Just finished my first DIY alignment to give slight toe-out for autocross and was surprised how easy it was so decided to post what I did. Apologies if this info is already available.

Measuring the alignment - all that is needed is some string and a ruler! With the car cold, make a loop in the string a hook over the exhaust pipe. (Need somewhere else to locate it if the exhaust is hot.) Point the steering straight ahead and jiggle the steering wheel a few times to make sure everything is settled. Pull the string round one side of the car so it touches the middle of the rear wheels. Hold it so it crosses the middle of the front wheels and see if it touches at the front or rear of the wheel first. Measure the gap between the string and the wheel on the other side when it is just touching. If it touches the front of the wheel first then the gap at the rear is toe-out, if it touches the rear first then the gap at the front is toe-in. Repeat on the other side and add the results. If you have 1/16” toe-out on one side and 3/16” toe-in on the other then these add up to a total alignment of 1/8” toe-in.

To adjust the alignment you need to be able to get under the car with the weight on the wheels. I cannot get the car on my ramps because of the front spoiler so I jacked it up and put four bricks under each wheel – two side by side and two more on top at 90 degrees. The height of two layers of bricks gives just enough room to crawl underneath. Find the steering tie rods towards the back of the wheels and loosen the nut that stops the tie rod thread from turning. Adjust the length of the tie rods to change the alignment – shorten or lengthen each side by the same amount. Shortening adds toe-out, lengthening adds toe-in. A couple of 1/12 turns on each side makes a significant difference – make changes and re-check the alignment. Remember to jiggle the steering wheel after each adjustment. Tighten the nuts when everything is set where you want it.

 

Very interesting.

 

I think using anything other than jacks stands when crawling beneath the car is a bad idea. Dealer's choice, though...

 

I would never get under a car when it is on a floor jack but standing the wheels on something really solid is just as secure as a jack stand.

 

I just don't like the idea of a DIY alignment. I 'd rather pay $90 and know it was done correctly. I don't care to have a set of tires eaten up in 2000 miles from a bum alignment.

 

A DIY alignment is great when trying different settings for autocross - sure beats paying $90 each time you want to make a change. I would still use an alignment shop if I was going to set it to default values and leave it alone as they cover more than just front toe settings. I would still check it after getting home to know if they messed it up.

 

With your 07 just get a normal to slightly aggressive alignment that you pay for. At the track loosen the 3 nuts on top of the strut tower, remove the one allen head bolt and push your shock towers inward for some more camber and toe out.
I do it every auto-x and it works great. After the race push the struts out again and your are good to go on a long drive.

 

What I am wondering is: is the track width the same on the front and rear of the car? And how would this work if the rear track was not at zero toe?

 

The steering rack is mounted behind the steer axis, so when you add the negative camber you actually cause increased toe IN.

Jason

 

Front and rear track are not identical, and any rear toe will also make this method inaccurate.


Setting the strings parallel to the centerline of the car can give you an accurate way to make the DIY alignment reasonably accurate, and it can be used to measure toe on all four corners.

Jason

 

I may have to use the sting method the OP spoke of to find out for sure. Looking a the MINI from the front it *looks* like toe went out when the towers are pushed in.

 

I had to redo the alignment when I changed the camber too. I'm pretty sure it added toe in, but I'm not 100% certain.

btw you don't need to jack up the car to change the toe. You can easily reach the left tie rod by turning the steering wheel all the way to the right and vise-versa for the other side.

 

Good catch! The challenge is getting the string parallel to the centerline. I looked up the specs and the track seems to be 0.3" wider at the back. By my calculation that subtracts about 1/16" toe out when running the string by the rear wheels so adding 1/16 toe-in after measuring will be pretty accurate. You can subtract when measuring the rear wheels.

 

When you look at how small the top of the strut moves with the camber adjustment, I would be amazed if the change in toe is measurable. The tie-rod is in line with the wheel center so changing the top of the strut should not turn the wheel.

 

Do you want a slight toe out in the front? for self centering...? say 1/16-1/8?

 

Toe-in is best for stability. Toe-out is best for responsiveness. (instability) For daily driving, you want slight toe-in of about 1/16" total, or 1/32" each side.

 

When you adjust the toe, should the steering rack boots be loosened so the tie rods can spin freely?

 

Yes

 

I don't think this is necessary. I'm adjusting my track rods now and they turn freely in relation to the boot.

 

The boot will either slip or twist depending how tight it is.
If it twists, you can hold it to keep it from twisting or untwist it after by hand pretty easily.

 

I must have been lucky. OEM boot clamp that hasn't been touched and the track-rod can rotate freely. It's as if there is some sort of seal built into the boot.