but it all made sence at the end lol

[@wtbm123]

Thank you

[@Juliso35]

Excellent video!! This is much easier than using strings!!. I want to make it soon in my car,.... but I'm stucked with a frozen tie rod end that I couldn't remove!..

[@petercortez3412]

Subscription earned in the first 1:30.I appreciate you sir👊

[@wtbm123]

Thank you . And i appreciate your Subscription

[@OhighOSkater]

Thanks man! This is a good video and now I can try to do it myself, if my dad doesn't do it soon. I need my car to be back on the road asap

[@wtbm123]

Thanks for watching and commenting

[@Britec09]

Nice video Terry.

[@Indisposable]

Thank you, great dyi tutorial. Very informative and well explained, now to test what I've learned.

[@wtbm123]

Thanks

[@MicahGallant]

Great simple explanation! I'm going to use a laser tape measure to get mine close. I tried with a tap measure but I thin a laser measure from the insides of the tires and rims will be better and quicker.

[@wtbm123]

Thanks for watching and commenting

[@donnieshepperson126]

Been thinking about that myself, how did that work out?

[@allenballard2681]

THX for the great video; there are a bunch of REALLY great tips here. This a great alternative to string method.

[@TTOCS11]

Brilliant demo Terry looks pretty acurate

[@CorollaNut68]

One other detail...when you make the adjustment, say your tape tells you it's a quarter inch off...you would only adjust it about an eighth because both sides of the tire move.(it pivots).

[@Bucknut72470]

Good video bub. Really helped me out. This metod is way better then eyeball,adjust,drive eyeball,adjust,drive. Lol Thanks alot.

[@wtbm123]

Thanks for watching and commenting

[@jewllake]

This is the way I aligned my 06 Yukon 4x4. It has never drove better and that was 6 years ago. the Alignment shop with all its fancy lasers and red and green numbers had it toed out way too much and it wandered all over the road.

[@wtbm123]

Glad u got it fixed up . and thanks for watching

[@rahrah8076]

jewllake sometimes there equipment needs to be repaired or sent out and calibrated

[@donaldlowler6842]

That's so you have to come back to them then they try to tell you it's this or that so they can stick it to ya

[@anthonywintershire9910]

This is similar to how we set the toe in on semi trucks at the tire shop I work at. No, we don't do alignment on them, just set toe in. For those of you wondering, there is a difference ;) We'll jack the front end off the ground and let the tires hang, check for loose parts, then, if all is tight, we'll mark the center line on the tires, set them down onto skidplates, and use a long aluminum rod with sliding needles to measure the distance from center of each tire, then compare it to the front center lines. I've also used this method on an Isuzu Rodeo I put tie rod ends on before.

[@bulldogtaxi]

Anthony Wintershire I did with my semi is this the way it works good

[@danny117hd]

Great putting this all together.

[@wtbm123]

Think you for watching and commenting

[@JollyMcStanson]

I have a 58 Austin Healey. It has one rod that moves both front wheels in or out for toe adjustment. Iv tried the string from the back to the front of the car method. That method just gave me frustration. I'm going to try this method to see what happens. Thank you for the video...good stuff.

[@TheStiver]

I like this method, thank you.

[@wtbm123]

Thank you for watching and commenting

[@Alpha-ms9nj]

10 years later and this shade tree knowledge is still relevant and useful. I've been doing it that way but I use homemade plates made out of 2 pieces of cardboard with some gear lube in between to help the tires move easy instead of having resistance. My question is, would it turn out the same if we measure and do the adjustments with the vehicle jacked up? I see alot of videos with folks doing it that way. Thanks for the video friend.

[@wtbm123]

No . change vehicle ride height and all changes . One of the first things they should do for an alignment is check air pressure , ride height and for worn parts . If i did try it in the air , i would then check it while on the ground.

[@Alpha-ms9nj]

@@wtbm123 - Yep, I just did that yesterday. I installed 4 new rims that were 1" wider and noticed that the toe was out further so I had to bring it back in. Now I just gotta straighten out the steering wheel. The nearest alignment shop is 80 miles round trip and they want $100 so this DIY method works for me.

[@bdrichardson403]

Great video, thanks for posting it.

[@wtbm123]

+B D Richardson Thank you for watching

[@tudocervera3764]

your a freakin genius friend..

[@wtbm123]

Thank you

[@VWBusache]

Thank you great lesson.

[@NackDSP]

Metric tape measures exist. So much easier to read and use than struggling with fractions.

