will drastic toe-in really make much of a difference in steering response?

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Im looking to get an alignment done on the SC pretty soon to compliment the new tie rods and bushings im installing and i was wondering if increasing the toe in will make much of a difference in the steering response of the car. is it worth it to toe-in more than stock on an otherwise stock SC front end?

[ttweed]

Too much toe-in will cause excessive tire wear on the inside shoulder of the tread, but the car will track straighter. If you want better steering response, though, you should try a little toe-out.

TT

[asphaltgambler]

If the front end is tight, I don't know why you would want excessive toe-in. Slight toe-in is needed (on the front) to compensate for the natural tendency of the "pushed" wheels to toe-out while moving forward.

Anything more is just creating tire scrub and rolling drag.

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

For me, it's merely a question of making the front end a bit easier to turn. I've driven other SC's that seemed to take less effort. One thing ive noticed is that running the spare in the trunk makes a big difference in how it feels. shocks are decent, im putting in new bushings and tie rods, and it has nearly new Potenza RE750's. Maybe the alignment will solve the problem?

[gduke]

Where are you located? Last spring I redone my suspension w/ Chuck M's bearings, and took the car to a real professional shop that specializes in P cars. They cornerbalanced and aligned the car. It cost $400 and was worth every penny spent. The car drives great. Infact two P car enthusiasts drove it and told me it was on of the nicest to drive. The shop set it up perfectly.

I can't remember what the settings were. But, they asked me what the car was used for, eg. autocross, DE, sprirted drives,etc., and set the alignmet to my driving style.

If you're near the Chcago area, I took it to Perfect Power in Libertyville.
The owners name is Sol, Snyderman.

[ischmitz]

I might be wrong but I believe it's the caster angle that changes the effort. Less caster means you'll lift the front end less when turning in. There is very limited adjustment though on a stock strut tower. It is merely to get both sides euqal to eliminate pull to one side.
Ingo

[Chuck Moreland]

There are several setup items that will effect the "lightness" of the wheel. Toe is not a major factor.

Caster, camber, tire width, tire pressure, wheel offset, and steering wheel diameter all impact wheel lightness. Strut-top monoballs will also lighten the steering effort.

[jluetjen]

The deal with caster is not so much that it lifts the front end but how it affects the "trail" which is the distance of the contact patch behind the pivot axis of the front suspension. For an excellent example of trail, look at the front wheels of a grocery cart. In the case of a 911, some caster is good because it helps counteract the McPherserson Strut's tendency to loose camber in compression and roll. It also provides self-centering to the steering.

There's no reason to have a lot of toe-in on a 911 since it will make the car understeery, prematurely wear the tires and increase drag. If you want the front end to be "responsive", you want almost no toe-in, or in the case of auto-X'ing, possibly even some front toe out. Too much and the front end will get darty.

[Todd Simpson]

No, you don't want more toe in than stock. As Tom noted, a little toe out will make the car turn in very nicely, at the expense of straight line stability. The car will become a bit of a handful on uneven pavement, like highways worn into grooves by trucks.

I think caster is where your effort comes from, with more caster giving higher effort but better self centering.

I would start with the factory settings for toe and caster, but use a little more camber for street driving, maybe 1 degree negative. (what is the factory spec for camber anyway?)

[ischmitz]

Chuck, what do you know about suspension? Just kidding. I talked to Wayne and Jack today on our little Mulholland run and now I feel invincible....

I know it was more complicated than just lift. Tyson speaks in similar cryptic terms every time he tries to explain to me why my car does not not handle like it should. I need to see the alignment shop again soon. Mine falls into corners and is really sensitive to every road imperfection. I guess my toe-in is around zero degrees. It required two-hand driving all the time.

Cheers,
Ingo

[HarryD]

After I replaced my rear bushings and put new shocks, I took my car into Rothsport (run by Jeff Gamroth past Winning LeMans crew chief) here in Oregon. We discussed my plans for the car and he went to work. Feels tigher and more responsive now. It was well worth the expense.

If you want your car setup correctly, find a shop near you that specializes in setting up Porsches for critical clients and let them do their job. You will be pleased with the results.

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

I planned on taking the car to TRE to do the alignment, so I'm sure that it will be done correctly. Just wanted to see if there was anything else i may not have thought of. Thanks.