Alignment for daily life

[Simplycliff]

No answer for original question but I’ll chime in with I’m pretty sure RSR the only ones with active coil-overs right now.

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[Evox787]

Ok, let me see if I can help you here.

Regarding the DSC controller. I have this, and from my time with it, the results have been awesome. Others have alsp advised that it is great as well for track and road use. I have attached a photo that was sent to me by the company to visually understand what it gives you out of the box. You can also customize the settings if you know what you are doing. It is on sale right now for $995.00. I am not sure what specific brand of coilover you are going for, but I doubt they are $1000.00, and if they are, they are not going to do you any favors. If you have priced Nitron, Ohlins, RS-R, or AST, you already know the price point of coilvers for our car. As far as I know, RS-R is the only company that makes a bolt-on active suspension for our car.

I am very concerned as to why your camber pins have been removed from the upper strut tower. Did you buy the car new or used? Did you personally remove them? Why were they removed? I have included an article about what I am referring to, explaining why/why not to remove them.

https://www.civicxi.com/forum/threads/fl5-front-camber-strut-pin-removal.51857/

I would not touch anything at this point regarding the bushings; you would be adding variables to the issue without isolating the root cause of the problem. It would be a gamble.

Wheels are not a concern for your issue.

Sorry, I might have misspelled something—or maybe it was the darn autocorrect . Anyway, I didn’t remove the pins I still have them; my car was bought brand new.

Regarding the coils, you’re absolutely right: all coilovers are around $3k. The lowering springs are a good thing like the H&Rs are about $400, plus around $1,000 on the DSC if I catch a sale. The Spoon ones I’ve seen online average between $500 and $700 depending on the seller, plus that $1,000 as well. RSR is the only one with an active damper, but I kind of despise JDM parts because you pay for them and then have to wait until they feel like sending them—but that’s another topic .

Eventually, I’ll need to change the struts anyway because of the lowering springs, and I’ll end up putting coilovers on—ask me how I know . The struts on these cars are expensive, too! For an immediate mod, lowering springs sound nice, but until I fix the alignment issue, I won’t be lowering the car for now.

 

[Evox787]

No answer for original question but I’ll chime in with I’m pretty sure RSR the only ones with active coil-overs right now.

Yes, they’re the only ones, and Nitron said they’ll be working on it. I know a system like that will be extremely expensive, but I don’t want to lose that option if I end up modifying my suspension. For now, I’ll focus on fixing my issue first and see how far I can go with it before making any changes.

 

[Evox787]

I’m thinking, after verifying all the information, of going with this alignment setup:
Front Axle
• Left Camber: -1.0°
• Right Camber: -1.0°
• Left Toe: 0.00°
• Right Toe: 0.00°
• Total Front Toe: 0.00°
Rear Axle
• Left Camber: -1.0°
• Right Camber: -1.0°
• Left Toe: 0.07°
• Right Toe: 0.07°
• Total Rear Toe: 0.14°
I will try this setup and see how it performs, especially with the new tires. I’ll keep up with tire pressure and regular tire rotations. I still need to install the rear bushings, which I’ll probably do later.

 

[MoodySara]

For rear toe I'd go with zero or very slight toe-in. Your proposed settings look good.
Zero toe is good for the front.

Your camber settings look too upright. I'd go for something like -1.5° everywhere.
At -1°, the grip will be reduced and it won't help much with tire wear.

Too much toe is the tire killer on this car. A little toe out in the front can help with turn-in, but 0° is a good place to start.

 

[Evox787]

For rear toe I'd go with zero or very slight toe-in. Your proposed settings look good.
Zero toe is good for the front.

Your camber settings look too upright. I'd go for something like -1.5° everywhere.
At -1°, the grip will be reduced and it won't help much with tire wear.

Too much toe is the tire killer on this car. A little toe out in the front can help with turn-in, but 0° is a good place to start.

Thank you for that recommendation! It will definitely help me get on the right path. If I can achieve the rear adjustment, I’ll go with the Wunderladen Racing camber/toe arm. I’ll probably order them in the next couple of days—I just need to figure out first if the alignment shop won’t charge me twice for the alignment .

 

[AZCWTypeR]

Factory alignment is a "one size fits all" approach. If consistently wearing the front outside edges, adding a small bit of negative camber can rebalance wear. Toe needs to be adjusted anytime camber is changed.

I've had good luck aligning cars myself. I made a toe-in gauge and use a level with shims to set camber. The car has to be moved back and forth after each adjustment to keep the bushings neutrally loaded.

 

[MooMoo]

Id leave camber at what it is stock which is likely -1.5.-1.6, rest looks good for your intended purpose

Also 600 a week thats mega miles but also 36k on ps4 is actually pretty good

 

[HondaHoon]

Am I the only one itching to know what his current alignment is. Cant wait to know.