[@wtbm123]

Fractions are easy and what we use here mostly

[@mustie1]

well done,

[@aliharper7705]

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[@briggsjaxon8059]

@Ali Harper instablaster =)

[@aliharper7705]

@Briggs Jaxon i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and I'm in the hacking process now. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@aliharper7705]

@Briggs Jaxon It did the trick and I now got access to my account again. Im so happy:D Thank you so much you saved my account!

[@briggsjaxon8059]

@Ali Harper no problem =)

[@seanrich1367]

Great Video, Thanks Guy!

[@wtbm123]

Thanks for watching

[@ridermak4111]

When I was a kid in the ‘60’s, my Dad made a very cool measuring stick for this job. Two 4’ long aluminum yardsticks (well, plus one foot), the good quality thick ones, were layered together. One needs the fine increments hidden against the back of the other so when you slide them apart length ways you see the fraction you need at the end edge of the other stick. When he first made this thing he was in a hurry so he tied them together at two locations with small diameter bungee cord he swiped from Mom’s sewing room. When he extended it to the edges of the rims he locked them together with a small grip lock pliers. Later he added holes and corresponding slots for sliding and fat wing nuts for gription. The damn thing was slick enough that it grew feet and disappeared about 1978. 😖

[@wtbm123]

Cool . They also make toe in sticks , but you never see them much any more

[@vincentlee2460]

I think you first need to adjust the tie rods to get the car to drive straight with the Steering wheel pointing straight. Then park the car with the wheels pointing straight and steering wheel straight. Then do the method you showed in video and adjust both ends of the tie rods equally to get it parallel and finally slightly toe in or whatever the factory recommends. I use steel fishing line with masking tape to measure from middle of tyre instead of chalk.

[@wtbm123]

Depends on if they are in front or rear of the axle. . If the wheels are straight and wheel off to left ,then watch tie rods and have the wheel turned straight .Shorten witch one that moves out,and if the toe in is correct ,just centering the wheel then you will have to lengthen the other side equal to how much you shortened the other.

[@NguyenHoang-eq8zh]

Thanks for posting this video

[@wtbm123]

+jimmy vo Thanks for watching and commenting

[@RodderFiles]

Verry Nice Info

[@HarveySpooner]

wtbm123!!! Well done!!! I need to check my F150, when I look at the truck, some how, the front tire alignment looks funky and the front tires are getting alittle beat up. May try Mustie!'s string technique also.

[@wtbm123]

A lot Alignment racks use a sliding plate so you do not have to move the car. But even leaning on a fender can through it off.

[@fosgate375]

Thank you wtbm123. I wish you had to adjust the tie rod ends in the video. I would like to see how you know which tie rod to adjust based off your measurement and steering wheel position. :)

[@wtbm123]

Have some one turn steering wheel to straight as you watch tie rod ends . then lengthen one side shorten other side to make them move back in the direction they were before they turned the wheel straight .

[@davidjones-vx9ju]

and the tie rods adjust on the other end

[@wtbm123]

Just passing on info that I use hoping it helps others. Thanks for the kind words and watching and commenting.

[@Maven0666]

We aligned my Chevy van this way . Now I’m going to do my minivan. Thanks for the education!

[@MrMac5150]

It is better to use white spray paint down the middle keeping it spinning, then take a sharp pen or screw diver run the mark down the center, this will give you accurate lines to measure off of. Just a good tip.

[@wtbm123]

MrMac5150 Yes there are many ways to get a mark . just depends on what someone has on hand . thanks for watcvhing

[@jw200]

My steering wheel is exactly so much "off" like you demonstrated at the beginning of the video. I have lots of work to do.

[@tommm3000]

That last thing you said about toe-in is wrong: If you have play in your front end, then you have a worn part that needs to be replaced. Toe-in doesn't disappear when you start driving down the road. Vehicles are set with slight toe-in so that the vehicle returns to moving in a straight-ahead direction when you let go of the steering wheel. The wheels are still toed-in while you are driving straight. The outside of the tread wears out faster than the inside, so we rotate our tires to allow our tires to wear more evenly over time and get as long a life out of them as possible.

[@wtbm123]

tommm3000 When you drive down the road all the suspension bushings , and any flex or movement in front end parts , get a load put on them , rolling resistance is mostly why rear wheel drives do it and front drive is affected because of the front drive pulling on things , so you do have movement in every front end even if everything is new . And the caster is what keeps the car wanting to return to straight ahead when you let go of the steering wheel .

[@oibal60]

Nice job!

