> Has anybody bought the toe-in gage that Harbor Freight has for
> abou $12. Did
> it work for you?
Hugh, I haven't tried it, but I see several shortcomings of the HF tool.
One is that it is sensitive to any variation in the tire and wheel. They
probably shouldn't, but in the real world the sidewall can easily have 1/8"
or more variation as the wheel turns.
Another is that to measure correctly, the measurement should be taken at the
centerline front and rear, but very few cars have a clear shot across the
back of the front tires.
I use a home-made 'tool' that is just a length of 1x2 with two pieces of
1/4" particle board screwed to it such that they roughly match the track of
my cars and are just long enough to reach the tire centerline with the edge
of the 1x2 on the floor. To use it, I first jack up the front of the car,
and make a mark with a pencil or scribe on the tires while spinning them.
Set the car down and with the wheels pointing straight ahead, bounce it a
few times to settle the suspension. Now slide the 1x2 behind the front
wheels and turn it up so the particle board is resting against the center of
the tread. Make a mark on the board that matches the mark on the tire.
Move the 1x2 to the front of the tires, match one mark with the mark on the
tire, read toe-in (or -out) at the other mark.
Note that apparent toe-in will change as the steering is turned from center,
the specification is always for straight ahead.
Also, with any measuring system, you should always bounce the car a few
times after making any changes and before taking another measurement.
Otherwise you'll get a false reading.
Randall
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