 

[Evox787]

Factory alignment is a "one size fits all" approach. If consistently wearing the front outside edges, adding a small bit of negative camber can rebalance wear. Toe needs to be adjusted anytime camber is changed.

I've had good luck aligning cars myself. I made a toe-in gauge and use a level with shims to set camber. The car has to be moved back and forth after each adjustment to keep the bushings neutrally loaded.

Yes, I will see if I can take it to the shop now, after I fix something else, because I think the one at the factory who put the car together wasn’t too happy doing so. I ordered the MAP clutch line because, while trying to change to the PRL, the fittings were frozen to the line. Even after soaking it in penetrating fluid, it didn’t budge. Now I’m stuck with that issue. Also, @MooMoo, I guess that too. I’ve read about people getting only half that mileage now. I will go with Continental and see how it goes. I hope the shop can get the specs. I was thinking the same—leave it at 1.5 all around and just mess with the rear toe.

 

[Evox787]

Am I the only one itching to know what his current alignment is. Cant wait to know.

I found the last alignment sheet. I hope this brings more clarity. The top part shows how the Honda dealer returned the car after the steering rack replacement, and the bottom part shows the alignment from the independent shop that I had been running with the whole time.

 

[HondaHoon]

Ok. Thats awesome you found that. That gives you valubale data. Well, when you go and have it checked again, if the readings are the same. There is nothing wrong with the car whatsoever, as these readings are well within factory spec. So, how to get more life in your tires. You could go down the road of buying all the adjustable components to be capable of dialing the camber, toe, and other variables specifically to your liking. However, that will be a little pricey up front, but will save you money in tires in the long run. The other thing is to drive the car more aggressively in the curves, however, I imagine they are hard to come by in Texas. Always track days too.

But seriously, the alignment shop may be able to get you about .5° positive camber in the front. Not sure about the rear. This will "help" but not a overall fix. In addition, you could also try a more street focused tire option that is designed less for high speed and more for road durability.

From what I am seeing online. There are alot of reports of premature wear that resembles yours exactly. I dont think anything mechanical is wrong with your car. I dont think replacing any form of bushing is going to fix anything. Buying and installing adjustable suspension components to expand the adjustability of the suspension for your particular use case (daily/highway) is really the only true solution for maximum tire longevity.

Hope this helps releive you in a way.

 

[Evox787]

Ok. Thats awesome you found that. That gives you valubale data. Well, when you go and have it checked again, if the readings are the same. There is nothing wrong with the car whatsoever, as these readings are well within factory spec. So, how to get more life in your tires. You could go down the road of buying all the adjustable components to be capable of dialing the camber, toe, and other variables specifically to your liking. However, that will be a little pricey up front, but will save you money in tires in the long run. The other thing is to drive the car more aggressively in the curves, however, I imagine they are hard to come by in Texas. Always track days too.

But seriously, the alignment shop may be able to get you about .5° positive camber in the front. Not sure about the rear. This will "help" but not a overall fix. In addition, you could also try a more street focused tire option that is designed less for high speed and more for road durability.

From what I am seeing online. There are alot of reports of premature wear that resembles yours exactly. I dont think anything mechanical is wrong with your car. I dont think replacing any form of bushing is going to fix anything. Buying and installing adjustable suspension components to expand the adjustability of the suspension for your particular use case (daily/highway) is really the only true solution for maximum tire longevity.

Hope this helps releive you in a way.

I really, regardless, ended up going with either the coilovers or the lowering springs. I will definitely take that advice, and as I mentioned, I will now be going with Continental DSW06+ tires. I will also go the fully adjustable route, just like I did on my previous Hondas. Is gone to be expensive as you say but definitely worth it and will be doing it as soon as possible to avoid future headaches.

 

[MooMoo]

I really, regardless, ended up going with either the coilovers or the lowering springs. I will definitely take that advice, and as I mentioned, I will now be going with Continental DSW06+ tires. I will also go the fully adjustable route, just like I did on my previous Hondas. Is gone to be expensive as you say but definitely worth it and will be doing it as soon as possible to avoid future headaches.

Id not do camber ball joints if you don't plan on going to the track. You have no control with the BJs, either its the same as currently or -1 or -2 more and all could put more wear on your tire for street driving. If you do -1 (middle setting on the BJS) and push pins out you get like -2.5 degrees of camber which is street friendly but still less than pushing pins in and getting like 1.9.

There are benefits of more camber but if tire longevity is on your mint not something I would consider.

 

[Evox787]

Id not do camber ball joints if you don't plan on going to the track. You have no control with the BJs, either its the same as currently or -1 or -2 more and all could put more wear on your tire for street driving. If you do -1 (middle setting on the BJS) and push pins out you get like -2.5 degrees of camber which is street friendly but still less than pushing pins in and getting like 1.9.

There are benefits of more camber but if tire longevity is on your mint not something I would consider.

Thank you. I will evaluate all the options that all of you posted here. I really appreciate the information and it is going to be really useful.

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