I just replaced the original Michelins that came on my '04 6MT with Goodyear ResponsEdge with the Carbon Fiber walls, they are awesome so far.

The guys at the shop stated that they couldn't perform an accurate alignment as the rear end needs a camber kit. They said the wheels come from the factory set diagonally out too far so that ultimately the tires will wear on the inside edge. The camber kit fixes this problem and extends the life of your tires.

Anyone know anything about this? I can tell you that my Michelins were definitely wearing on the inside edge. Does this void any warranty?

Thx.

 

Same story from the tire installer here when I replaced mine. My specs were just out of the norm and not worth it in my opinion what the camber kit was going to set me back. I had nearly 50K on my original tires and had pretty darn even wear until the end so I was comfortable leaving the camber alone at this point.

 

Factory spec is -1 degree of rear wheel camber. How far off did the tech say it was? Did you get a print out of the alignment? Is your car lowered?

 

Calling MrHeelToe to straighten another camber story out....


You can have -1 degree camber... and they can adjust the toe, so if you could tell us the specs, we could tell you they are full of it.

If you really must have a camber kit, Ingalls replaces the lower arms (adjusts camber and toe per sides, so 4 bars) and SPC has a kit that replaces the upper arm (adjust camber only). So I call on your installer.

 

fast1....

How are your new tires wearing now? And just curious, what tires did you go with?

 

The tires I went with are the Goodyear ResponsEdge with the carbon fiber walls--they are great so far. No inside wear, however I can tell that tires sit out further at the bottom just by looking at them.

PACMAN, my TSX isn't lowered. The specs from the alignment on the rear tires are -1.7 for the left and -1.9 for the right. The car has never been in a wreck either. Any ideas on where to go from here?

 

^^When I had my car lowered, I didn't get a camber kit until 1 yr later when I upgraded my wheels and tires. But prior to upgrading my wheels/tires I was riding at about negative camber 2-2.5 on stock wheels and tires. Yes, the inside of the tires wore out quicker, but there was no compromise in ride or handling. Changed out stock tires at 55K. It is not vital to get a camber kit (considering your camber is > -2). I got a camber kit cause I eventually didn't like the look. If you want a kit, don't get it from the alignment shop, cause they often inflate the price. I, as well as others here, would recommend our sponsors, like MrHeelToe or Excelerate.

 

^^Again folks, its the toe that is an issue for excessive wear and that can be adjusted without a kit.

 

Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Positions for me.

Totally diggin these tires so far. Much more quiet than stock and they have a nice feel on the road whether you are carving it up a little bit or just cruising on the highway for 100s of miles. Haven't taken them in snow or ice yet but nothing could be too much worse than the stock Michelins in the cold.

 

^ i love those tires. hugeeee improvement over our stockies. has anyone tried the nexon(sp)? brand tires? im buying a set of rims with them on it and the reviews are pretty good for their price

 

****CAMBER RESOLVED**** So I dropped by the dealer here in Glendale to see what the scoop was on the camber issue; there is a Service Bulletin (06-007) out for this. It applies to all '04 TSXs and '05 if your TSX falls within their VIN parameters; there are two sets of VIN parameters that you can apply this Service Bulletin to for '05 TSXs.

So there it is. Take your TSX by your dealer and see if you qualify, it was all under warranty for me they simply replaced the right, rear upper control arm (FP Number 52390-SEC-305), performed a four-wheel alignment and that was it. The TL loaner was pretty nice too, they kicked me up to an RL loaner the last time I was in.

Alignment is all back in place and now I don't have to worry about my new tires wearing unevenly.

 

So what are the final alignment numbers ?? caster, camber and toe at both ends plus thrust angle.

 

so what if i am out of warranty, so will they do the same thing for me as free???
cause when i do the alignment, the people at the shop also told me i need a camber kit.
if that will not be free for me, how can i fix this problem without buying the camber kit???

 

I think there is a Service Bulletin 06-007 for this issue, but i can not find it. My car is a 05 with 42,000 miles on it. Dealers fix it for free. I think there is a certain serial numbers for the 04 and 05. Call them to find out.

Do you need to do the wheel alignment when you got new tires every time?

 

There is a Service Bulletin for this service, just go in to your dealer and see if your Model Year and VIN falls within the Bulletin. Even if you are out of your warranty, all Service Bulletin work should be free.

