Quote:
Originally Posted by TMc
I heard that this is an easy DIY... remove pin, loosen bolts, push top of wheel in and retighten? Is there a risk to me doing this vs. my dealer? Given the fact that I will only get about 0.5 of a (neg) improvement, I assume I can't screw it up too much but thought I would throw it out there. I will look into plates and suspension soon but thought that in the meantime this might help a bit with auto-x.
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Very little risk, go ahead and try it. It will affect the toe slightly, but for a .5° change it should be minimal, even negligible. Whenever we align a car from max-to-min camber using our camber plates (which can have a 2-3° range of camber movement, depending on chassis model and spring diameter/room) we tend to see about 3/8" of total toe change... so a .5° change should only just tweak the toe (out). Adjusting toe is quite easy once you've figured out the tricks.
Some alignment shops will check and adjust just the front toe for a lot less $ than a 4 wheel alignment costs; I've seen it advertised for as low as $20. No reason to go to the stealership for an alignment, of course. Ask your local BMWCCA club which shop or shops they recommend for a performance alignment. They tend to listen to racer's crazy alignment specs and requests a lot better than most dealership techs.
It couldn't hurt to have the rear camber and toe checked, and even a bit of toe in added out back - even on a stock suspension it helps. We run as much as .25" total toe in out back on an aggressive Solo or track set-up, to help turn in and power application on corner exit. Pure street cars should have virtually zero toe, front and rear.
($57 from Bimmerworld; click picture for link)
Also, you can buy "toe plates" to measure your toe quickly and easily for about 60 bucks. Longacre. Everyone doing track or autocross events should own a set of these plates if you have adjustable camber plates, just to spot check your set-up periodically and/or to optimize your toe track side if you make a significant camber change.
Cheers,