The simple answer is yes you can. The first step in gauging tire symptoms is tire pressure. A tire that is improperly inflated will show wear that may partially mask the alignment wear patterns. Underinflation will tend to allow the center of the tread to squish up and leave the two shoulders to carry the weight of the rig. This, on careful examination, will be evident as the wear pattern extends down onto the side walls of the tire as they are now in contact with the pavement. An over inflated tire will show more wear on the center of the tread as the tire balloons lifting the shoulders off the pavement on both sides of the tread.
Under inflation gives the rig a squiggle squishy feeling and lots of imprecise steering input as the tires tend to flop under on turns and absorb steering. This squishiness is what causes the excessive flexing in the tire building an overheating condition resulting in tire failure.
Over inflation will give a harsh ride and tend to create a dartiness in the steering as when turning the tire tends to roll off the high center created by the ballooning effect of the tire and cause a lead in steering. On the plus side heat build up is less but over inflation can result in decreasing the tread contact surface with the pavement effecting handling and braking. There is a vacuum cleaner commercial out that shows a vacuum cleaner using a ball for a front wheel, and it touts the ability to turn corners.
And of course the proper inflation for a tire is best arrived at by weighing the rig and then consulting a tire chart for the maker of your tires. There is a bit of wiggle room in the pressures but reading your tires will tell you the answer to that.
Next week lets start with caster. Caster is a directional control angle first off and then when caster is way off it can become a tire wearing angle. Camber is primarily a tire wear angle and can be a directional control problem as well. Toe in is a tire wear angle first of all and then a handling angle. Notice that I have used a different term here as there are several different names for the way a vehicle reacts to steering input, wind, and road conditions.
So, tune in next week when we get to the nitty gritty.
Brad