Front Wheel Suspension, Wheels and Tyres (Steering trapezium): Repair Instructions

Steering trapezium

The steering trapezium shows how the various steering angles are formed when cornering. A well set-up trapezium prevents the wheels slipping.

Front axle, control arms and tie-rods form the steering trapezium.

In straight-ahead position, the tie-rods are parallel to the front axle.

On cornering, the stub axles must be deflected. The stub axles and control arms are not arranged at 90° angles. Because of the arrangement, the tie-rods are no longer parallel to the front axle when the stub axles are deflected. This gives uneven travel at the ends of the two control arms which leads to the wheels being at different angles (see also toe variation).