Active Toe elimination

[tpi_roc]

Who's done it, and what are your impressions? I'm considering it just for the launching and tire wear benifits but if it destroys handling I dont know that I'm so interested.

Opinions?

 

[PaulPDX]

What makes you think it will destroy handling? it's the main reason for eliminating active toe on the 1Gs. It'll reduce understeer. Check the product info on Taboo's and DSS sites. I think both of them state that... well, at least one of them do.

 

[tpi_roc]

Reading archived comments from people who've done it saying that the rear feels pretty loose. Sure one way to get rid of understeer is to create oversteer but that doesn't make an overall better handling car.

 

[PaulPDX]

Well, I think driver skill is a factor that is involved here which makes feedback from others difficult to gauge.

Some people like a lively rear end... others don't... or can't adjust their driving to adapt.

It's really up to you and how you like the car to handle... or whether you can adapt to it.

I think it's just a matter of getting used to it as with any suspension mod... meaning you don't just install it and drive on the street balls out like you did before. Start out conservatively and gradually push and feel for the limits.

I haven't done it yet myself because $ is a big problem right now... but considering the above, I don't have problems with doing it once I have the $.

Try getting a rear sway bar first if you haven't already. I got a RM rear bar on mine and it made a good deal of difference in handling... still sketchy when pushed hard on the clover leaf on interstate interchanges because of the active toe. Probably not an accurate description, but the car seems to occillate between slight over steer and slight understeer with slight modulation of the gas pedal. I think the toe elimin would make handling more predictable.

 

[tpi_roc]

Those are deffinatly valid points.


I dont have any suspension mods, the DSM is my daily driver, but it needs to at least be tollerable. Sway bars come with a price tag, I can illiminate the active toe for free, I have a pretty good stock of steel plate and welding equipment. Frankly the number one benifit I'm looking for is to reduce tire wear from the toe out on launches or even heavy acceleration along with the wandering that comes with it. Secondly reduced ETs are great, and lastly the thing still has to corner predictably and a stock 1g's understeer is flat out rediculous, personally I find it much unsafer than an oversteering car but that might just be driving style, RWD background, and technique as already pointed out.

If nobody has anything negative to say about it I'm going to go for it.

 

[PaulPDX]

Yup. Go for it. One other thing is that people tend to exaggerate on the net. I don't think the oversteering will be as dramatic as you described from what you read.

In any case, once you know the limits and behavior of the car, it's easy to adjust your driving (steering and pedal input) accordingly.

Tire wear is not that big of a deal to me since I don't launch hard (can't afford to break anything at this point) but cornering stability and predictability are enough for me to want to do it.