Quote:
Originally Posted by rob.e
here's one i didn't see on the 65+list: set wheel alignment to factory (or zero/ straight ahead).
my honda had wheel alignment way out of spec when i bought it (3 yrs old, used car). re-set to factory alignment improved economy.
i would expect going to a zero toe set up might improve economy even more.
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I have seen discussions on this, and have some of my own personal experience in this subject. A forum member suggested a slight toe in for both front and rear wheels, as the suspension is not completely rigid. So I did my own alignment at a shop and set all 4 wheels at 0.01" toe in. I really have to stay on top of steering on the highway as the car will easily change direction. On the highway when I accelerate, the car tends to wander, which tells me that the very small toe in turns to zero or toe out. A slight amount of tire scrubbing from toe in is probably a better choice than having zero toe and a car that constantly needs to be corrected. Those corrections aren't free either.
Knowing what I know now, I will get my next alignment done with 0.02" toe in on the front, and 0.01" toe in on the rear.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xist
There are zero-toe discussions on here, but I have not seen them in years. I asked for one when I took my car for an alignment, but they refused.
Should I have called around until I found a cooperative shop? 
They say that with zero toe it takes much more effort to keep your car centered. |
Depends on the car, but yes you should have. My car had a range of 0.08 to -0.08" of toe, so zero toe is already in spec. Yes it does take more effort to keep the car centered.