toe alignment setting

[bryant]

when toe alignment settings are taken and talked about how far from vertical wheel centerline are these measurements taken from?

[MonzaRacer]

The basic idea is too look t your wheel as a square box, the front is toed in or out.
All equipment is measuring front to back difference.
The old toe gauges were machined bars with grip[ teeth that slipped in a matching, greased/bearing trough. Drive or push car over and the amount it "pusshed the inner bar was a quick measure on assembly line (ford) I used too have a set but long lost now.
If your doing rough in set at home just use a 2x4 or 2x6 or other board and drill hole that a bent and sharpend coat hanger/wire fits in. Raise car and scribe a straight line all around tire at center of tread, then measure front and back front less than back = toe in, back lessthan front = toe out.
IF you are looking to make adjustment at different places, like one toe setting for track ,one for driving I helped guy make a tool that sat on the ground and touched the front inner lip of wheel, we then made simple touch probes and could ajust each tie rod till it lightly touched the rim lip. Accuracy is based on sturdiness of tool. Ours was plates of steel bolted to jointed 2x6 in three pieces. Accurately welded plumb rods let us slip plain old galvanized pipe with 90s and locked threaded rods.
As his car ran best at scca races with lots of toe out to induce faster turn in we made them so he could swap them out easily. Ramps made of glued and screwed borads he could run up on and they had simple turn table made originally from lexan and after few years that cracked so he got some simple hot rolled plates milled flat, then had a torington bearing he found in industrial catalog recessed in them and simple tapered allen screw holding plates together.
This allowed cars tires to be adjusted accurately after first getting alignment at a shop.
We then set him up a matching pair of stock road toe gauges and two for track(reason for making more that one for each setting was to allow for if he damaged one set.
He packed them all in a foam box and his gear was planned to fit in trunk with travel bag.
Ill see if he can send me pics of it all. Looks kind of jank but works well and he has since got his road course setup too.
As for caster/camber we are thinking of building similar set up. But for now he just had all same shims used and welded them together then plolished and engraved them where they go.
He does have to swap out camber adj nuts and bolts periodcally but we have new idea of some CASE grade bolts with a flat machined in them and using a set screw in the nuts, or double nuts.
All this is dependent on having straight wheels. But if wheels arent bent and car went off road, it really shows car IS bent somewhere then he gets more accurate alignment check.
With SAI/Included angle, camber, caster reading its fairly easy to deduce bent/tweaked parts. Or suspension droop as car height does change alignment.

[a67]

when toe alignment settings are taken and talked about how far from vertical wheel centerline are these measurements taken from?

The closer to the centerline of the hub the more accurate the measurement. As one moves up or down from the centerline there is less distance between the front and rear of the wheel/tire. Thus for a given measurement there will be more toe (in or out).

As for the horizontal distance a toe setting is specified, it is over a distance of 28".

Bob.

[pitts64]

I use two 10' pieces of 1" emt pipe with bolts that contact the rim lip... Similar to the Herb Adams method but not off the tires..

I tried a tramline but got inaccurate readings measuring off the tire centers.... Todays tires are too wide for the old tramline in my opinion..

[cluxford]

one method I've used is jack front up, put a small pin in the center of the tyre (both tyres, front end) have pins furthest forward i.e. closest point to bumper. Measure distance between pins using a straight edge. Now rotate tyres 180 degrees, so the pins are now at the most rearward point (closest to rear bumper). Measure again. If the distance at the front is shorter than distance at rear you have toe in set (vice versa for tie out). Toe in normal setting are 3/16 to 9/32 shorter than rear

Monza, I like the sound of those tools, you selling these ?

[TheJDMan]

I have tried different methods of setting toe over the years and hands down the easiest and fastest method is the use of toe plates. A simple search of "toe plates" will give you tons of choices.

[nokones]

You can get them for about $50-60 at Longacre or Pegasus. Just about everyone who has go-fast tools and accessories have them