Toe In Alignment - DIY Accurate Method

How to measure Toe In Alignment on the front and rear end ACCURATELY! I Measure toe wheel alignment angles with my caliper and show you this easy DIY method that you can do at home!
Amazon Affiliate Links
➡️ Jackstands: amzn.to/3pRjk31
➡️ Digital Caliper: amzn.to/3mXQdsQ
➡️ Crochet String: amzn.to/383oOSb
➡️ Red Fishing Wire: j.mp/2X1h10M
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases If you make an order, thanks for support the channel!
🕒 Timestamps
0:00 Intro
3:36 Measuring Toe In/Out
4:54 What Is Toe In and Out?
6:10 Calculate Total Rear Toe
6:38 Measuring Front Toe
👇 To Get Your Track Width
1. Check www.cars-data.com/ and select your vehicle make/model.
(Click VIEW ALL Specs to see both Front & Rear track width)
Track Width in the Video is for 2014 Toyota Corolls S-Trim ONLY! Other trims are slightly different.
Can't find your track width? Ask me in a comment.
⚠️ DISCLAIMER:
Use of the information in this video is solely at your own risk. The creator of this video assumes no liability for any property damage, injury or expenses incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. No information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result.
The creator of this video makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or applicability of the procedures and instructions contained in this video.
Any injury, damage, or loss that might occur as a result of improper application, improper use of tools or equipment, or from the information contained in this video, is solely the responsibility of the user.
Some Toyota Wheel Alignment Specs:
2014-2019 Toyota Corolla Front Wheel Toe Alignment Specs
-0.20° to +0.20° or -2mm to +2mm
2014-2019 Toyota Corolla Rear Toe Specs (US/Canada)
Roughly 0.03° to 0.59° or 0.2mm to 6mm Depending on tire size.
2014-2017 Toyota Camry Front Wheel Toe Alignment Specs
-0.17° to +0.17° or -2mm to +2mm
Rear Toe Specs: 0.04° to 0.38° or 0.5 to 4.5mm
2015-2020 Toyota Prius Front Wheel Toe Alignment Specs
2WD: -0.06° to 0.30° or -0.7mm to 3.3mm
4WD: -0.07° to 0.29° or -0.08 to 3.2mm
When I'm Gone by RamolPro
Link: filmmusic.io/song/6794-when-i...
License: filmmusic.io/standard-license

[@CleverFix]

If you liked this video, make sure to hit the like button to support my channel. *Consider subscribing* , I'll be posting more videos about car and home repairs as well as other interesting things I find. Questions and comments are welcome below!

[@mukalazifrancis4988]

This made me so happy cause I 1st found one of the front will was out by 1".I still did and car was smoothly running better.

[@NahtShure]

This is absolutely the best explanation for measuring toe angle and converting to degrees that I've found. Thanks so much!

[@transrus1]

After watching this I found myself talking like him .😜

[@skylerburton9903]

Good balance between enough information but being concise. Thank you!

[@Ambrosius50]

As an old and retired engineer, this is the procedure that makes sense to me after several videos of 'alignment' procedures. Thank you. It is as simple as this. To the point.

[@CleverFix]

Thanks, the feedback is appreciated!

[@docimastic]

Great video! Very well done and well explained. Thanks so much for taking the time. I especially liked that you included the calculation from millimeters to degrees. Very helpful, thank you!

[@CleverFix]

Thanks! I'm glad it was helpful.

[@Reynaldo747]

Excellent video, thank you .

[@stephenpoirier4065]

😊 Track With Is Crucial 😊

[@PCFithian]

Thanks for posting this, very well done.

[@CleverFix]

Thanks! Glad it was helpful.

[@joewhattoff8754]

Excellent instructions. I did the alignment check twice on separate days using super tight fishing line. The results were practically the same. .4mm to 1.3 mm toe in upfront and 4.6 to 6mm of toe in on rear. The rear seems to still be within specs for a 2014 Corolla. Thanks again

[@BulliKid]

Very good video!

[@DiyTony]

A really excellent and informative video, thank you.