NBTX: The original numbers for the rear wheels BEFORE I took it to the dealer were:

Camber Left: -1.7
Camber Right: -1.9
Toe Left: 0.10
Toe Right: 0.15
Thrust Angle: -0.0
There is no Caster for the rear wheels.

AFTER I took it to the dealer the numbers were:

Camber Left: -1.4
Camber Right: -0.9
Toe Left: 0.04
Toe Right: 0.08
Thrust Angle: -0.02

I hope this helps! All the best-

 

Thanks ! They replaced a right rear link but the left camber changed from -1.7 to -1.4 ? Weird. Well, that's probably within the accuracy limits of the alignment machine, or maybe the accuracy limits of the alignment machine operator

Anyway, your tires should wear more evenly now.

 

a couple of questions. Does the TSB work for cars that fall in the VIN parameters and HAVE the problem? Or if my car doesnt have the problem yet, can I take it in and have them fix it? Also will they do it on lowered cars?

I ask this because Im about to lower my TSX and if I dont have to get a rear camber kit then I wont. So after I lower my TSX can I send it in under the TSB and have them replace the part that makes the negative camber even if I may not have it? I dont know if my alignment is correct since I havent had it realigned since I bought it used.

What do yall suggest?

 

I don't think the dealer will apply the TSB to your car if it is lowered as that will throw off the manufacturers specs and may conflict with your warranty. Of course, those are my thoughts, not necessarily that of the dealer. They did ask me whether or not my TSX was lowered when I took it in for the service. I would have the job done before you lower it.

However, you may want the negative camber on your car if you're going to lower it as it helps with vehicle roll and yaw when cornering. However, plan on going through tires much faster as it really wears on the inside edge quickly.

Not sure if I answered your question, but that's what I suggest.

 

I am not planning to lower my car so should I install a camber kit on the rear as the auto mechanic suggested that I do it while he was fixing my wheel alignments? Does it void the warranty and is it worth it? Please let me know.

 

if you don't lower your car, you don't need a camber kit.

the mechanic who told you so is an idiot, don't listen to him.

 

He suggested it because the rear inner tires will wear out faster than the outside without the camber kit. So if I am not planning to lower my car then I'll have to live with the inner-rear tires wearing out faster? I guess that is how it was built originally for the TSX?

 

no.

your mechanic/alignment guy doesn't know how to do an alignment.

toe is what he needs to adjust on your TSX. not camber.

go to a different shop, one that knows what they are doing.

 

Has anybody tried having that new part#52390-SEC-305 installed on both sides of the rear?

Since the camber readings on both sides of this vehicle changed with just replacing the right side, it's hard to tell exactly how much positive camber angle the new control arm added but, the original Rear Upper Control Arms were identical and not side specific. In theory, a person could get TSB 06-007 done and possibly negotiate to pay for an additional 52390-SEC-305 (approx $100), plus .5 hr labor to install the on the left before the alignment is done under the TSB and bring both sides closer to zero.

I just paid to have an alignment done by the dealer. The readings showed that there was no change in the front and everything was in spec after 72,000 miles. But the rear was a little different of a story:

Rear Before
Camber -1.6L / -2.0R (Specified Range -1.5 to -0.5)
Toe -0.06L / -0.11R (Specified Range 0.00 to 0.16)
Total Toe -0.17

Rear After
Camber -1.6L / -2.0R (That's right, No Change in Camber)
Toe +0.04L / +0.07R
Total Toe of +0.11

So after $99, only the rear toe was adjusted and the service adviser never mentioned the rear camber being out of spec.

 

Just got my upper control arm replaced because of my camber being out. Got it done via goodwill since I am almost a year out of warranty. I went in with the TSB printout and my best manners and got them to cover it. I wonder if it could also be economy driven and trying to keep the customers happy. They gave me a nice new '09 to drive around as a loaner.... hmmm. Anyway, happy that they covered it all under an expired warranty!

 

I am going to try this, I calculate that the upper arm (52390-SEC-305) WILL add approx +.85 Deg of camber. I lowered my car with the Bilstein B12 Kit and the camber went an aditional 0.8 Deg more negative on the Left Rear. I currently have -2.8 Deg on the LR and it was -2.0 before the B12 install.

After installing the arm on the RR I ended up with -1.9 Deg. I did not take a baseline before I installed the arm on the RR.

The Arm adds 1.7 Deg or .8 Deg I am not sure but will report back after the install.

I was on the A-Spec Kit.