The alignment guy said he couldn't get rear the toe to go beyond 0. So he set it at +.05.

I asked him to set the toe at:

.03 out the front, which he did. and

.05 in on the rear.

So instead of being .05 in, i'm .05 out in the rear. Wasn't sure what to say when he said he couldn't get it in more than 0.

 

Ouch, so your total toe is 0.2 away from where you wanted it. Plus toe out on the rear probably isn't the best thing.

Suspension specs and other alignment readings? How low is the car? Ever been wrecked?

Could he not get past 0 on only one side, or on both sides?

You could go with adjustable toe arms, provided that you set the length of both arms to be exactly the same initially. Set the arms' length slightly shorter than the stock arms, then use the stock adjustment to get it to your desired .05 toe in.

 

The car has never been wrecked as far as I know. Suspension components seemed almost mint considering the car has 160,000 miles on it.

It was both sides. I was considering adjustable toe arms, but my main concern is what will .05 toe out in the rear do for the car? Is it an overly bad thing? or just not optimal?

Edit: Just put on progress CS-II's yesterday. Hence the need for alignment.

 

Here's some photos. Sorry for the blur. Getting a new camera for X-mas.

 

That seems really odd that BOTH sides can't go in past zero. Makes me question the equipment the alignment tech was using, and/or installation of said equipment on the vehicle.

 

If it just "is what it is" and simply won't go past 0, then I would say the adjustable toe arms are your best option. But I would still set them both to the same length off the car (use a digital micrometer if you have access to one), slightly shorter than stock, and keep using the stock adjustment bolt to get it to your desired .05 in.

 

This is my line of thinking. Maybe I need to go to a different alignment shop and see if they can just adjust the rear toe. I just hadn't heard of this happening before so I was a bit bothered. My first thought was it's not normal to not be able to get the toe to .05 in in the rear. He even said before he got started that my rear toe recommendation was a bit off, he said that normally he does .16 in on "those cars"

 

I guess my main concern is if this is going to make my tires and handling suffer. So I know sooner rather than later what to do about alignment.

 

Check with another alignment shop. After I had originally installed my hardrace bushing kit into my ITR, I took my car to a shop which specialized in lifted trucks (big mistake). They told me that the toe adjustment in the rear was completely maxed out with toe out. When I got the car home and jacked it up, there was plenty of room on either side of the rear toe adjuster to toe in or out.

Took my car to another shop, and they got everything to the specs I wanted without hassle and for a better price. Verified via string method when I got back home, and definitely going back to the 2nd shop from now on.

 

I like to use a simple string method for wheel alignment. Using string (thread) and tape, or parallel strings with jack stands and a measuring tape, I have not experienced any problems with straight line tracking on the highway or uneven tire wear with my vehicles. An internet search of "string alignment" provides many examples. To give some idea of the precision possible, as long as you trust your measurements, 0.5 deg. of toe equates to about 0.88 inches of lateral movement of the string using a 92 Civic hatchback wheelbase. That is, if a thread is aligned horizontally across the widest part of the front wheel, through the hub centerline and pulled to the center of the rear wheel, adding 0.5 deg. of toe in to the front wheel would cause the string line to move about 0.88" outward at the rear wheel center.

 

OP wanted .05 toe in on each side... not sure if that's .05 degrees or .05 inches. Either way it's a very small amount and would be difficult to measure with strings.

I think most people who religiously string-align their cars always recommend a good, accurate 4-wheel laser alignment to start with as a baseline, then use strings to maintain those readings later on.

 

It certainly helps to have elevated platforms for the wheels to roll on, like boards, to facilitate making adjustments under the car.

Depending on what facilities a person has available to them, it may be worthwhile to take the car to a shop. It takes time to find a reputable, consistent alignment shop/technician however, and it is ultimately the person making the adjustments that dictates the alignment, not the machine.

