TomC wrote:
> 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

chill. tegger's a good guy and hosts the unofficial honda, a fantastic
resource. check them out at tegger.com. he can be a little too
trusting when it comes to suspension advice from his mechanic, but we
can't all be experts in everything.