Front Toe Adjustment

trucke

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I've pulled the camber pins up front and moved the strut to get the most negative camber. How much did you turn the tie rods to get back to zero toe alignment?

Setting up my new 2019 Type R for autocross. Doing the string alignment which is cumbersome and time consuming. I was hoping someone could offer some advice to get me close on the first try. If not, I'll just have to adjust 1/4 turn at a time until it lines up.

Thanks!
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trucke

trucke

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For those of you who are interested in the result. After pulling the camber pins at the front strut, the result was total toe-in of 5mm. I only made one adjustment to each side, turning the tie rod in 90º or 1/4 turn. This brought the total toe-in to 1mm (about 1/20"). That's as good as it will get using a string, so I left it there. Good to go!

Here are some pictures of the setup.

This is the tie rod adjustment area.
Honda Civic 10th gen Front Toe Adjustment IMG_8102_LI


String set-up. The hose clamps are the same distance apart on both pipes. The string is just pushed up against it for repeatability. The inner hose clamps are to align the FX16.
Honda Civic 10th gen Front Toe Adjustment IMG_8103.JPG



Honda Civic 10th gen Front Toe Adjustment IMG_8107.JPG


String must be at the center of the wheel.
Honda Civic 10th gen Front Toe Adjustment IMG_8105.JPG



Measure the hub to the string. This must be the same on both sides in the front and both sides in the back. Now the setup is square and parallel so checks can begin.
Honda Civic 10th gen Front Toe Adjustment IMG_8110.JPG



Measure the front of the wheel to the string.
Honda Civic 10th gen Front Toe Adjustment IMG_8111.JPG


Measure the back of the wheel to the string. The difference from front to back is the toe for that side. When the front number is higher, the wheel is toe-in.

Honda Civic 10th gen Front Toe Adjustment IMG_8112.JPG


I threw together a spreadsheet to help me interpret the result. This is primarily for camber and it looks like I'm getting 1.5º negative camber (14mm higher at top) with the pins pulled and top hats pushed full inboard of the slots. 1mm of toe-in is 0.03937 inches or about 1/25", a number small enough to say it's close to straight ahead.

BTW 20" diameter wheel is 508mm.

Honda Civic 10th gen Front Toe Adjustment Camber Spreadsheet.JPG


View attachment 202533

View attachment 202534
 

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trucke

trucke

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I use a plumb bob on a string to measure camber. Just measure at the wheel from the top and bottom instead of front to back. I pulled the car up on some 2x6 to give some room for the plumb bob to get below the rim so I could measure. Just allow the string to hang over the fender.
 

Type-JZ

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looks good. been meaning to get into this. I may just get the longacre kit or some toe plates first.
 


jbatman1080

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For those of you who are interested in the result. After pulling the camber pins at the front strut, the result was total toe-in of 5mm. I only made one adjustment to each side, turning the tie rod in 90º or 1/4 turn. This brought the total toe-in to 1mm (about 1/20"). That's as good as it will get using a string, so I left it there. Good to go!

Here are some pictures of the setup.

This is the tie rod adjustment area.
IMG_8102_LI.jpg


String set-up. The hose clamps are the same distance apart on both pipes. The string is just pushed up against it for repeatability. The inner hose clamps are to align the FX16.
IMG_8103.JPG



IMG_8107.JPG


String must be at the center of the wheel.
IMG_8105.JPG



Measure the hub to the string. This must be the same on both sides in the front and both sides in the back. Now the setup is square and parallel so checks can begin.
IMG_8110.JPG



Measure the front of the wheel to the string.
IMG_8111.JPG


Measure the back of the wheel to the string. The difference from front to back is the toe for that side. When the front number is higher, the wheel is toe-in.

IMG_8112.JPG


I threw together a spreadsheet to help me interpret the result. This is primarily for camber and it looks like I'm getting 1.5º negative camber (14mm higher at top) with the pins pulled and top hats pushed full inboard of the slots. 1mm of toe-in is 0.03937 inches or about 1/25", a number small enough to say it's close to straight ahead.

BTW 20" diameter wheel is 508mm.

Camber Spreadsheet.JPG


View attachment 202533

View attachment 202534
do you have to remove that clip on the end of the rod?
 
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trucke

trucke

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I did not remove that clip on the boot. Only had to move the tie-rod about 90 degrees. If you had to turn it more, it might be a good idea to slip it off.
 

jbatman1080

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I did not remove that clip on the boot. Only had to move the tie-rod about 90 degrees. If you had to turn it more, it might be a good idea to slip it off.
Thank you. I just adjusted my camber plates to match both sides and my steering wheel is a little crooked. This should help.
 
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trucke

trucke

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you seem to be a professional. registered here as i wanted to get a similar car (although yours definitely looks better).
i may ask you questions since you seem to know what you're doing.
you should be writing a car guidance book, this thread is amazing
Not a professional, but I am an engineer. I learned how to do the string alignment from a racer friend. He actually builds receivers for the mounts into his race cars so he never uses jack stands. Can't do that with a street car. Now he is amazing!
 
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trucke

trucke

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Thank you. I just adjusted my camber plates to match both sides and my steering wheel is a little crooked. This should help.
Get your steering wheel straight when the car is on your alignment rack, then make the adjustments. That will save you a ton of grief! For best results add weights equal to your body weight onto the drivers seat.
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