Is a spindle the same thing as the steering knucke?

 

Technically, no. But the terms are used interchangably on this board.

Bob

 

The spindle is the front bearing (the thing the wheel bolts to and turns about). The steering knuckle is what the Spindle mounts too. Then the steering knuckle mounts to your upper and lower control arms and the tie rod.

 

Actually the bearing is not the spindle either. That's called a hub-and-bearing assembly.

By the book, a spindle is part of the drive axle. On the rear of my Corvette, the spindle, knuckle, and hub-and-bearing are three very distinct parts. The spindle is what connects to the halfshaft via u-joints, and has splines that turn the outer half of the bearing.

That's splitting hairs though...as mentioned, on the front of a RWD car, the knuckle is often referred to as a spindle.