Ok, I purchased my 01 in May with S02's and the original alignment. It Handled perfect. Tires were eat up on the inside almost twice as fast as the outside. threads and wires on the inside with 1/8" of tread on the outside. I replaced the S02's with RE750's (first mistake). Went with new sizes(225fr, 245r). Also had it aligned while tires were being installed. Tires sucked. Too much sidewall deflection and I want to say they didn't grip but I'm starting to blame this on the alignment. The rears lasted 8K and were slick all the way across with just a very little tread on the outside. I now have a weird setup with 225 Re750's in front and 225 Kumho Mx's in rear. You can definetly tell that the stagger is off but it feels better than it did with the RE's all around. Steering feels stiffer which is good but still no where near what it was when I purchased it. Jim at the Tire Rack said he thinks the alignment is main problem. I need suggestions on an alignment that will bring back my handling but not eat up tires. I think I got about 15k out of the S02's so I really should have left the alignment alone(afterthough). Anyway Heeelp me get my baby back in shape. Any suggestions are more than welcome.

Sorry so long but I wanted to to give as much info as possible for informed recommendations.

Thanks MidA,

Mrcln1

P.S.
Didn't bother to post this in Under the hood because if I do get feed back it always from some flamer.

 

I got about 12,000 miles out of my Kumho MX's running -1.8 in the rear and the fronts are still running strong at -.8, but for a long time I was at -1.2 and -2.2.

These are just camber settings. For toe and caster I just ran as close to the recommended settings from Honda as I could.

 

Since you are running a bigger wheel and tire setup would that make a difference in the how the setup would work? Jim said I would probably have to adjust my toe but I know almost nothing about alignments.

Thanks again,

Mrcln1

 

The best thing for you is to find an alignment tech who really knows his stuff. Unfortunately there might not be a whole lot of advice on here for the Lynchburg area.

If you knew your previous alignment settings that you didn't like we could probably help you better.

When it comes to alignments I've changed my tune: Now I'm more for an aggressive alignment over tread wear for safety, less rubbing, and peace of mind.

Getting 15,000 miles out of S0-2's and even tread wear makes me think you were running something closer to 0 (than I have/am) in the camber settings.

 

I got 13,000 from my re050 and i'm pretty happy with it. The front tires are the same as you described but i think thats from lowering my car. Handles nice though so its all good.

 

ok here are my specs... i've been on these specs for ehhh 8000 miles..... and i've been on these tires for about 13500 miles.... (i lowered it and got a new alignment)

LF:
camber -0.5
caster 7
toe -0.06

RF:
camber -0.4
caster 7.2
toe -0.05

LR:
camber -2
toe 0.20

RR:
camber -2.1
toe 0.18

keep in mind there is a little room for error in the numbers..

and if you're stock you might just want to try to get the stock alignment numbers and get them alligned to that..

 

Eventhough I think you would have been ok on this question it is unfortunate that Under the Hood and the Racing forum have gotten so clickish

 

If you put it to a "stock" alignment, you guarantee nothing. The specs are way too broad. You could have had something near the limit on S-02's and then put lesser tires on coupled with a less aggressive alignment.

Now, to get it back to where you were... that is the question, right? Well, that is harder than you imagine. Why? Your expectations are way different(I'm assuming) than when you first bought your car. I don't know what you drove immediately before the S, but I'm going out on a limb and guessing that whatever it was, its handling was inferior to your currect whip. Additionally, I would imagine that you have become increasingly comfortable with the car and continue to push the envelope, even if in brief spurts.

There are trade-offs everywhere. Run a less aggressive tire and you need to make up for it somewhere. You need to compensate with any or all of the following: size, air pressure, alignment, stagger, suspension component upgrades, and driving style.

The last is actually very important, too. This car of ours is so awesome that sometimes I have to remind myself that I am not a highly skilled driver, but that the car allows me to feel like I am at times. Although Hollywood, I'll reference Days of Thunder. Cole trickle was fast, but couldn't finish a race 'cause he kept frying tires. Everyone else could. It wasn't until he altered his style a bit did he start finishing races.

And for my recommendation? Find a shop that is willing to work with you. Find a shop that knows it might not be dealing with a "one-n-done" job. The S is not the easiest car to align for someone doing it for the first time. It takes patience and knowledge(and more importantly, understanding) of suspension dynamics. Accept that you will have to trade some wear for some increase in performance

Start with something a little less than the UK recommendation. The UK specs are merely the top end of the US specs. Nothing magical about them. And then work off of that. I hope that this in some way helps. If it's of any matter, I usually have 4-7 alignments a year and have them done for specific driving requirements. My shop does not charge me full price for each alignment. But that was not the case initially... again we decveloped a relationship. You may also want to seek out a race shop or that type of garage and ask for their recommendations when it comes to a shop.

As for me, I can still remember my first drive in Charlottesville. That feeling of defying physics is the high that is my holy grail.

 

Common response is- "Search is your friend!"

 

When I first purchased the S I pushed it really hard in the turns because it earned my confidence. If the rear kicked out a little throttle put it back in place. Between the alignment and the tires I have lost confidence in the tires. At this point my 01 Z28 would kill me in the twistys(which is said). My main problem is keeping the rear in the rear. Its way too loose. I noticed when I first got the S that the front would push a little in hard turns. I had never experienced this in any car. The rear stuck like glue or came around perfectly. I guess thats my main issue. The front seems better but the rear is loose. Its even got me thinking of getting an Evo MR. Like Poindexter said I not likely to find an alignment shop with the expertise to work with me in my area. I do plan on going back to S02's as soon as the Kumhos give out. Right now the Mx's are spinning like hell when I nail second. So I doubt the y will last long. I can't quit doing it. I 'll try to find the printout from my alignment and that should help but I doubt I'll find it.

BTW, the search button on the rare occasion it works has never helped me.lol I was banned from Xterra owners club forum and I'm trying to not to do that here. I don't live on my computer and I don't won't to deal with some of the punks that have nothing else to do but flame members that don't won't to sit on the computer and look through 50 or more post to find the answer to a simple question. Most of you Mid A guys seem to be willing to help without flaming so thats why I come here first. There are some real pricks that hang around this site and I would rather not let them frustrate me.

Thanks Guys,

Mrcln1