Rear Toe

[WindyCityPilot]

So I just got an alignment done this morning. The right rear toe numbers are out of spec as well as the total rear toe number. The guy said he could shim the right rear to get it back into spec.

My question is should I have a dealer look at it. I installed my Eibach springs about a week and a half ago so would the dealer give me trouble since I swapped out my springs? From my understanding installing lowering springs will not change any alignment measurements in the rear.

What does everyone think? The guy quoted me $150 to install the shims and get everything into spec. He only charged me $50 for the alignment.

[thestone11]

Our rear suspension is a torsion beam one piece suspension, there won't be any toe adjustment at all.

[TLeong13]

the toes will always be off...i asked my friend (asst. manager of firestone) are always off of the toe. He said u can shim it but the shims are wood which will eventually fall out and be off again. not worth it cuz it shoudlnt be too off neways

[WindyCityPilot]

Originally Posted by TLeong13

the toes will always be off...i asked my friend (asst. manager of firestone) are always off of the toe. He said u can shim it but the shims are wood which will eventually fall out and be off again. not worth it cuz it shoudlnt be too off neways

Toe will always be off of 0 toe I agree. But when they're out of factory spec that isn't exactly the best situation. If Toyota publishes a rear toe range and they're outside of that then you probably can expect some tire wear.

Shims are made of either metal or plastic not wood. Not sure who would use a wood shim for an alignment purpose. It sounds like a lot of Prius owners have done the shim in the rear and had success. The right rear toe is off enough that over time it will cause more wear.

This company seems to be the popular choice among Prius owners who have shimmed the rear to get within spec:

http://www.spcalignment.com/

[WindyCityPilot]

Here's a pic of my rear alignment specs. Seems strange how much the right rear toe is off. Installing springs definitely would not do that:

[Jeff Lange]

Originally Posted by TLeong13

the toes will always be off...i asked my friend (asst. manager of firestone) are always off of the toe. He said u can shim it but the shims are wood which will eventually fall out and be off again. not worth it cuz it shoudlnt be too off neways

Whoa whoa, anyone putting wood in there should not be working on a car. Also, if it did fall out, you'd have loose bolts holding your wheel bearing/hub on the car, that's not just out, it's entirely, 100% unsafe and very dangerous.

Most shims are plastic or metal. Toyota doesn't recommend using them, I haven't seen any issues arise from their use really, but if you aren't having any problems (pulling, tire wear), I wouldn't touch it.

Jeff

[WindyCityPilot]

Jeff...thanks for the input.

Would you recommend I take it to the dealer and have them check it out?

Would you agree that the lowering springs I have installed are not the cause of the toe being out of spec on the right rear?

I've never hit any huge pot holes or curbs and I bought the car new. So it had to be like this from the factory.

I haven't noticed any abnormal tire wear and the car has 12,000 miles on it right now.

Any other thoughts you could provide would be great!

[flamedrgn]

my rear toe is off as well...looks almost the same yours. right side is off and left side is within spec.

[Jeff Lange]

Toyota will only do something if they can verify that the overall toe is out on the axle beam. If that is the case, they will replace the axle beam (or should, in my opinion), however I've seen them be just as bad afterwards as before.

As for the toe, lowering the car does not affect the toe setting on the rear.

Jeff

[WindyCityPilot]

Originally Posted by flamedrgn

my rear toe is off as well...looks almost the same yours. right side is off and left side is within spec.

Flame....have you had a dealer look at it? Or are you just going to live with it?

[flamedrgn]

Originally Posted by WindyCityPilot

Flame....have you had a dealer look at it? Or are you just going to live with it?

Ive already lived with it like that for a year. i havent seen abnormal tire wear, so i figure id live with it. I might try to correct it in the future with alignment shims but right now it doesnt cause any problems so there isnt a necessary need for shims.

[robfrazr]

I installed the eibach pro kit and I drove it for about four weeks before I had it aligned yesterday and the only thing out was the toe on the front.

[SuperchargedMR2]

Originally Posted by robfrazr

I installed the eibach pro kit and I drove it for about four weeks before I had it aligned yesterday and the only thing out was the toe on the front.

Me too, the rear toe was fine.