amej8

2 questions regarding my 99 civic.

1: Might be noobish but I don't know much about car parts in general... Is there a rear toe kit? Or is there only a camber kit? The inner section on my rear tires are feathered/chopped/cupped/whatever you want to call it. I'm lowered on Eibach Sportline lowering springs (about 2-2.5") and Tokico Illlumina shocks. I was told that a flat uneven wear is camber, and any chopping is toe. So how do I fix toe in the rear? I got an alignment the day I got my aftermarket rims and tires put on (16x7, 205/45's). They aligned it to stock as best as they could with the factory parts since I didn't buy camber kits because I was sure I didn't need them. When I took them off to put my steelies on for the winter, I noticed they were chopped a lot, enough to notice by just looking at them from the side. There's a loud hum in the rear too with the summer wheels on and I'm sure that this is what's causing it. Anyways, how can I fix the rear toe?

2. I'm 90% sure it's my rear right wheel but I could be wrong... But whenever that wheel hits a bump, there's a clunk. I thought maybe the exhaust piping on the axleback was hitting the RLCA since it's really close, but I don't get why the sound would come from the other side. I checked everything out and don't see anything wrong. I checked the bolts on the shock tower in the trunk and they're snug. All the bushings I could see without jacking the car up look fine. Am I missing something?

amej8

Does anyone have any input?

PatrickGSR94

iTrader: (1)

Do you have any printouts or other data on your before/after alignment readings?

Yes there are "toe kits" for the rear, but I don't recommend using them. I recommend sticking to the stock toe adjustment in the rear using the compensator arms with bolts in a slotted hole. With toe kits you can end up with unequal length compensator arms that can result in different toe curves on the rear left and right suspension.

What are your bushings like? Original rubber? Worn bushings can't hold your alignment settings as well as new bushings, and so you can still run into some inner shoulder toe wear even after the alignment. Did you rotate your tires front-to-rear every 5K-6K miles after the alignment?

amej8

I got my car aligned 2 years ago and they printed out the sheets for me showing me before %'s and after %'s but I don't know what I did with it. I tried looking for them a few months ago when I noticed my rear tires feathering but couldn't find them. But I know for a fact that they were only 3º MAX from OEM range. They couldn't get everything back to OEM spec but they did the best they could. In the end, everything was only off by less than 1º.

I think the bushings are good. I tried inspecting what I knew were bushings lol. I got Skunk2 LCA's...4 years ago? Obvoiusly those are polyeurethane. Other than that, everything else is OEM rubber. From what I could tell, I didn't see any of them cracked. What else should I look at?

I haven't rotated my tires yet. This year will be the first year I will. Since I have 2 sets of wheels/tires for the seasons, I went the first 2 years on my summer tires without rotating. This year I will though.

PatrickGSR94

iTrader: (1)

Jeez I hope you don't have 1° toe out. That's around 1/2" to 5/8" total toe out which will absolutely destroy tires.

I'm sure your bushings are worn. Mine were worn when my car was 12 years old, and it couldn't hold the alignment settings very well. I always recommend at least an annual alignment, although if you're lowered it would be better to get one at least twice a year, especially if you're not using camber kits (toe is critical). Rotating tires is a must, also.

amej8

Oh jeez I had no idea.

Looks like I'll have to get it taken in to get aligned again. I'm sure the bushings are worn too. It's a 12 year old car. Plus I drive in the winter and NY LOVES to use salt (if that makes a difference). And regarding rotating tires, I'm sort of scared to rotate them. My fronts have camber wear and there's not much left on the inside and I'm worried that if they start feathering in the rear, the cords might start to show.

Thanks!

kyden

your rear toe adjusters are probably seized at this point. gonna have to torch them out.

amej8

Sweet. I love old rusty cars. Is it something I can buy and replace? If so, are they cheap? Or do I have to get a whole new trailing arm or something.

PatrickGSR94

iTrader: (1)

Oh man, if your toe compensator arm bolts are seized, you'll be in bad shape. The bolt goes into this special nut that slides in a slot on the other side of the sheet metal, and that sliding nut is fully enclosed inside the unibody structure such that you would have to drill a large hole and patch/weld it back up to replace the bolt.