Hi All,
Sorry about the use of Caps, but this is a big deal. My race shop aligned my car today and achieved the following results:
Front camber -1.6 degrees (this was the max we could get and keep it even on left and right).
Front toe - 2mm total toe out
Rear camber -1 degree, 0 toe.
Want to know what the factory settings were?
Front camber left 0 degrees.
Front camber right -.5 degrees.
Front toe left 2mm out.
Front toe right 0 toe.
Rear camber left -1 degree.
Rear camber right 0 degrees.
Rear toe left 3mm out.
Rear toe right 2mm in.
Enough said, if all of your cars are this bad from the Factory, get an alignment in a hurry!
Cheers,

 

I've always wondered. How do you measure toe in mm?

I can understand degrees, because that is absolute. But how can you measure it in mm without mentioning a reference? Or does everyone just use the same reference?

 

I think it's based on stock wheel/tire size or something. I hear ya though. Degrees do seem far more absolute to me too.

 

Ive never heard of toe beign measured in MM....i cant think of a logical way to determine that

EDIT: a side note, most cars ARE out of alignment for the time they roll off the truck, due to the way that they are strapped down. Most dealers (that i know of), wont spend the time to re-align all their new cars. For the most part, however, the amount its out of line is negligable(sp?)

 

What made you spend the money on re-allignement in the first place... I've checked my steering and no pulls and after following the car on the road, all the wheels (appear) to be straight..

 

Alignment isnt just needed when your car pulls or tracks to a certain direction. The alignment specs on your car can have a great deal to do with how you car handles, i.e. understeering, unstable... etc. By goofing with the specs, you can dial out some of these things and set the car up in a way that is tailored to your likes.

 

I completely agree with the alignment. I'm curious to know if you noticed an improvement in handling after the mods. For autocross, I had my previous cars set up for less understeer (max rear toe-in, etc.) and noticed a HUGE difference from stock. What type of driving style did your shop base for the alignment???


Thanks...
Evo2003.5

 

So what would the proper alignment be for the Evo that gives the best handling? ie, autocross or track alignement settings?

SC~

 

I know minutes for toe are technically correct, but my shop knows what I mean. Too many track alignments using toe plates I guess. By the way, I will be track-testing the Evo at Lime Rock Park tomorrow. Will follow up with a full report.
Cheers,

 

Hi Claudius,
If the track is fast, My T2 prepped Boxster S does mid 1:02's and you are definitely scared. 1:03's are no problem. Will have timing equipment in car. Have'nt driven since September, so I will be shaking off some rust. Track is all momentum. I.53 miles in length.
Cheers,

 

Sorry, www.limerock.com

 

It is very accurate to measure toe in mm. In fact that's the only way I adjust toe on my cars. I have toe plates that I set against the wheels, and measure the difference between the front and rear of the plates. I can get down to the nearest mm like that, and it works like a charm.
In fact, I corroborated this experiment with strings ran alongside the car, and those give me the exact same results.

So as far as I am concerned, I always measure toe in mm. And if an alignment shop gives me a toe setting in degree, I always convert it to mm. The conversion is not an easy one, and requires variables such as tire size and diameter, and calculating the sine to get to mm from radians. Go back to math 101 for more details (or is it math 500?)

K.