[@CleverFix]

You're welcome, thanks for watching!

[@bonkoo5953]

Hello. thank you for the great tutorial. I get tired of firestone alignment service. although they aligned the wheels, all the times tires were worn unevenly. I could not trust the service. so I will try this for my honda accord for rear wheels since I replaced lower camber.

[@kwbalance108]

Damn that was excellent! Subbed for more!

[@CleverFix]

Thanks, much appreciated!

[@oneeyedlama]

Great video ! I will use your method to measure toe angles.Your method is straightforward and simple. When you convert to find the toe angle I believe it should be arctan which is opposite / adjacent and not arcsine (opposite / hypotenuse). However at such a small angle, 0.13 degrees (rear left wheel), the SIN and TAN of the angle are almost identical. This is because the adjacent and opposite sides of the triangle are almost identical in length. When you measure the 407mm for the rim width, this should be the adjacent side of the triangle and not the hypotenuse side measurement. At larger angles the SIN and TAN become more divergent. However if you perform the arcsine and arctan of such a small number (0.00219) they will provide the same angle to 4 decimal places and then the 5 decimal places is different. The arcsine of 0.00219 gives the same small angle as arctan of 0.00219 to 4 decimal places which is 0.1254 degrees. I am pretty sure I am correct and maybe someone else will verify. Thank you and excellent video !

[@CleverFix]

Yes you're right.. I didn't even calculate the hypotenuse, so asin doesn't make sense. And yes the difference is very very tiny, because the adjacent and hypotenuse are so so close, given they're just 1mm apart. I usually follow the mm specs instead of the angle specs. I added the angle calculation just in case the mm specs are not given, and thankfully it's still very close, unless the wheels are really turned, which is not usually the case.

[@reza_dc2]

Probably the best diy video on youtube.. Thank you ~

[@CleverFix]

Thank you!

[@yorgle11]

I don't trust alignment shops in general, but especially with my car which shops have a reputation of damaging when they lift it improperly. Even if that wasn't a concern, I just like to do things myself as much as possible. Good alignment shops are expensive because they take their time and charge you hourly. They also have higher paid employees that understand suspension and figure out all the adjustments on your car, not just the tie rods. The quick ones with a flat rate just want to get you out the door and tend to be sloppy. This is a great explanation of how to work out the toe angle yourself. I'm going to take this video's advice and try fishing line. I did this once before with a roll of colored yarn, but that's not as precise. The only thing I disagree with is I'd rather avoid relying on published specifications for the track width. Especially since if I'm not mistaken, the track width is based on the center of the wheels, not the edges, so if the front/rear wheels are different it could alter the measurement. I'd rather set up a perfect rectangular box which doesn't rely on assumptions of what the track width is supposed to be. However, in order to do that you have to draw a diagram, be careful with the geometry and fiddle around with lots of repeated measurements to get it perfectly correct. The front and back of each string need to be equidistant, while simultaneously getting the same differential between the string and the front and rear wheels. If front is 2mm farther on one side, it must also be 2mm farther on the other side, while the strings also are equal distance from each other at front and rear. Basically you establish enough measurements to guarantee the strings are parallel to the car's centerline, because otherwise at least some of these measurements would fail (if you draw it on paper then it makes sense). It takes a lot longer to get the box set up perfect than it does to measure the toe afterward.

[@CleverFix]

Yes, shops will get it in our and quickly, and electronic alignment machines can be off sometimes. You're right, track width is measured from the center line of each tire, and if the tires have different widths then it will matter, but if the tires are the same width on front and back, that will not make a difference, since I'm subtracting them. You might be interested in a kit like this: calipergarage.com/products/basic-string-alignment-kit Or build something similar with bars to hold the strings perfectly equidistant on the front and back. Thanks for the feedback, and hope your alignment goes well!

[@Draz930]

great explanation im gonna do it tomorrow on my Mitsubishi

[@CleverFix]

Thanks. How did it go?

[@Draz930]

@@CleverFix I have two lasers for tile installations I used them instead of string and it end up good with them actually more than good

[@gooby8953]

sooo when are we getting that tie rod video?

