Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
What is the difference between camber and just using the steering wheel to makes the tires turn?
I don't understand your question
Caster is how far forward/back the wheel sits. Camber is how much it leans in or out. Toe is where it's pointed: left, right, center. If any of those adjustments are wrong, the tires will wear out too fast and the car will handle poorly and/or pull.
Guess I was wondering the difference between adjusting toe and just simply turning the steering wheel. But after some thought, I guess it IS different and kind of like angle of attack!
Ackerman is the amount the toe changes as you turn the steering wheel. If you have Zero Ackerman, the wheels stay parallel (more or less), but that is extremely rare and a TERRIBLE way to design a steering system.
What is common is for cars to have SOME amount of Ackerman - to account for the fact that the inside tire needs to turn sharper - and what is interesting is that tire slip angles screw this up and make the amount of Ackerman needed speed and turn radius dependent. On race cars - with their extreme slip angles - a car wants negative Ackerman.
Oh and the spelling of the word Ackerman isn't fixed. You'll find the term spelled quite a few different ways!