Patent ID: 8825303

Claim:
A method for aligning the wheels of a vehicle equipped with an electro-mechanical power steering system having a steering angle sensor, a torque sensor, and a torsion bar linking the steering angle sensor and the torque sensor, the method comprising: moving a steering wheel of the vehicle to a level position such that there is substantially no torque applied to the torsion bar; adjusting the toe of a first one of the front wheels of the vehicle after the steering wheel is moved to the level position; aligning the rear wheels of the vehicle prior to adjusting the toe of the first one of the front wheels; calculating the thrust angle of the rear wheels; measuring the toe angles of each of the front wheels; determining whether the steering wheel has moved more than the predetermined angle based on each of the front wheel toe angles relative to the thrust angle; and moving the steering wheel substantially back to the level position, then re-adjusting the toe of the first one of the front wheels, when the steering wheel has moved more than a predetermined angle from the level position while adjusting the toe of the first one of the front wheels.