[@drfiberglass]

Did you take in concatenation for run out ? Makes a big difference..

[@nwsights6301]

Lol I have never thought to pick up a digital capiter to do this job! Very cool video and idea because I've been using a tape measure only. I need help finding my track width 2006 Toyota Rav4 4 cylinder 4WD gasoline engine

[@CleverFix]

Check here: www.cars-data.com/en/toyota-rav4-2006/2738 Click your model, then click "See More" under Front Track Width to get the rear one. Thanks for watching!

[@CleverFix]

It's under "EXTERIOR SIZES" by the way. Looks like 1560 for both, but check that link to make sure.

[@DWI_Community]

Great video. How important is a completely flat floor when doing this... I know my garage floor is heavily sloped for example

[@CarlosSilva-gc8ny]

@DWI_Community, para medir TOE no es tan importante que el piso esté bien nivelado mientras que para medir CAMBER es estrictamente necesario un piso perfectamente nivelado.

[@nigelthomas6642]

Hello nice video question where are getting the 470mm calculation I see where you divided the other 2 measurements enlighten me a little more on the math thank you

[@CleverFix]

My wheels are 18.5" wide, which is 470cm. That's the metal part of the wheel. So basically 470cm is the distance between the two measurement points, because I measured at the front of the wheel and the back of the wheel. If you have any other question, let me know which numbers you're referring to and I can explain how they're obtained. Thanks for the comment.

[@shanemcmahon7924]

if the rear wheels are wider than the front as in BMW E92 should the difference in wheel width also be taken into consideration or will the difference in front and rear track width account for this?

[@CleverFix]

I Found this: "track width is the distance between the centerline of two wheels on the same axle" , so that means it includes the wheel size, but only up to to the middle of wheel/Half the wheel width. So if the rear rim is wider than the front, then there will be more to add to the front So for example if it's a 225 rim on the front, and a 245 rim on the back, the calculation should be (245/2) - (225/2) which is a pretty huge 10mm .. Make sure to double check this, because I'm not an expert.. but this is how I see it. Here is a visual of track width: www.buildyourownracecar.com/race-car-handling-basics-and-design/ So that means track width doesn't include the outer halves of the rims. (245-225)/2 will give the same result. Good question!

[@creampiedomo]

Hello! I basically have the exact same car as you, and I wanted to ask you, instead of zero toe for the front, would 1/8” toe-in help with stability and cornering? And also, the rears of our cars doesn’t have an toe adjustment, correct? I think it’s a torso beam type?

[@CleverFix]

1/8" is a lot! I wouldn't do it, you'll probably end up wearing out the outside of the wheels faster than the inside. If you want stability and cornering get a performance suspension..Some KYB Excel-G (Formerly GR2) www.ebay.ca/p/231364357 should help out nicely. Shocks/struts make all the difference in handling and ride bumpiness. It may become more bumpy though, but you'll get more handling and definitely better cornering. The usual things to do are stiffen engine mounts, stiffer sway bar, shocks, and performance tires.. I used to race and did all that, not with this car though.. If you wanna get serious: www.ebay.com/itm/TEIN-GSTB0-8USS2-STREET-BASIS-Z-COILOVERS-FOR-09-19-TOYOTA-COROLLA-/132758110440

[@CleverFix]

The rear is adjustable with shims, I've never done it and heard it's a pain, so I'm within spec and I won't bother. I'd like it to be a littler straighter but oh well. It's not a performance car that's for sure.

[@cognac8297]

Try 8/10 of an inch toe in that's .08 to in

[@GearDownCrawlerz]

is the 60mm just a start point. on the wheels further out

[@CleverFix]

Yes, I picked 60, but you can pick anything reasonable. Make sure you account for the difference in wheel base of course, that's why one is 62.5 and one 60. You could use 30 let's say and it will be fine also.