If the wheel or tire alignment difference cannot be measured with thread, then I am not sure that such a small change will be noticeable when driving, or will not be eclipsed by bushing deflection or driving conditions. What amount of change can be felt on the road? When does the adjustment become negligible? 1/4 turn of a tie rod, 1/8 of a turn?

 

Talking to idrivesideways, he thinks the mechanic may have just been confused. The car drove fine on my 40 mile trip to/from the in-laws. Not sure how to gauge anything considering I just put on the coilovers yesterday.

 

Update: Car drove fine to Atlanta and back. ~90 mile round trip.

Not sure how to evaluate it otherwise. In the next month or so I might hit another alignment shop and see if they can just check/adjust my rear toe. Not sure if shops do that.

 

hang on, just now read this. +.05 is toe in. -.05 is toe out

it's REALLY hard to toe out the rear of a honda. the adjustment range is about .30 to 0, if your front shows negative anything and the rear is positive that's correct. if the front is also positive he toe'd in the front and the car will handle a LOT better with a minor amount of toe out up there.

you would probably be pissed off if the rear was toe'd out since the car would be really nervous and brake all over the place

the firestone lifetime is a great deal if one is in your area. basically you set the rear to the minimum side of factory spec and the front just slightly toe'd out, around -.02-.03 each side makes a much better turning car than 0

 

Maybe he got it right then. The car handles just fine from what I can tell and it certainly cruised very comfortably at 75-80 on the interstate yesterday.

Yeah I wish I had a firestone near me. I suppose other companies might offer a similar deal though if I looked around.

 

post up the spec sheet he gave you and i'll explain what it means

 

No spec sheet >.>

It's a little mom & pop store that's been good to me in the past so I've always gone there for stuff I couldn't do myself.

 

You can at least check your alignment using this method. With the steering wheel centered, let the car roll to a stop on level ground. Set two strings absolutely parallel to one another, and also parallel to the vehicle. The front and rear track widths of the car may be different, so just be sure that the left front axle center (or hubcap) is the same distance from the left thread as the right front is from the right thread; the same goes for the rear. Adjust tie rods for the front and the sliding toe adjusters for the rear with the tires on the ground until the desired results are achieved. Roll the car back and forth or go for a drive. Check and/or adjust until the measurements are repeatable.

If tire wear (high mileage driving) is the primary concern, then it is probably best to set toe closer to 0 for all four tires. As others have said in this thread however, you may like the feel of the car better with a little toe out up front, and toe in for the rear. A 1mm difference between the front and rear of each rim is in line with other recommendations from this thread.

This method takes some patience, and accurate measurements. Depending on circumstances, learning and practicing this kind of alignment technique may or may not be practical/economical. For example, if setting the alignment this way takes four hours, then it may be more economical to take the car to an alignment shop where it can be done faster and with at least the same level of precision, especially if you have a lifetime alignment agreement or do not intend to make changes very often. If you participate in monthly autocross events however, or are otherwise making frequent modifications/adjustments, then this kind of technique becomes increasingly useful. I hope this is relatively clear, and please ask if there are any questions.

 

These numbers are fairly conservative, about 0.04 inches of toe out for each front wheel (total 0.08 inches front toe out) and about 0.04 inches toe in for each rear wheel (total 0.08 inches rear toe in). What alignment works best for you is dependent on conditions and preference, with 0 for all four wheels being the most tire-friendly but perhaps not the best for handling or stability.

 

0 up front is the most tire friendly but the car handles so much better with even minor amounts of toe out. in the rear toe in does not cause shoulder wear as long as it's within honda spec. you can go on the lower side near zero but even .05 in will add a lot to brake stability and highway speed plus stability. having 0 in the rear will give you a nervous car. bumpy roads at 60mph mean you spend more time than you should be keeping the car straight

 

It drives fine as far as I can tell. Sometime in the next few months I'll swing by a more retail place and get another alignment. Maybe walmart does them. If they don't get it the way I like I can feel better about stirring something up there.

 

i run -.30 total toe in the rear. -.15 each side.

 

Sounds like a TON of toe out to be running in the rear