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      02-21-2012, 07:53 AM   #1
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Toe In, Toe Out, or Zero Toe?

Hi, just trying to get some opinions.

My last car I ran 1/16 toe out in the front.
and 1/8 toe in for the rear.

It was a blast to drive around, problem was it killed my tires fast and I had to get my bushings replaced.

Now, I'm reading a lot of people on the forums running 1/16 toe in Front and 1/8 toe in Rear. Sounds like this is the best for daily freeway driving, but what if I still want that fast turn in feeling without compromising too much tires?

Should I do zero front toe and 1/8th rear toe in? Or should I try even less front toe out...possibly 1/32 toe out front and 1/8 toe in rear?

Any suggestions? Thnx!
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      02-21-2012, 06:30 PM   #2
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Thats not too much toe to be "klling" your tires too quickly, and to cause pre mature failure of your bushings IMO.

Good start is to go for zero toe upfront and see how you like it. I normally have a little toe out, especially for track season.
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      02-21-2012, 07:07 PM   #3
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On my track car I run a neutral toe front, 4 mm total toe in (~5/32") rear.

Tire wear has been normal.

However, do keep in mind that your alignment, or suspension in general, is a multi-variable system. How well your car turns in depends on the overall set up, equipment used, and tire choice.
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      02-21-2012, 07:25 PM   #4
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Richard, that's almost exactly what mine is set at from the factory, zero front and the rear is about 1/8" in. I might even consider zeroing the rear toe if I have throttle-on rotation issues, as the car still seems a little tight to me but I'm on the stock suspension. I'm not sure it's worth the hassle though, and in high-speed stuff the car might get a little evil. Good for straight-line speed though
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Last edited by Richbot; 02-21-2012 at 07:32 PM..
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      02-21-2012, 07:43 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by STALKER View Post
Thats not too much toe to be "klling" your tires too quickly, and to cause pre mature failure of your bushings IMO.

Good start is to go for zero toe upfront and see how you like it. I normally have a little toe out, especially for track season.
I didn't think so either, but it did. I was sitting pretty low with the coil overs (not sure if that matters). So would you guys suggest 1/16th toe out front and 1/8th toe in rear for street use?
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      02-22-2012, 12:37 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Richbot View Post
Richard, that's almost exactly what mine is set at from the factory, zero front and the rear is about 1/8" in. I might even consider zeroing the rear toe if I have throttle-on rotation issues, as the car still seems a little tight to me but I'm on the stock suspension. I'm not sure it's worth the hassle though, and in high-speed stuff the car might get a little evil. Good for straight-line speed though
Richbot, elaborate please. Are you talking about oversteer with a rear zero-toe situation?
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      02-22-2012, 12:57 PM   #7
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I just recently changed from zero toe up front, to a touch of toe out. I have to say that the car seems quicker to respond up front and feels more planted. It never wandered with zero toe, but the initial turn-in felt a touch mushy.

Although, the previous alignment was screwed up by Sewickley Car Store, so it's hard to tell if the improvement was attributed solely to the change in front toe.

Last edited by Singletrack; 02-22-2012 at 02:51 PM..
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      02-22-2012, 03:32 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sleeper519 View Post
Richbot, elaborate please. Are you talking about oversteer with a rear zero-toe situation?
Toe out in the rear will make your rear end a little more lively. So most dial in some toe-in in the rear to keep the rear correctly position behind you.

I think Rickbot wants a looser rear end (insert man-love joke).
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      02-22-2012, 04:49 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigjae1976 View Post
Toe out in the rear will make your rear end a little more lively. So most dial in some toe-in in the rear to keep the rear correctly position behind you.

I think Rickbot wants a looser rear end (insert man-love joke).

Makes sense, thanks.

I think Rich needs a bigger cam shaft to get that rear end looser, but I wouldn't know...
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      02-22-2012, 09:09 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sleeper519 View Post
Makes sense, thanks.

I think Rich needs a bigger cam shaft to get that rear end looser, but I wouldn't know...
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      02-24-2012, 05:58 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StylePoints View Post
Hi, just trying to get some opinions.

My last car I ran 1/16 toe out in the front.
and 1/8 toe in for the rear.

It was a blast to drive around, problem was it killed my tires fast and I had to get my bushings replaced.

Now, I'm reading a lot of people on the forums running 1/16 toe in Front and 1/8 toe in Rear. Sounds like this is the best for daily freeway driving, but what if I still want that fast turn in feeling without compromising too much tires?

Should I do zero front toe and 1/8th rear toe in? Or should I try even less front toe out...possibly 1/32 toe out front and 1/8 toe in rear?

Any suggestions? Thnx!
You will want a bit of toe in on the front of the car so 1/16" total is a good setting.

You don't' really want anything less than 1/8" in the rear for stability sake.
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      12-26-2018, 05:18 AM   #12
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I've recently bought a 2011 M3 E90 LCI with Competition Pack. I drove it only a few times before I had my mechanic check it out. However during those drives it felt really planted and willing to turn in. Also it did not wander and did not tend to follow any road camber.

My mechanic said he found the front had zero toe, so he changed it to 2mm toe in which he says is factory spec. I noticed the difference immediately (in a negative way) and felt the car was less willing to turn in and felt less planted. He's happy to change it back to zero toe if I ask but says it will increase tyre wear.

I've read everyone's comments with interest. Does anyone else have any experiences to share regarding front toe?
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      12-26-2018, 06:44 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by E90M3_Guy View Post
I've recently bought a 2011 M3 E90 LCI with Competition Pack. I drove it only a few times before I had my mechanic check it out. However during those drives it felt really planted and willing to turn in. Also it did not wander and did not tend to follow any road camber.

My mechanic said he found the front had zero toe, so he changed it to 2mm toe in which he says is factory spec. I noticed the difference immediately (in a negative way) and felt the car was less willing to turn in and felt less planted. He's happy to change it back to zero toe if I ask but says it will increase tyre wear.

I've read everyone's comments with interest. Does anyone else have any experiences to share regarding front toe?
He says zero toe will increase tire wear? Wut?
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      12-26-2018, 10:46 AM   #14
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He’s not totally crazy. Theory is forces on the tire push on the bushes and ball joints and toe the tires out a bit if you run zero (basically static toe is a little bit off of what dynamic toe is). I went from zero to a bit of toe in up front (like, not even 1/16”) and seemed like wear improved, but I can’t be certain that’s why, also went to square setups not long after that so who knows
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      12-26-2018, 12:09 PM   #15
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Lol @ the 2012 posts

Doesn't BMW spec a little toe in at the front?
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