Q&A

 Master

Great question --
Nearly all front wheel drive cars today - and some rear wheel drive ones - take a 4 wheel alignment. Simply put - the rear wheels of the vehicle must be aligned first (and have alignment adjustment either via concentric cams or actual tie rod ends in the rear), and then the front wheels get aligned to the thrust angle determined with the rear wheels.

"Front end alignment" is a term used in the past when vehicles were most always rear wheel driven by solid axles. A solid axle provides no adjustment, so therefore, the front wheels alone would be measured and adjusted.

However, along the way, "front end alignments" progressed to "Thrust Angle Alignment" - which is measuring all 4 wheels and adjusting the front wheels to align with the non-moveable rear wheels, to provide a more straight ride. This is how bent rear axles are found, etc, when the rear wheels end up being out of adjustment on a solid axle vehicle...

So - yes, a 4 wheel alignment is a typical recommendation for most cars today.