Wheel alignment toe-in check
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From: Georgia
Wheel alignment toe-in check
I've done some reading about how sensitive the soft tires on the Z are to toe-in, so I decided to check my car with some home-made toe plates. I'm past the 12-month window for getting a free alignment, but the car only has 6200 miles.
The toe plates are made of 1 1/4"x1/8" aluminum angle riveted together. I used six identical nylon screws as standoffs to bear on the rim. There's a raised ring on the tire near the rim that keeps the toe plates from sliding down. Rubber bands around the spokes hold everything in place.
Before using the toe plates, I clamped them together at the contact points to check if they were straight. I measured between the ends of the horizontal bars with my micrometer, and the difference was less than 0.005". The long bar doubles the toe-in reading, which makes it easier to read the tape.
After the toe plates were installed and leveled, I used identical tape measures to make the measurements. I switched the tapes front to back and averaged the readings to cancel any error in the tapes. After doing the math, I get a toe-in of 0.03", which is a little less than the nominal spec of 0.04".
The tires are showing just a hint of feathering, and I can feel a slightly different edge on the inside tread blocks depending on which way I run my hand. The tires are non-directional, so I'm going to start switching them side-to-side every 3-4K miles to even out the wear.
The toe plates are made of 1 1/4"x1/8" aluminum angle riveted together. I used six identical nylon screws as standoffs to bear on the rim. There's a raised ring on the tire near the rim that keeps the toe plates from sliding down. Rubber bands around the spokes hold everything in place.
Before using the toe plates, I clamped them together at the contact points to check if they were straight. I measured between the ends of the horizontal bars with my micrometer, and the difference was less than 0.005". The long bar doubles the toe-in reading, which makes it easier to read the tape.
After the toe plates were installed and leveled, I used identical tape measures to make the measurements. I switched the tapes front to back and averaged the readings to cancel any error in the tapes. After doing the math, I get a toe-in of 0.03", which is a little less than the nominal spec of 0.04".
The tires are showing just a hint of feathering, and I can feel a slightly different edge on the inside tread blocks depending on which way I run my hand. The tires are non-directional, so I'm going to start switching them side-to-side every 3-4K miles to even out the wear.
Last edited by winchman; Jun 5, 2011 at 04:25 AM.
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From: canada
I've done some reading about how sensitive the soft tires on the Z are to toe-in, so I decided to check my car with some home-made toe plates. I'm past the 12-month window for getting a free alignment, but the car only has 6200 miles.
The toe plates are made of 1 1/4"x1/8" aluminum angle riveted together. I used six identical nylon screws as standoffs to bear on the rim. There's a raised ring on the tire near the rim that keeps the toe plates from sliding down. Rubber bands around the spokes hold everything in place.
Before using the toe plates, I clamped them together at the contact points to check if they were straight. I measured between the ends of the horizontal bars with my micrometer, and the difference was less than 0.005". The long bar doubles the toe-in reading, which makes it easier to read the tape.
After the toe plates were installed and leveled, I used identical tape measures to make the measurements. I switched the tapes front to back and averaged the readings to cancel any error in the tapes. After doing the math, I get a toe-in of 0.03", which is a little less than the nominal spec of 0.04".
The tires are showing just a hint of feathering, and I can feel a slightly different edge on the inside tread blocks depending on which way I run my hand. The tires are non-directional, so I'm going to start switching them side-to-side every 3-4K miles to even out the wear.
The toe plates are made of 1 1/4"x1/8" aluminum angle riveted together. I used six identical nylon screws as standoffs to bear on the rim. There's a raised ring on the tire near the rim that keeps the toe plates from sliding down. Rubber bands around the spokes hold everything in place.
Before using the toe plates, I clamped them together at the contact points to check if they were straight. I measured between the ends of the horizontal bars with my micrometer, and the difference was less than 0.005". The long bar doubles the toe-in reading, which makes it easier to read the tape.
After the toe plates were installed and leveled, I used identical tape measures to make the measurements. I switched the tapes front to back and averaged the readings to cancel any error in the tapes. After doing the math, I get a toe-in of 0.03", which is a little less than the nominal spec of 0.04".
The tires are showing just a hint of feathering, and I can feel a slightly different edge on the inside tread blocks depending on which way I run my hand. The tires are non-directional, so I'm going to start switching them side-to-side every 3-4K miles to even out the wear.
Last edited by samson smith; Jan 1, 2012 at 10:33 PM.
