Genuine Volvo V40 Camber and Alignment Kit

Volvo V40 Camber and Alignment Kit Parts and Q&A

• Lower Control Arm Adjust Cam
  30873185
  Q: What is the role of a Camber and Alignment Kit in defining a steering and suspension geometry on Volvo V40?

  A:

  A car's steering and suspension geometry is characterized by 4 fundamental settings, with all the angles measured in degrees. The steering axis is an imaginary line through the axis of the suspension strut going to the ground. Camber is the angle between each roadwheel and a vertical line through the centre of the roadwheel where a positive camber angle will tilt the wheels outwards and a negative camber angle will tilt the wheels inwards. The front wheel camber angle can be adjusted by repositioning the swivel hub and the rear wheel camber angle is adjusted by rotating the suspension lower arm inner pivot bolt. Castor is the angle between the steering axis and a vertical line through the centre of each roadwheel, with positive castor providing a forward tilt of the steering axis and negative castor providing a backwards tilt, this is not adjustable. Toe is the difference between lines drawn through the centres of the roadwheels and the centre line of the car, toe-in is inward pointing and toe-out is outward pointing. Adjustments for toe settings include screwing in and out the track rod for the front wheels and rotating the control link pivot bolt for the rear wheels. Kingpin inclination or steering axis inclination is the angle between the steering axis and a vertical line through the centre of each roadwheel, which is also not adjustable. For accurate measurements, the car should be unloaded, the tires should be properly inflated, and the front wheels should be aligned straight ahead. To check the toe setting there is a need for a tracking gage, but there are two types of such gage, one is to check the distance between the roadwheels when the car is stopped, and the other is to check the contact surface of the tire when in motion. If adjustments are required, the car should be properly jacked up, and the amount of exposed thread on the track rod ends should be measured to insure equal adjustment. After cleaning the track rod threads and applying grease to the gaiters the track rods can be adjusted by unscrewing the locknut and changing the length of the rods. Once the correct setting is achieved the locknuts should be tightened, and the lengths of both track rods should be checked for equality. If the Steering Wheel spokes are not horizontal after adjustment the steering wheel may need to be repositioned. For camber adjustments, measuring equipment access is required and the camber angle can be changed by adjusting the swivel hub assembly in relation to the strut for the front wheels, and the rear wheels need to change the suspension lower arm inner pivot bolt. After adjustments, the camber angle should be rechecked to make sure it's within specified limits.