Drift Tengoku — September 2004 · Page 74
Page 74 — English translation
Page text and listings
Four checks before adjustment
Try it yourself!
Toe adjustment
1. Are tire pressures correct on all four wheels?
...need not be frightening!
Test car: the magazine's Cefiro
Park on level ground and check all four tire pressures with a gauge. Even one low tire can tilt the car and undermine accurate measurements.
Featuring the magazine's Kasa and Ma... [names incomplete]
Hmm, is that right?
Alignment does not have to be left entirely to a shop. With some effort, DIY adjustment is possible. Here we explain the method, focusing on toe. It's useful knowledge to have.
Pressure checked!
Check that left and right ride heights match. Measure vertically from the road to a consistent body line. If the readings differ, correct ride height first.
2. Is ride height equal left and right?
...time to measure toe!
This is...
3. Does camber...
Once those checks are done...
...match on both sides?
For toe measurement, you need a tape measure, two coffee cans or rolls of tape, and paper for notes. Tape can also be written on. A friend helps because working alone is awkward.
Both sides are 2°: no problem!
First measure between the fronts of the tires. Use cans or similar supports to keep both ends the same height from the road. Record the result.
Keep the steering wheel straight!
An angle gauge from a home center can measure camber. Hold a straight bar vertically against the rim and place the gauge on it. Unequal left and right camber prevents accurate toe adjustment.
On Silvias and Cefiros, adjustable coilover upper mounts can set front camber. Their graduations are only approximate guides.
Keep the tape taut and level
Measure the wheelbase on each side with the tape passing through the centers of the front and rear hubs...
4. Does wheelbase match left and right?
...to compare their lengths.
Keep the tape clear of the body and horizontal so the distance between the two points is accurate.
Read the distance at the rim edge!
With adjustable tension rods, lengthening them shortens the wheelbase and shortening them lengthens it. Besides adjusting caster, they can therefore correct wheelbase differences.
A line happened to run through the center tread groove, so we used it as the reference.
Use the middle of the tire tread as a consistent reference. Accurate spacing requires measuring the corresponding location at the rear too...
1
Compare distances at the fronts and rears of the tires to find toe!
Front distance
154 153cmm
...measure the same way.
In other words...
That's how it works!
cm
Rear distance
Read this figure!
Let's see: 154 cm!
...remember exactly where the tape was placed.
1
153 cm!
cm
That means 10 mm toe out!
154cm
The front measured 154 cm and the rear 153 cm. The 1 cm difference means total toe out of 10 mm. If the front measurement is smaller, it is toe in. Equal front and rear distances mean zero toe.
Now measure behind the front tires in the same way. Here the result was 153...
...centimeters.
153 cm
Get peak condition
An intensive tuning course
Use the same tape roll as a height reference
...for your car!
Adjustment
72
About this issue
ドリフト天国 (Drift Tengoku), September 2004, is a Japanese drifting magazine. This archive preserves 316 scanned pages in their original right-to-left reading order, including the covers.
English translations are available through the outlined text areas. Hover over a box on desktop, or tap it on mobile. The original photographs and Japanese lettering remain visible on the scan.
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