I just got back from getting an alignment. I have the spec sheet.


I was running BFG KDW2's and the insides were getting choppy as hell. I figured, the toe must be out real bad. I know camber has some effect on wear, but I didnt realize that it was that much.

Toe was at 0 up front prior to the alignment.
Toe was at .05" in the rear prior to alignment.

Camber is as follows and was not adjusted:

Front 2.75*
Rear 3.3*

Since the toe was almost at zero, the only thing I can think of is that the camber destroyed the tires. I have since had the toe set exactly to zero.

Anyone have any insight considering the specs? I know a lot of people say that you dont need a camber kit if you keep up with rotations, but I did and still had this problem. Would a camber kit fix this or at least minimize it?

 

When you say the insides are "choppy as hell", are you referring to the insides wearing faster than the rest of the tread, or are they wearing unevenly around the tire, such as with tire cupping problems?

It's usually toe, not camber, that results in uneven tire wear. However, bad alignment is not the only thing that can cause such tire wear. My guess is that it's something else, a suspension problem - perhaps worn bushings, a bent control arm, bad ball joint or tie rod end, blown shocks, etc. Put the car up on the lift and have someone who's really good with suspensions check it out.

I don't know what the normal camber settings are for your car, but if you can't adjust it within spec, I would get the camber kit too. However, I'm not convinced that's the cause of your problem.

 

Thanks for the response. Im on F2 Type 2's. Theyre pretty much brand new, and yeah its cupping bad.

I guess I'll have to check out the parts you listed and see whats up with them.

 

If you have cupping, it is usually not caused by alignment, but rather by a suspension problem (as noted on the Kal Tire web page - it's written for trucks but applies to cars as well). Basically, the suspension problem is preventing the wheels/tires from rolling smoothly down the road; instead, something is allowing them to bounce up and down or from side to side, and that unevenness causes the cupping/scalloping in the tires.

 

I talked to my buddy, Not So JDM Dan, last night about it. He seems to think that having absolutely nothing in the rear of the car could be part of the problem, but he thinks that replacing the rear LCA's and putting on a camber kit could possibly solve it.

I have the coilovers set on the hardest dampening possible on all 4 corners. This is in a 98 civic BTW.