Return to technical index

Wheel alignment


Incorrect wheel alignment is often indicated by uneven tyre wear but even tyre wear does not mean correct alignment as a combination of incorrect toe and camber can result in even but high tyre wear.

To check Scirocco wheel alignment fully you need to check both the Camber and Toe, also caster if possible, but this is directly linked to camber. Most tyre companies will only check toe, you need to check all of them on a Scirocco for good handling and tyre wear.

The cost of full tracking and adjustment for a Scirocco, Toe and Camber should typically be about 25 UK Pounds.


Toe     Camber     Caster

TOE is the how parallel the wheels are or distance between the front of the tyres and their rears, sometimes expressed by an angle instead. Toe in or out will result in the 2 wheels fighting over which direction to go and will always produce uneven wear across the tyres, but usually mirrored between the tyres. i.e. both insides areas of the tread or both outside areas.

Negative Toe is Toe OUT, thus distance between the fronts of the tyres is greater than between the rear of the tyres.
If you were to look from the TOP:

TOP VIEW
Front
       =================== Bumper
--             --
tyre \ \          / / tyre
--         --


Positive Toe is Toe IN, thus distance between the fronts of the tyres is less than between the rear of the tyres.
If you were to look from the TOP:
TOP VIEW
Front
       =================== Bumper
--         --
tyre / /          \ \ tyre
--             --

The individual toe of each front wheel is not critical (because of the steering mechanism), but the TOTAL toe is (Toe = distance rear - distance front of tyre). On factory original steering racks only one side is adjustable, which can then result in the "crooked" steering wheel problem after adjustment, replacements are usually adjustable both sides.

For the rear wheels the individual toes are however important. If that's off, your car will be driving "side ways". Its unlikely to be wrong as the rear toe is not adjustable on Sciroccos (without special equipment and shims), unless the car has been in an accident.

Top of page    


CAMBER is the angle a tyre makes with respect to a vertical line. It can be used to improve cornering as camber cause the tyre edges to 'dig in' as you turn but with the result of uneven tyre wear.

Positive Camber tops of both tyres point outward
Looking from the front of the car.

FRONT VIEW
       =================== Bonnet
--             --
tyre \ \          / / tyre
--         --

Too much positive camber, tyres wear on the OUTside (away from the car) more than the inside.

Negative Camber, tops of both tyres point inward.
Looking from the front of the car.

FRONT VIEW
       =================== Bonnet
--         --
tyre / /          \ \ tyre
--             --

Too much negative camber, tyres wear on the INside more than the outside.

Uneven Camber, one tyre points inwards the other out.
Looking from the front of the car.

FRONT VIEW
       =================== Bonnet
 --           --
tyre / /          / / tyre 
--           --   
Uneven camber will produce wear on the inside of one tyre and the outside of the other.

Camber affects directional stability and tyre wear. A difference between the front wheel camber settings will cause your car to pull to one side. Therefore it's very important to keep camber for BOTH tyres as even as possible. (Except for oval racetracks)

Your car will also perform differently with different camber settings. For street use, follow manufacturer's setting, for race use, use more negative camber (basically so that the in board tyre will be flat on the road in sharp curves). Naturally, more negative camber will wear the insides of the tyres quicker.

The rear camber is not adjustable on Scirocco’s (without special equipment and shims) but can be out if the car has been 'kerbed' i.e. hit the kerb sideways by trying to take a corner to fast.

Top of page    


CASTER is the angle your wheels pivot about with respect to the vertical when you steer, this is the way the camber changes as you turn into a corner. This is dependent on the position of the top of the strut mountings and the swinging arm mounting points. Not adjustable on a normal Scirocco set up but can be incorrect following an accident if the chassis has been bent.

Top of page    


The Scirocco On-Line Owners Club Scirocco World

This Site is in no way connected to the Volkswagen Group or any of their associated companies. This Site is run by Enthusiasts for Enthusiasts.