An exerpt from: “Making It Stick Part 2 - Negative Camber: The Comprehensive Suspension Tuning Guide”
By Jared Holstein
Photography by Jared Holstein
Writer: Mike Kojima, Ti Tong
Photographer: Ti Tong
http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/te...t_2/index.html
Step Six: Tune Your Toe
Toe refers to the direction a car's tires are pointed relative to each other when viewed from above (see graphic).
Toe-in means the front of the tires are closer to each other than the rears. The opposite is toe-out. Toe is measured in inches relative to straight ahead, or zero toe. With zero toe, a car's tires are exactly parallel to each other.
Fine-tuning toe settings will allow a measure of control that's often overlooked. It also has a significant effect on how a car behaves in a corner. Front toe settings make a big difference in how a car handles in the first third of the turn, the critical turn-in phase where cornering force is initiated. Rear toe settings can be critical for allowing the driver of a rear-wheel-drive car to accelerate harder and sooner out of a corner.
Like all chassis tuning, too much of a good thing will cause problems. Too much toe-in or toe-out will create tire wear on the inside and outside edges of the tire. Any toe setting past 1/8-inch will cause excessive tire wear. Aggressive toe has probably ruined more tires on lowered cars than any other chassis adjustment.
Below are guidelines for setting toe and how it can affect feel and handling.
Front Toe-Out
Just Right
Reduced understeer at turn-in Improved steering response Counteracts natural tendency for front- and all-wheel-drive cars to toe-in under throttle load
Too Much
Instability during braking Straight-line instability, especially over single-wheel bumps or split-traction surfaces Unrecoverable understeer
Front Toe-In
Just Right
Generally helps make the car feel more stable
Too Much
Wandering under braking Refusal to turn in or rapid turn-in followed by understeer
Rear Toe-Out
Just Right
Easy midturn rotation. Less front tire load
Too Much
Violent on-throttle oversteer on RWD cars. Can help drift cars
Violent lift-throttle or trail-braking rotation
Rear Toe-In
Just Right
Easily controlled power oversteer in rear-wheel-drive cars
Too Much
Sluggish response. Midcorner understeer Instability at turn-in
Every car is adjustable for front toe through the steering tie rod ends. All multilink and some strut cars are adjustable for toe front and rear. Cars that use a live or beam rear axle must have the axle or axle housing bent to adjust toe by an experienced chassis shop.
Below are some typical toe adjustments for different cars, tire wear expectations and styles of driving.
Aggressive Street Driver
Front
FWD/AWD: 0 RWD: 1/16" In
Rear
FWD/AWD: 0 RWD: 1/8" In
Weekend Hot Lapper
Front
FWD/AWD: 0-1/8" OutRWD: 0
Rear
FWD/AWD: 0-1/8" OutRWD: 1/8" In
Racer Only or serious drifter
Front
FWD/AWD: 1/8-1/4" out RWD: 0
Rear
FWD/AWD: 0-1/4" out RWD: 0-1/8" in
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http://forums.focaljet.com/group-buy...-toe-arms.html
Pictured below is our prototype, the production version will be anodized, not powdercoated.
