Tegger <tegger@tegger.c0m> wrote in article
<Xns98D6532F04B78tegger@207.14.116.130>...
> "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/
>
If you think any dogtracking is acceptable, then you've said more than I
need to know from you!
TomC