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Tips

Toe In/Out measurement

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Healey Nut

Healey Nut

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So the front outside edges of the tires on my 67BJ8 are scrubbing . I assume I have too much toe in . Anybody have a quick check or correction method for fixing to much toe in ?
 
SteveG posted a simple toe measuring device that can be homemade (I did it). You need to have the car on the ground and roll it forward a few feet to set the suspension. Then measure distance between front of tires and then rear of tires. Should be 1/8" toe-in according to book, but some say set at zero.
If you need to adjust, pull up on wrench on both lock nuts on the steering bar to loosen (one is reverse threaded), then twist/turn bar to correct measurement. Tighten lock nuts by wrenching in downward direction.
 
Toe plates = no rolling! Store-bought or homemade: https://www.longacreracing.com/catalog/item.asp?id=152&catid=5

These are the instructions; it can't get any simpler than that.
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Times,sans-serif] [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Times,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial]Instructions for #79500 Toe Plates[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]This is a fast way to check / set front end toe. It is affected by wheel or tire runout. Be certain wheels run true and tires have no bulges.

  • Turn wheels to straight ahead: Should be done on level ground. Set caster & camber first.
  • Lean plates up against wheels: Folded lip goes to the outside. Be sure the entire plate is up against the wheel.
  • Measure front width, then rear: Use the slots for the tape measure. Subtract one from the other for toe. Larger front width means toe-out.


I've posted pictures of them on this site before, if you're interested enough to search for them...[/FONT][/FONT]
 
A very simple and effective toe checker is just two six foot lengths of metal or straight wood and four coffee cans. Place two coffee cans in front of each tire about four feet apart and put the sticks on top of them so they touch the sidewalls of the tires and point forwards. Measure between the sticks at two points two feet apart, if one measurement is different to the other adjust the drag link until the forward measurement is slightly less than the rearward one. It may help to tie the sticks to the wheel spokes so they can't move when measuring.

Andy.
 
Don't assume it's toe--the outside edges will often scrub even with correct toe setting. Possibly due to the standard pos. camber (1deg+) and spiriting corner carving.
 
I had been told many years ago that toe in was necessary for bias tires but zero toe in for radials. I've been running at zero for a year now and like it. With one degree in I got tracking on grooved freeway. With zero I run straight. A tire shop did the measurements with lasers for 40 bucks. This became an issue because I had been getting outside tread wear after a year on new tires. Since they already show wear, I cannot judge any improvement.
 
I tried zero toe once on my Healey, and it wandered all over the lane; definitely a workout just to keep it going straight down the road (Pirelli P-6 tires 195/60 fr/205/60 rr__this was around the mid 80s).

I find that my cars (Healey and ///M Rdstrs alike) like to have 1/16" to 1/32" toe in, to keep all the steering components "loaded" and track much better than with a zero setting.
 
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