"TomC" <ooo@ooo.com> wrote in
news:01c74f07$82e72420$6501a8c0@tomc.hsd1.pa.comca st.net.:

> Vehicle 2000 Accord 4dr. V6 Automatic 81,000 miles, bought new. New
> Tires and alignment just done. However, the car's rear wheels do not
> track the front wheels; slightly offset to the right looking at the
> car from the rear. Slight oversteer in a curve to the right. Tire shop
> says the axle offset is 0 according to their alignment equipment. So,
> they say nothing is wrong. The car's original tires lasted 60,000 mi.
> (Michlens). I replaced them with Traction T/A's and they were
> horrible; poor wear, noisy (I missed rotating untill about 12,000miles
> and by then they were ruined). I believe part of the problem was this
> axle offset issue. How it came about is a mystery. Prior to replacing
> these tires, I tried to get the alignment issues fixed at a Honda
> dealer, but they seemed more intersted in selling new tires and cabin
> filters. So, they were little help. How do I get this axle offset
> checked and corrected ?
>



The "dog-tracking" you describe is normal.

So long as the alignment shop made sure the front wheels were properly
aligned to the centerline bisecting the rear wheels, it is acceptable to
have some dog-tracking, and perfectly acceptable for the rear axle
centerline to diverge from the body's centerline.

Both sides of the rear end of your car are adjustable for toe. Ideally
you'd adjust the toe on both sides so the rear axle centerline coincides
with the car's body's centerline. But it's common practice for alignment
techs to only adjust one side if the rear toe isn't far out, resulting
isn some harmless dog-tracking.

Having said the above, it is NOT acceptable to have LOTS of dog-
tracking though. And it is NOT sufficient to simply point to the numbers
the machine gives you and say the car's been set up properly. Sometimes
a bit of fudge and squish is necessary to do the job right, and that's
where skill comes in rather than simple menu-following.

The tire wear you eperienced is not necessarily due to any centerline
issue. It can also be due to bad mounting, poor quality tires, worn
shocks and a host of other suspension problems. Most likely the tires
were badly mounted to begin with.

Your factory tires were mounted by expertly-trained people. Your
replacements were not.

I have found that most tires are mounted very badly. Tire shops have
badly trained personnel who have no clue how to get the tires to spin
true before balancing. They just slap them on the wheels (using the
wrong lube while they're at it) and load the wheel up with weights. The
tires may end up feeling smooth to you, but with each revolution they
are scrubbing themselves unevenly against the pavement, eventually
wrecking the tread.

Does the car track straight, hands off the wheel? Does it follow the
road crown equally both sides of the crown? Then you're likely fine as
far as alignment goes. If the tires are that bad, you need to replace
them, and have the job done by a competent shop. Those are hard to find.


--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/