I have a AC300 4X4 that I am working on and I have bought a manual on CD and the manual says the toe-in should be 1/4 in. neg (front of tires closer that rear of tires). I have always heard that my Polaris 500 needs about 1/4 in. toe-out. What works best on this AC300? Thanks,

 

Toe in is the way to go,it's 1/4" each side right?

 

I would think toe out would work best on 4x4.
I know on cars and trucks that are rear drive only, the toe is in, because the therory, is that pushing the front tires, makes the tires toe out, so by starting with a toe in, it all evens out when moving.
On 4x4 and front drivers, where the front tires do the pulling, the toe is usually set to out, because the pulling action makes the tires toe in when moving.
The polaris is a mcpherson strut, and the a/c is upper and lower a -arm, so you cant really compare apples to apples here, for where the toe needs setting. The mcpherson is weaker and cant resist the driving forces as well as a -arm suspension, and thats why negitive toe is called for on polaris.
Toe is pretty easy to play with and adjust, you could experiment and see which you like better. Because most of the driving is on dirt, tire wear isnt a problem.

 

Do a search for this. I replied to this topic several months ago, on 4x4 it is best to have toe-out (front of tire wider than rear of tire) because you have the front tires pulling. I like to set 1/8 to 1/4 toe-out (total not each tire).

 

Drew, Excellent explanation and good reasoning.
Ken, A 1/4" is TOTAL, not each side.

A 1/4" sounds like a little too much. My dealer suggested parallel (zero in/out) or 1/8" in for my 500I. Toe out will make it steer a bit easier, but on hard surfaces the bike will be "darty" and will wander. I might be tempted to use a little toe out on gravel or rock crawling, but if a lot of my driving were on hard pack I wouldn't do it. Drew is right, tire wear will not be an issue.

Jack the front up. Place in two wheel drive. Turn the tire against a frimly planted marker (pizza cutter will work, you want a fine line). Measure the front of the tire on the line you've made against the rear of the tire as close to the horizonal centerline of the hub (you won't be able to get quite there on the back side). And that's your toe. Toe out = front measurement > than rear, toe in is opposite.

Adjustments can be made with the front off the ground, but it is recommended that the wheels be on the ground with a person of the weight normally riding the machine on board. When the wheels are on the ground you will find that tire resistance will cause the steering to move when you turn the tie rod adjustment, throwing off your measurement. Two rachet tie downs attached between the rear rack and the opposite side handle bar will prevent this. Center the wheel as you tighten the tie downs.

You may find that too much fiddling will only make the toe worse than what you intended causing you to think you've really screwed this up. If that happens, use a long straight edge such as a straight 2x4 against the rear wheel tires and up to the front. Adjust the front on each side parallel and have at it again. It won't be perfect this way, but it will get you out of a perceived hopeless situtation (don't ask how I know this). It's not difficult, but does take a little fiddling. Good luck.

Jim

 

Hello NascarFan. I think you will find that 1/4 inch negative toe in is the same as 1/4 inch positive toe out. It sound like your AC300 requires 1/4 inch of toe out. Your manual (assuming its an official AC service manual and not an after market manual) should specify how to properly measure the toe. I hope this helps. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]
BryceGTX

 

I don't know about AC, but I think Honda recommends some toe out for their 4x4 ATVs. I checked mine when I got it, and it was set for approx. 16 mm toe out (total). The Clymer manual I have for the bike calls for 16 mm toe IN. I've driven it set both ways, and really don't see much of a difference. Any thing else I've ever driven, on highway or off, calls for toe in, so I've left it set that way. Interestingly enough, if you set it at 16mm toe in with the front end jacked up as the manual recommends, when you lower it back to the ground and the suspension loads again, if you re-check it, it is exactly neutral, neither in nor out.
Whether it makes any difference in bearing load or steering linkage life, I have no idea.

Does anyone have access to a factory Honda manual for the 400 or 450 Foreman? If you do, I'd be interested in knowing what they recommend, and how they recommend checking.

 

The spec for a 450 foreman, is 1 3/8" plus or minus 9/16".

 

Is that 1 3/8 toe in or toe out?

It seems like a lot, maybe they changed the specs quite a bit from the 400 to the 450 to take into account the extra suspension travel on the 450.

I assume that is taking the measurement with front wheels off the ground?

 

Sorry about that, Toe out. And thats on the ground.