[@dickjohnson5025]

I prefer a PVC pipe sitting on the jack stand, pre measured with the same distance on each, a cut for fishing line. This way the line is equal distance from each other at both ends of the car. Then it becomes a simple measurement of both sides, add them and divide by two to get the distance from hub center. If the lines on the jack stand are not exactly equidistant, your measurement will be off

[@parowozy]

I have audi A3 and my wheel is also 470mm (17 wheel) and Audi toe in specs are 0-10 degree, total 20. So 1mm difference on each side is OK same as here in corolla. Right?

[@edwinpannetier9761]

Why when i check google it show me that 17 inch is 431.8mm and not 470?

[@billiebobbienorton2556]

My late husband's crack width was quite wide. He was a plumber......

[@fernandoramalho3644]

Usualy in fwd car the toe is always in... even at the rear. What normaly is the angle of toe in? 0.29 is a big value?

[@CleverFix]

These are the specs from the manual for my Corolla: -0.20° to +0.20° or -2mm to +2mm . So it depends on the car, check the manual for your vehicle make/model to make sure.

[@8888ultima]

Hi, Do you have a new video on how to adjust toe back from toe out to toe in while keeping steering straight.

[@CleverFix]

If your wheel is straight already, then adjust each side using the same amount and the wheel will stay where it is. So for example if there is toe out, and unscrewing the tie rod turns the wheel to toe in (most common scenario) then each side can be unscrewed half a turn, instead of unscrewing one side a complete turn. The adjustment has to be divided in half and applied to each side. If the adjustment is done only on one side, then the wheel won't stay straight.

[@CleverFix]

Make sure to roll the car back and forth after the adjustment and check again a couple of times, and make only small adjustments at a time, since they make a big difference. I'd also use a sharpie to mark the starting point, and write down each adjustment, it's easy to lose track..

[@8888ultima]

Thank you for the fast reply. Another question: if I send my car to wheel alignment machine, Isit best to align both side equal value eg : toe in 0.03 both side? Most of the time after alignment, the steering for Corolla tend to slightly off centre either left or right. Isit okay to Manuel adjust the toe after that? Or best to go up alignment machine to adjust both side agin as I adjust the steering wheel to centre again. Currently my car steering is slightly off right between 12 to 1 o’clock while going straight. If I counter back to centre then car drift left.

[@CleverFix]

@@8888ultima The alignment technician should mobilize the steering wheel perfectly center, and then the machine will tell him how much to adjust each wheel. He doesn't decide, the machine does.. and it should come out perfect. If the wheel is still off to one side, then they didn't a good job. If your wheel is off right now, then a good start would be to find out why.. Was a curb or something else hit? Maybe something needs to be fixed before the alignment. I wouldn't adjust anything after paying for an alignment, it should come out perfect. Ask the technician to fix it if the wheel is still not straight after it's done, and tell them ahead of time also that you want it straight.. If you don't think they can do it, find another better shop.

[@dickjohnson5025]

Immobilize the steering wheel, when straight before measuring and adjusting

[@Lukievasques]

About to call my dealer and ask about the crack width

[@mehdimbb3622]

Hi bro Do u measurment camber and castor by method???

[@mehdimbb3622]

Please!!!🙏🙏🙏

[@mehdimbb3622]

❤❤❤❤

[@mehdimbb3622]

🌹🌹🌹🙏🙏

[@mehdimbb3622]

Hi

[@fellar031]

Hey, so in your case, the left tire was going in while the right tire is going out. Then, it results on the steering wheels little bit off set to the left? I have problem with the steering wheel position as the mechanic adjust that which became little bit offset to the right. So, in my case, is it good to have little toe out on the right tires and keep it the same toe setting in the left tire? Thanks for the videos, it gives me a knowledge about this very clear🙏

[@CleverFix]

Yes, turn steering to left to compensate for the wheels being turned to the right slightly. If your mechanic set the toe, probably to zero? Then I wouldn't mess with it. If you need to center the steering wheel, then you can turn both sides to compensate. For example, to center my steering wheel, I would turn to the right side counter clockwise and the left side clockwise by the SAME amount. There are guides to figure out approximately how much to turn it depending on how far your steering wheel is off-center. I can look it up, but you have to measure how far your steering wheel is off center. You put a piece of tape on the steering column and a piece of tape on the steering wheel. Center the steering wheel, and mark both pieces of tape with a straight line.. so this is "Center" line. Then drive and stop with the steering wheel off-center, and mark again. Measure distance between the two marks. Then there's a formula to figure out how much you need to turn the tie rod, I have to look it up.

