Toe

What is toe?

Toe is the alignment of the wheels seen from above, measured in millimetres or degrees. If the front of the wheels points slightly inwards, that is toe-in. Pointing outwards is toe-out. Both have a clear effect on how the car behaves.

Toe-in versus toe-out

Toe-in stabilises: the car reacts less nervously to steering inputs and tracks better in a straight line. That is the usual road setup. Toe-out sharpens steering response: the car turns in faster but feels busier on the straights. That is a common front-axle track setup. At the rear, a little toe-in is almost always used for high-speed stability.

Tyre wear

Toe has a strong effect on wear. A badly set alignment can ruin a set of tyres within a few thousand kilometres. A track setup usually combines more camber with more front toe-out, which buys grip on circuit but costs tyre life in everyday traffic.

Toe setup at ESC

ESC track day cars run alignment settings optimised for circuit use. The coaches explain the handling that follows from it, and you have nothing to adjust yourself. Just get in and drive.