<VV> Re/ Wheel Alignment questions

[Jim Simpson]

He may be right concerning the front toe-in.  The original spec was set 
back when the car had bias ply tires.  These tires have more rolling 
resistance than radial so they put a bit more drag on the front 
wheels.  The toe in spec was set so that the front wheels would be 
essentially straight ahead when the car was moving.

You do want some toe-in on the front even when moving -- it adds a bit of 
straight-line stability.  Toe-out in the front will make the car tend to 
wander.  I've gone with ~1/8" toe-in on the front and it seems to work 
pretty well.

In the rear, it's just the opposite.  These are the driving wheels and the 
toe-out in the spec is to compensate for the thrust that will tend to pivot 
them inward.  I doubt that bias or radial ply tires make much difference in 
this case -- it's the overall drag of the car versus the thrust of the 
driving wheels.  So I'd stick close to the stock spec for rear toe.

Jim Simpson, Group Corvair, '66 Corsa turbo