Re: Loose rear

[Glenn Lawton <lawtonglenn@gsmai.com>]

Neil Swanson wrote:
> Too much toe in eh?  Well could be so.
> When I do the final alignment should I go for a little toe out?  Or go for no
> toe in at all and just try to hit zero?


When I replaced the rear control arm bushings in the 4kq, I didn't get the
alignment done until two days afterward.

On the first dry day, I didn't notice much of a problem, but it felt a 
little squirrely over bumps. It snowed the second day, and it was almost
undrivable. Straight to the alignment shop, where I found the left rear
toe was near zero, but the right was WAY OUT, like 0.8 degrees of toe in.

I guess that the right rear was trying to steer the car in to the right,
so I got massive oversteer with the ass end trying to go left all the time.
Since it was slippery, the left tire grip let it go after 30mph.

Anyway, I saw with too much toe in on one side, you get oversteer the opposite
side just trying to go straight. Maybe if I had too much toein both sides there
would have been no problem.

Think about toeout for a minute though. Let's say you dial in too much toeout
both sides. Then going straight you have no problem, but when you turn, the inside
wheel becomes unloaded, and the outside is toed out, so it tries to swing
the rear end out more, and you get oversteer.

On my cars I think that zero rear toe is in spec, so I have them shoot for that,
but it seems that a little toe in, BALANCED SIDE TO SIDE, would be safer as
it encourages a little understeer.

Good Luck
Glenn