Toe-in Adj. tool

I wish I had a picture, but I made one with a piece of conduit pipe and a stick of rebar.

Insert rebar into conduit. I drilled and tapped the wall of the conduit so I could put a locking bolt in the side to hold the rebar.

Manually roll the car forward on level ground to get the tires to naturally track. Measure the front of the wheels with the expanding rebar/conduit tube and lock the nut, then move it to the back of the tires and make sure you have about a 1/8" gap either side of the bar.

I like the expanding curtain rod idea above, as well as a shower curtain rod would work, but that would cost money and I just used what was laying around.

I got the idea from here: http://jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=170197
 
These are the best kind... at least in my opinion. They are like the ones sold by KR Wilson... and I just bought one at Hershey this year. BTW.. I tried to call these folks and couldn't get them, dropped them an e-mail. Napa doesn't have them in their system by the number or description given above.
Larry S.
 
larrys40 said:
These are the best kind... at least in my opinion. They are like the ones sold by KR Wilson... and I just bought one at Hershey this year. BTW.. I tried to call these folks and couldn't get them, dropped them an e-mail. Napa doesn't have them in their system by the number or description given above.
Larry S.
Click to expand...
That came off my invoice from 2006. Sorry! ask for wheel alignment Guage.
 
Jason in TX said:
I wish I had a picture, but I made one with a piece of conduit pipe and a stick of rebar.

Insert rebar into conduit. I drilled and tapped the wall of the conduit so I could put a locking bolt in the side to hold the rebar.

Manually roll the car forward on level ground to get the tires to naturally track. Measure the front of the wheels with the expanding rebar/conduit tube and lock the nut, then move it to the back of the tires and make sure you have about a 1/8" gap either side of the bar.

I like the expanding curtain rod idea above, as well as a shower curtain rod would work, but that would cost money and I just used what was laying around.

I got the idea from here: http://jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=170197
Click to expand...

The point many folks are missing is that most wheels have more wobble in them than the toe-in spec. Moving ANY gauge from one position on the wheel/tire can change your center lines so much that the measurement can actually end up providing slight toe-out or excessive toe-in. That is why the original method is by far the best. Toe-in affects both vehicle tracking and stability as well as tire wear.
 
Expanding on Marco's comment the factory spec for wheel wobble is 1/8 in. So without considering any tire variations or out of spec wheels the static front to rear measurement can be off by as much as 1/4 inch. The Duby gauge eliminates the wheel wobble and tire variation resulting in a correct toe in setting even with a bent wheel. You can also compensate for wheel wobble by spinning the wheel and scribing a line on the tire. The static measurements then can be taken from the scribe line.
 
I bought one last spring, found it online after much searching. They are still available, if I can find the order I placed I will post the location. The price for the same tool can vary considerably so search around.
 
Smitty said:
I bought one last spring, found it online after much searching. They are still available, if I can find the order I placed I will post the location. The price for the same tool can vary considerably so search around.
Click to expand...

I looked at the web site and their claim is seen below in quotes. My question is how does this work when it contacts only one wheel???
“One of the most accurate and inexpensive toe gauges on the market today
· Gauge makes contact with only one wheel and therefore is not subject to error
· Contact is made while the two spots are in a position, in front of the axle where
the dial is set at zero. The gauge is left in position while the car is rolled
forward a certain amount to bring the gauge and the two spots into a
corresponding position, in back of the axle where the reading is taken.
· If the gauge should be placed against any irregularity at the front, it will not
cause an error because the same irregularity will be moved with the gauge to
the back, where the reading is taken. As the gauge is not touched by the
operator between the setting and reading, contact with the wheels is sure to
be exactly the same in both positions"
 
I made one out of 1/2" copper tubing and 1/2" wooden dowel. It works OK, but takes some care. I think I'll get the Snyder's tool.
 
Always make sure you have NO "slop" in your front wheel bearings as this can FOIL your attempts at getting proper toe in! Also, after resetting toe in, look often at the tire tread & see if it's "scuffing" from the outside in, or from the inside out. Hopefully it will be wearing smooth & even. Bill W.
 
I've used the string method. Tie a long string to an outside spoke on the rear wheel just below the running board and attach the other end to a jack stand at the same height that you put a couple feet in front of the front tire with the string stretched tight. Move the jack stand so that the string just touches either the outside front or back outside sidewall of the front tire, and then move the steering wheel so that both the front and the back sidewall of the tire are just touching the string. What you've done here is gotten one front wheel pointing straight ahead. Then attach a string to the rear wheel on the other side, stretched out taught like the first string a couple feet in front of the other side's front tire. Move the jack stand until the string just touches the rear outside sidewall of the front tire. There should be a 1/16" gap between the string and the front of the tire if you're toe in is correct..
 
I'm a visual learner. After several failed attempts at using similar tools, I took my car to a local truck alignment shop. For $30 the guy that runs Acme Wheel Alignment was delighted to set the toe in precisely. I have not had any problems since then.
 
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