[@timbentim]

Doubt you'll even see this but i appreciate the video. Also just a tip, if you get as high up on the tire for the measurement by using blocks with more height you will get a more accurate measurement

[@wtbm123]

Thanks for watching and commenting

[@JB-ij9wt]

Good video. The one thing I must have missed... If the steering wheel is turned to the left, or right, to keep the car going straight, which tire do I make the adjustment on? Thanks :)

[@HeritageStoneworks2]

Good video. Thanks a lot!

[@wtbm123]

Thanks for watching and commenting

[@AlchemistLair]

Good tips, man!!

[@wtbm123]

Thanks

[@jw200]

Its actually funny, yesterday i messed with it and it was off so much. Today tried again, moved my car back / forward many times, the steering wheel went to the left alot. Then adjusted the tie rods and my steering wheel is almost straight now. Just a little bit to the right now. But i must verify if my wheels are parallel to each other. I think they are not quite yet. Need to do a bit more. I will try to find better place to do that.

[@danelectro68]

Terry's top tips!! Nice one :-)

[@jewllake]

I just did this to a friends truck but his tires had real aggressive and un even tread pattern (cooper discoverer at3). So I got a paper stapler an put a staple in the center of both tires equal distance from the bottom and measured, then I rolled the truck with out touching the wheel until the staple was on the opposite side and measured again.

[@wtbm123]

Thanks for commenting .

[@hankbridges7824]

Get a Longacre toe bar and a OTC steering wheel holder and a Snap on caster/camber gauge to align the front end. A scriber can be used and turntables can be used.

[@wtbm123]

Thanks for watching and commenting

[@wtbm123]

You will get it , a little adjustment or two and you will be real close. Thanks for watching.

[@jamiewallace5030]

thanks for the tips.

[@wtbm123]

Thanks for watching and commenting

[@yahcono1]

"Mi padre..." era un mecánico durante más de 45 años. Me mostró un método sencillo de conducir sobre el periódico para comprobar alineación de la rueda delantera. Una hoja de periódico en cada rueda delantera en una superficie muy plana. Conducir sobre el papel y luego ver las arrugas en el papel y los pies y luego correcta dentro o fuera consecuencia hasta obtener el patrón de pliegues correcto. Se necesita experiencia algo que no he consiguido sin embargo.

[@connerbutler1077]

Si si si

[@josediazasmr6014]

Gracias por su honestidad

[@wtbm123]

Thanks Brian

[@donnieshepperson126]

Been wondering, and might try to check toe with a laser tape from inside the tire!

[@wtbm123]

Let us know how it worked out for you

[@donnieshepperson126]

@@wtbm123 worked

[@wtbm123]

@@donnieshepperson126 Good to hear

[@donnieshepperson126]

@@wtbm123 hold a small piece of plywood in the center groove of the tire, aim the laser close to the the tire as possible(while holding the end of the tape at the center of the opposite side) takes 2 people(but I'm going to figure out how one person can do it!

[@Timetotinker]

cool stuff Bud......tony

[@ugaggago2560]

Thanks for youre video,I am eric underchassis especialists, i will fixed the wheel alingment,two in or two out,negatuve or p0sitive camber,without use computer or measurement,

[@skankytrick]

Thanks for your clear comment.

[@TheWreckingYard]

Great info

[@wtbm123]

Thanks Stu

[@wtbm123]

Thanks Tony

[@wtbm123]

I thought something was wrong. LOL. thanks

[@MrBlackbamboo]

thanks for video

[@wtbm123]

Thanks for stopping by

[@TheShadeTreeFixitMan]

Good tip.

[@charliejacobs8762]

The 178 dislikes are front-end shops.

[@dmmusicmusic]

no. probably just people who understand this is a poor method compared to laser measurement. I'd go with the technology and spend the money. it's a small price to pay on a 30,000$ car with a set of tires that run 800+. this could work in a pinch but it's terribly inaccurate and still leave you with poor tire life and compromised handling/ride quality. but some people just really want to save that $75! get a freaking horse and buggy.

[@Mr123jes]

good to know, but when you do the adjusting don't you only adjust 1/2 the total amount?

[@krustykrabklaninc1856]

I see what you mean, and I think that means the rear measurement need to be set to a whole number 68 and toe in an eight on each side. 1/8" on left to make 68 1/8" and right to make 68 1/4"

[@DannySauer]

It'd be quite a bit easier to just put the boards on the outside of each tire, snug up against the sidewall (parallel to the tire rotation direction, sticking out past the tire front and back). The center line with the chalk is a good idea, but between the width of the chalk, trying not to move the chalk as you rotate the tire, and moving the blocks around for each measurement... simply measuring to the edge of the board front and back would be enough more precise to make up for whatever amount of variance there is on the sidewall. That's how a lot of racers do it, usually with fixtures that are simply flat pieces of metal with a slot cut at the same height on the front and back. :) The only problem is the bulge in the tire sidewall at the bottom, which is why I used to use a 2x6 that I can simply lean up against the sidewall, compensating for the bulge. Now I have a strip of plywood with feet attached and an arch cut out in the bottom middle, because I'm fancy. :D

[@wtbm123]

Board , how do you know what the tire run out is If you stacked them up or something and measured off rim to get them straight with the wheel

[@wtbm123]

Thank You Sir.

