toe gauge recommendations?

[rss]

does anyone have recommendations for a toe gauge? i see there are quite a few available, and being a newbie at doing alignment i don't have experience with any of them. i have a 24" digital level that i can use to adjust camber. i could use the string method for front toe, but the gauges look like they would make the job much quicker.

 

for the rear, is using parallel strings for reference lines the way to go or is there another trick? not that i'd really have a clue where to start adjusting anything on the rear of the ultralite.

 

i plan on having a four wheel alignment and corner balance done by a pro sometime soon, but i'd like to make some adjustments myself in the meantime, particularly since i just finished swapping out all the rod ends.

[James A]

For home use I find the Longacre Toe plates work great! Simple and easy to use.

 

http://www.longacreracing.com/catalog/item.asp?id=152&catid=5

 

Shop around I see them listed for $56 - $109.

[SkinnyG]

I made my own toe plates for even less. Yes - they work great!

[xcarguy]

I built a jig to adjust toe. Works great.

 

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=20063

[rss]

thanks for the suggestions guys. the longacre plates look like a good solution. very simple.

[powderbrake]

I made a copy of the longacre toe plates by using a couple aluminum plates, to which I screwed a piece of angle to keep them upright. simply cut a couple slots in them to hook the tape measures to.

 

The string method woks well, and I found that a piece of square aluminum tube about 1" square from Home depot works well.. You can bungee cord it to the tire/wheel, and measure from the tube to the frame rails to get the rear wheels in alignment with the frame. ditto to the front

 

I used a longacre caster camber guage to set the caster and camber.

[rx7locost]

I use a pair of simple "L"s made from ~1/4 x 1/2" wood strips that minimze measurement error. For the string method you have to measure out to the string 4 times and do some math. Any parallax error in reading the tape measure is multiplied. My "L"s have long legs that lay on the ground and overlap each other. I rest the vertical leg on the front of the tire at the center (~12 inches off the pavement) and with a sharp pencil, mark the horizontal legs where they overlap. Then do the same at the back of the tires. Mark again. Now just measure the distance between the 2 marks. Easily accurate and repeatable to

[rss]

clever and low cost, locost! i like it.

[Klasik-69]

thanks for the suggestions guys. the longacre plates look like a good solution. very simple.

 

 

Simple, Yes. Accurate ????? Problem you are measuring over a very short distance, and worse yet, using a tape measure. If you have expensive tires, you may want to rethink this.

 

That's why I made a metal frame from 1x1 square tubing that rides the lower 1/3 of the tire/wheel. I bought some small magnetic based laser levels from Lowes and shoot a laser from the frame forward about 15', then flip the lasers around and shoot a line to the back, again about 15' from the wheel. I measure the distance between lasers and see where I am with toe-in or toe out. I made adjustments, roll the car back and forth on the wheels to un-tension the tire from the surface and measure again. Tedious ? Yep. Accurate, EXTREMELY. I did this after ruining a $2000 set of Michelins on my Z06 and paying a shop $120 for a 4 wheel alignment only to be told by the butthole that I must have hit a curb.

 

The nice thing about this setup is that it works for all cars, and once you log in what you're correct front toe dimension needs to be, you don't need to flip the lasers around between front and back as you did initially.

 

Make sure you set camber and caster FIRST before toe. Make sure you're on level ground. I use my 4 post lift and let the runners level side to side. No need to worry about front and back. You can also use the same setup to check to see if your real wheels are tracking along the true center line by shooting a laser forward from the rear wheels and measuring the offset off the front axle and comparing. Ever see a car "crab" down the road ?

[dallasdude]

Sounds like a good setup. If you do use a tape based system like the Longacre, be sure you aren't getting a deflection of the rear tape by the sump.

I normally only use this type setup at the track in an emergency....our toe plates are marked for the offset for the pan, based on testing right after the car was done with a laser setup.

[Klasik-69]

Sounds like a good setup. If you do use a tape based system like the Longacre, be sure you aren't getting a deflection of the rear tape by the sump.

I normally only use this type setup at the track in an emergency....our toe plates are marked for the offset for the pan, based on testing right after the car was done with a laser setup.

 

 

I've never tried to do an alignment on the track after I had an incident at PBIR because of a wrong setup and a feeble attempt to fix it. $6500 later, my car was fixed. I used to see guys at PDX & HPDE events pull out the strings and fixtures, usually on Porsche 911's, and they were the typically the slowest guys on the track so what difference did an alignment do for them. At our SCCA events, both TT and Club Racing, you just don't see anyone doing the Home Depot alignments. It's either right or its wrong, but it is what it is and if you're not ready, too bad.

 

I do admit that my laser sighting system is a bit low-tech and probably would be highlighted on a show like "Swamp People" or "Duck Dynasty" but it seems to be very accurate, although very time comsuming.

[Kitcat]

I have done the following at the track: driven, been unhappy w/dartyness, pulled in, loosened retainer nut, dialed in one rotatation of front toe in on both sides (remember to rotate in opposite diretctions), retighten, drive, adjust til it "feels" right (less darty). No strings, blocks, etc., just pure driving "feel". It is only useful on toe in, not the other multiple alignment variables, but I think this thread is toe-in only?

Edited August 19, 2013 by Kitcat