2006 Honda Element Steering/Suspension

Replacing struts requires the vehicle be aligned. One of the main alignment angles is adjusted by the two lower mounting bolts for the front struts. Due to the geometry of the steering and suspension systems, tipping a wheel in or out a little on top will cause that wheel to turn left or right too. You have to compensate for that by turning to steering wheel until both front wheels are turned toward or away from the center of the vehicle equally.

That resulting steering error is called "total toe". When that is wrong, you'll eventually see that as wear patterns on both front tires. When you rub your fingertips across the tread one way, they will slide smoothly, but the other way you'll feel the sharp raised edges of the blocks of tread.

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