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Wouldnt bump steer correction make up for the toe changes during suspension travel?



Yes, it does help a great deal to correct bumpsteer in a classic mopar. However, eventually all strut rod suspensions will run in to a problem as travel increases because of the conflicting arcs of motion. Also keep in mind that for the purpose of this conversation, we're talking about very minor changes at rather large arcs of motion. If a change of a degree takes place, how much are we talking about? Well, one degree is 1/360 of a circle. So depending on how far out from the origin that measurement is taken, it could be very, very, tiny or simply a small unit of measure. Also, most street suspensions are not going to be moving 3-4 inches of jounce travel at the shock absorber. Travel can be viewed from the perspective of the wheel, shock, or bump stop and because of the arc, all three will be different numbers.

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Great discussion but let me ask the $500.00 question.

What will toe out do for my lap times if I set the toe out instead of in, as it would mean 2 trips to the alignment rack and $200.00. Will I be 5 feet ahead of the miata instead of it up my tail pipes?? Remember the focus here in the forum should be street cars driven on the track.

Just wondering...



Ah yes, whats it worth. Like EV2Demon said, it is kind of a driver preference. If your corner entry has a slight amount of understeer, additional toe out may help. If you have a slight amount of oversteer, toe in may help loosen up the nose. In general though, toe in will typically be the faster lap around the track than toe out. However, toe out does create a more stable seat of the pants sensation which may help the driver push the car harder through the corner. So again we're back to preference and maybe skill level.

The ability to read tire wear patterns and look at grain structure as the tire wears can do a lot for helping you understand what you need to set teh suspension at. Heck, tire temps are a quicker way to do this. For $40 you can get an infared thermometer from Harbor Freight and learn very quickly what your car wants for alignment specs.