Off-Road Terms Glossary

Referred to as a brake caliper, it applies pressure on a spinning disc (rotor) to slow a vehicle.

Also referred to as Vernier Calipers. A tool used to take precise measurements in thousandths of an inch.

The angle of the centerline of a tire and wheel relative to completely vertical.

Camber Roll: Camber roll represents how much the camber increases when you steer a vehicle hard to the left or right. Some camber roll is good because it supports traction. Too much camber roll can cause wear on the tires.

This is the original name for the universal joint or U joint. Other synonyms for Cardan joint are universal coupling and Hardy-Spicer joint. The joint is named after Jerome Cardan, an Italian mathematician of the 16th century.

Sometimes referred to as a Differential Case or Ring Gear Carrier. This unit transfers the motion from the ring gear to the axle shafts.

These are the bearings that ring gear carriers ride on. May also refer to the driveshaft support bearing used in multiple-piece driveshafts.

Wheels that are made from liquid metal poured into a mold. Low pressure casting involves pouring the metal into a mold, while counter-pressure casting involves sucking the metal into a mold like a vacuum. Counter-pressure casting reduces impurities to make the wheel much stronger than a low pressure cast rim.

Caster refers to tilting of the steering axis. When the top pivot tilts towards the front of the truck, this is referred to as negative caster. Positive caster tilts the top pivot towards the back of the truck.

Center axle disconnect is a system that uses a splined, sliding collar to disconnect the longer front axle shaft from the differential. On open differentials, this keeps the drive shaft from turning in two-wheel drive. CAD, an alternative to front-locking hubs, permits the differential side and spider gears in the differential to turn. Install a limited slip or locker and the left axle will propel the ring and pinion and drive shaft, which can create shuddering at higher speeds.

Compression is how high the suspension moves up above its static position. Contact Patch: On a tire, the contact patch is the surface that meets the pavement or terrain and creates traction. Tire size and tire pressure influence the size and shape of the contact patch.

The cross shaft is a hardened pin that transfers a load from the carrier case to the spider gear assembly.

A vehicle is cross-axled when the front axle and rear axles are articulated in different directions. If you are looking at a cross-axled vehicle from the front, the axles form a low x shape.

In a crossover steering system, the drag link and tie rod are individually connected to the knuckle on the passenger side. At the wheel ends, the steering knuckles are brought together with the tie rod.

A crossover SUV is an all-wheel-drive car or minivan. This can also include cars that have been converted to all-wheel-drive.

CV stands for constant velocity. CV joints are used on drive shafts and steering axles to transmit power smoothly without chatter. There are several types of CV joints, including the six-ball types (Rzeppa and Birfield), the four-ball Bendix, and the Herrington, which is comprised of two U joints.