[@wtbm123]

Thank you .

[@finpainter1]

good one

[@angelf9800]

Question How do you adjust the camber on a 2008 trailblazer LT

[@anoncoms]

People are so fucking hateful. Good video man, I'm gonna use this method for my alignment. Ignore the hate, man.

[@wtbm123]

Thanks for watching and commenting

[@anoncoms]

wtbm123 by the way it worked perfectly. I mixed a few methods, but the car's driving better than ever! Thanks again

[@Yaheuben66]

Good information-- question-- How much of a difference can a "no-relaxed" suspension make in the measurements?

[@billypierce6740]

I replaced my drag link center link and tie rod ends after putting my lift kit on my old ford so I’m starting from scratch in saying this how do I know which tire to move out or in to get them both straight as possible? My alignment shop is about 30 miles away and I would love to get them as straight as possible before I drive that far on my brand new tires.

[@wtbm123]

Depends if steering is before or after axle . If you are going just 30 miles to get aligned , then measure and adjust toe in not caring about steering wheel being straight , they will set wheel straight . Not all cars are the same so there is no set one way to adjust

[@williamray5467]

If anyone wants their vehicle to roll straight they should learn to adjust alignment toe in/ out. The alignment ships by law must offset the vehicle a few degrees to make it pull right if you fall asleep of something. Personally I use the string method where the front end can be aligned with the rear of the vehicle, just run a small string around all the tires and align the toe in / out till the outside of the tires are aligned with the string. Of course if you want to get the steering wheel straight you'll likely need to adjust both tie rod end adjustments.

[@wtbm123]

Only issue with strings is front and rear width is usually different , and you are relying on rear being correct alignment . but yes there are many ways to do it .

[@williamray5467]

@@wtbm123 u right cause I did my truck and it had a slightly bent steel wheel on the rear. I do string cause I am lazy and want to get it over with.

[@BearFish112]

Much easier to do with a laser measure tool: no need to lift the car and draw lines on tires. Laser measures can be bought for about $20 and are good to have for many home DIY applications.

[@wtbm123]

How would you know the tire run out

[@fjj2419]

Thanks.

[@sharabi21]

After all that measuring... Look at the tires and adjust the time rods

[@wtbm123]

yes you can feel the feather edge , but you would need to adjust some , drive till you can see if you went far enough or to far

[@Flash635]

I run a string line around the 4 tyres.

[@wtbm123]

ok

[@joecox9958]

this measures toe, but, not sure you can do alignment - how do you know you should adjust left or right side tie rod?

[@jamesmcbride6304]

You need to check inner tie rods they always get overlooked. !!

[@wtbm123]

On rack and pinion , the inner tie rods are over looked a lot . Thanks for stopping in

[@danh9676]

I like it. how would you make the steering wheel straight if it were crooked?

[@speckspeck]

+Dan H IT CAN be removed and replaced in the straight position once the wheels are straight ahead

[@deltabravo5719]

great job... nope... park with your steering wheel level... then proceeed nicely done... second example below realizing the rear wheels arent reliable... :) recently i devised a similar home alignment process... I am not going to video... 1. align steering wheel as rolling to parking 2. tape measure stretched out behind both front wheels 3 second tape behind both rear wheels 4 shoot "laser" from 39 dollar laser from harbor freight and align tape on driverside using an even foot number. 5 walk to pass side and shoot laser across both tapes and determine similar adjustment plus one laser width of toe in... perfect alignment. 6. test drive for satisfaction and repeat as needed. note: a person can use the back tires as a reference to identify the fronts are aligned in a general sense... but as i experienced... there is no call to trust the rear tires as camber can affect how the rears are in comparison to the fronts... trust the tapes laying on the ground over where the laser splashes on the numbers over using distances away from the tires.

[@wtbm123]

Thanks for watching

[@calebbroege1333]

Delta Bravo plus in the GM trucks the rear wheel base is narrower than the front...

[@wtbm123]

Thanks for watching

[@bremCZ]

My car along with many others has a tolerance of 0.5mm. You can't eyeball half a millimeter.