Thread: Suspention changes when lowering vehicle

Me and my friends got in a little argument over the lowering of a vehicle. Here is the argument. My friends think that toe changes during the lowering of a vehicle. I told them that there is there is no way that the toe can change unless that the tie rod arms are adjusted and that it is the camber only that changes. Who is right in this situation?

What kind of suspension are you talking about? But in most instances Toe will change when lowering a vehicle, not as significantly as camber though.

Toe does change, and (at least for a B13) toe changes are what eat tires in a lowered car.

I know from (unfortunate) experience. I have also raise my rallycross B13, and saw a toe change. You can make your own really really rough toe plates from cardboard and measuring tape.

trust me, toe changes.


oh yea it will. the toe wont change much in the rear if at all, however up front because the tie rods are at a different height than the control arms (keep in mind in the rear the control arms adjust camber and toe) when a car is lowered in the front the angle that the tie rods sit is changed thus changing their effective length ergo changing the toe..........when you lower a car it normally toes out iirc.

In a B13, toe changes in the front for sure when you lower or raise the car.
In the front this happens because toe is controlled by the tie rods, and the tie rods are at an angle at stock ride height. If you lower the front the rods "flatten" out and get longer. More toe out.
In the rear, I'm not 100% sure on that yet. I've been looking at my diagrams trying to figure it out and I'm leaning towards no... But that's just a theory... And even though it shouldn't change in theory (based on the geometry of the design) doesn't mean that toe doesn't change anyway...

actually at stock loaded ride height the tie rods are flat/parallel to the ground, however when the car is lowered they now have an upward angle pulling the rear of the tires inward towards the engine bay causing toe out (front of the tires point out) raising a car will do the exact same thing but then the tie rods will have a downward angle but still cause toe out.

You know, I always see the tie rods with the car up in the air and that must be why I remember them pointing down. Thanks for clearing that up classicaddict. I also had the wrong mounting point in my head (tie rods mount behind the center line, not in front as I said). Woops.

next time you have an alignment done ask if you can pop under the lift and check it out. i do them all day long thats why its so freash in my head lol.

Last alignment I had was done by me using a friend's laser alignment machine. I still have to thank him heaps for that. I just wasn't paying any attention to the angle of the tie rods... =/

just to confirm So its toe'd out in the front suspension when lowering because that was another part of the argument toe'd in or toe'd out.