[@fellar031]

@@CleverFix so, what i knew from your case, you want to make the same amount of toe out on your left tire while maintaining the right tires with toe in? Hmm where do you have that handbook? That's pretty good knowledge tho👍

[@CleverFix]

Here is the guide for aligning the steering wheel: docdro.id/Nrbx5iw

[@davidridley247]

Am I missing something, @4.44 mins 30.54 minus 29.57 equals 0.97 mm not 1.03 mm. So isn't the calculation in excel, Deg=(TAN(toe/radius))*(180/PI()). In excel the tan angle is in radians so has to be converted to degrees, thus for these measurements the toe is 0.24 degrees. For accuracy the line has to pass through the centre of the wheel?

[@CleverFix]

It is 0.97 yes, I made a mistake subtracting there but the rest is OK. Even atan/asin will have nearly no difference at that small of an angle. You're missing atan instead of tan =ATAN(0.97 / 470) * 180/PI()

[@CleverFix]

Calculator here if you need: www.math.net/calculators/arctan calculates rad&deg with input of a/b .

[@johnp4904]

Sadly 30.54 - 29.57 = 0.97, not 1.03. Technically you should use arctan to convert difference to degrees, not arcsin, but at very small angles the error is miniscule.

[@CleverFix]

There's less than a 0.00001 difference between using sin and tan, because the opposite and hypotenuse are nearly the same.. I didn't think about it much, I followed the formula given in a calculator for toe angle.. but thinking about it, you're right. Good catch, between making the video and all the calculations I somehow subtracted that wrong, but it's only a 0.07 degree difference. I'm matching allowable range in millimeters anyway though.. I like that more than degrees.. If you convert you'll find sometimes you get better allowances if you compare in MM rather than degrees, which is strange.. even when matching the rim size specified.

[@henryrolt3747]

arcsin is actually correct, but it's entirely academic - you don't even need to use any inverse trig functions - just use toe (degrees) = toe(mm)*180/(wheel dia (mm) * pi) This works because the angles are small.

[@seanpaul3050]

Correct regarding inverse Tan. Also most toe specs are in minutes not decimal degrees. Personally I would froget the manufacturer specs and aim for zero toe on all wheels. Less tyre wear.

[@parowozy]

I went to 4 different mechanics to do alignment and after that stering wheel is a bid off. They don't pay attention to details. Computer print out is all green, car drive strait. The only problem is stering wheel is of center a bid. How to adjust myself steering wheel when I know that alignment is ok.

[@CleverFix]

I was gonna make a video on that but I haven't got a chance yet.. Also I believe once it's done a steering angle calibration may be needed.. although if it's a very small amount it probably doesn't matter. Turn the steering so it's straight, and then adjust each wheel to be straight. When you adjust it's very important to count exactly how much you turned it. So if you have to unscrew on the right side to make the wheel straight, then screw in the on the other side the same amount. The idea is that you're turning each wheel the same amount, so the toe stays the same, but the steering wheel position changes. One turn should be about 1.5mm. So if you measure 1.5mm tilted to one side with the strings when the steering wheel is *straight* , you can adjust the tie rods to compensate and make the wheels straight too.. If you turn half turn on one side it's 0.75, then the other half turn 0.75, adds to 1.5mm .. just an example. Just remember to divide in half whatever it's wrong by when parked with the wheel Straight. You'll have to figure out which one to screw in and which to unscrew, just think of it as "straightening" the wheels... the steering is wheel is straight, but wheels will not be, so turn in such way to make them straight. Hope that helps.

[@parowozy]

@@CleverFix understand. Stering wheel is off to left so I need move both wheels to left.

