A4 Suspension
& Steering
Review Answers
Reading Your Results: A4 Suspension and Steering, Test 1
A score by itself only tells you whether you passed. What follows is how to read the questions you missed on this test. A4 has more genuine adjustability than any other subject on the ASE series, so the recurring lesson here is knowing which angle causes what, and which ones are adjustable at all.
If you missed the alignment angle questions
Three angles do three different jobs, and most wrong answers on this test come from crossing them. Camber is the inward or outward tilt of the wheel viewed from the front, so it wears one edge of the tire and pulls toward the more positive side. Caster is the forward or rearward tilt of the steering axis viewed from the side, so it affects straight-line stability and returnability but does not wear tires, and the vehicle drifts toward the side with less positive caster. Toe is the direction the wheels point relative to each other, and it is the angle that scrubs the tread sideways and produces feathered, sawtooth wear. When a question describes a symptom, name the angle that produces that symptom before you look at the options, because it usually eliminates two of them outright.
If you missed the questions built on a measurement
Three questions here hand you readings against a specification, and each is asking whether you know what that number controls.
If you missed the questions about what is adjustable
Several questions on this test are really asking whether a thing can be adjusted at all. Toe is adjusted at the tie rod sleeves. The rack yoke adjuster sets internal preload between the rack and pinion and has nothing to do with toe. Ride height is not an alignment adjustment, and a vehicle sitting low at all four corners has to be corrected before any angle is set, because the control arms are sitting at the wrong point in their arc. A sealed hub bearing, a modern strut-type camber setup without an adjuster, and a subframe that has shifted all have the same answer: the part or the mounting is repaired, not adjusted. Knowing that list is worth several points on the real exam.
If you missed the component function questions
The three component questions here each solve one problem. A jounce bumper limits suspension travel at full compression so the strut or shock is not driven to its internal stop. A flexible coupling in the steering shaft allows the shaft to run at an angle while isolating road noise and vibration from the wheel. A strut rod, sometimes called a radius arm, locates the lower control arm fore and aft, which is why a collapsed strut rod bushing changes caster on that side and shows up as a pull under braking. On the exam these questions are asking what stops working when that function is lost.