[@CleverFix]

@@parowozy Yes, you got it.. it will be tricky to get it perfect, depending on how far it's off. Check out this PDF: www.docdroid.net/Nrbx5iw/centerwheel-pdf#page=4 You can try the tape method like in the PDF. Tape the column and the steering wheel, and measure the distance to straight. Each 1mm the steering is off by is 30 degrees turn at the tie rod.. for my Corolla anyway..

[@CleverFix]

It really depends on the steering rack gear ratio, but most compact cars should be similar.. you can use that as a starting point at least and see how close it comes. It's very easy to overdo it and then the wheel will go to the other side.

[@williamlaurence4754]

Take it back, they must lock the steering wheel dead center and adjust the tie rods accordingly. Lazy Work..

[@ferijo5091]

rear 30.54 and front 29.57, is toe out.

[@CleverFix]

It would be, but that's backwards from what I measured.. 30.54 is front and 29.57 is back edge. I guess it's a little difficult to figure out what you're looking at, but at 5:55 you will see I zoom out and I'm at the rear left wheel and 29.57 is toward the back bumper.

[@joewhattoff8754]

I probably can get away with just 2 jack stands by doing one side at a time. Would I need 4 jack stands if the tie rod needs to be adjusted? (Maybe I could get by with using chairs instead of jack stands) I look forward to your video on adjusting tie rods to correct alignment Excellent channel

[@williamlaurence4754]

You don't need any jack stands, use anything such as a chair, stool, wood or rocks !

[@chrisreynolds6520]

The manufacturers purposely set the alignment up to make it drift to the right side of the road. If you were to pass out or other behind the wheel it carries you off the road rather than head on into another car.

[@CleverFix]

The most common reason cars pull slightly to one side is because the road is not level. All roads will be sloped slightly toward the shoulder for rainwater to drain that way , and the car will also point that way if it's not steered straight, just because of gravity. Also, The alignment angle that would affect pulling to one side is caster, which is not adjustable on many cars, like the Corolla. Toe alignment as shown in the video will not cause pulling to one side even if it's set wrong, it will cause uneven tire wear, and bad steering response.

[@jacobbutler7942]

5:26. Yes its a 17 inch wheel, but your points of measurement were off center so 17 inches decreased

[@CleverFix]

You're right, I shouldn't have mentioned wheel diameter ... Use the "distance between the two spots the measurements were taken from" as I mention just before the timestamp you mentioned. Even if the whole diameter is taken though, the difference is 4mm for my car between the center, and slightly below where I was measuring.. which makes 0.0015degree difference.

[@jacobbutler7942]

@@CleverFix nice.

[@MafiZed]

You're better off adding 1.25 to the front and removing 1.25 from the back so the line stays straight rather than adding 2.5 to the front alone.

[@frossbog]

It really doesn't matter. All you're doing is making sure your reference line is perpendicular to both the front and rear axles. The distance is arbitrary.

[@logan88]

haha I am not good at math, but please do not fool me by 30.54-29.57=1.03

[@CleverFix]

You're right.. Not sure how I made that mistake, .. Probably put in 29.51 by mistake. The difference is minuscule at least, 0.06mm.

[@chadlove3443]

Are you sure toe isn't supposed to be measured at the front of the tire and not the front of the rim? The two measurements will be different.

[@CleverFix]

Yes I am sure, the tire cannot be counted on to be perfect. Rubber can have imperfections. Even if the tire can be assumed as perfect, as long as you measure at the same point in the front/rear, the offset will be the same, because you're adding the left wheel and right wheels together, to get a final offset. So you'll get a greater number by measuring at the tire, but you'll get a greater number on the left and also on the right, and once summed up, the difference will be the same if there's a difference. If there's no difference the angle is 0.

[@dickjohnson5025]

You can actually do either. If you measure from the edge of the tire you need to calculate based on tire diameter. If from the rim, you need rim diameter. Gets you to the same results

[@jlamp3447]

This gave me a headache

[@stevenmoss7027]

30 years and this is a very inaccurate measurement

[@viamerda]

this is as if not more precise and accurate than the machine... BUT it ONLY works with a solid rear axle car. not a multi link