2CarPros - Car Questions & Answers

2002 Honda S2000 Repair Question


Topics covered: Tire, Frame, Wheel.
Mileage: No information provided.

Asked on March 30, 2009

Excessive negative camber

Suspension problem
2002 Honda S2000 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Manual 72,000 miles

I have a 2002 S2000 and have some questions concerning rear wheel excessive negative camber: can it be correct and how. It is my understanding that some degree of negative camber is to be expected with independent rear suspension.

Since I purchased the car, there has been excessive rear wheel negative camber wear (inner aspect of the tires wears more), more so on the passenger side than on the driver’s side.

The soft tires that came on the car demonstrated abnormal wear at 12,000 miles of conservative driving. I spoke to the head of service at the local Honda dealership and made it clear I was not happy that my year old car had this problem. They recommended getting an alignment at the local Goodyear shop -- this was a waste of time since they did no adjustment of the camber.

I changed tire brands and am now running harder Goodyear tires The set I have on the rear now has 30,000 miles on them. I noticed today that the tread on the inner aspect of the passenger’s side is almost totally worn away whereas the outer tread is about 5/32”. On the driver’s side the excessive negative camber is less severe with the tread 1/32-2/32 more shallow at the inner vs. the outer aspect.

I re-approached the Goodyear shop that did the alignment and the Manager at Honda without getting any satisfaction. The guy at Honda told me that I should expect the tire to wear out at 10,000 miles and that I am lucky to have gotten 30,000. This sounded bogus to me and I’ll think twice about doing business with this guy in the future.

Before I go to a dedicated alignment shop, I hope to find out what can be done so that I don’t again pay for something that I could do myself or something that can't be fixed. Any comments / advice would be appreciated.

Miles
Avatar Asked by hardcytr

Answer

Replied on March 31, 2009

Hi Miles,

The rear cambers are adjustable and you should check for worn bushes or arms and links before atempting any alignment.


http://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/192750_CamberRear02S2000a1_1.jpg



http://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/192750_CamberRear02S2000a2_1.jpg

Tiny Answered by KHLow2008 (expert)
40,332 answers provided
Replied on March 31, 2009

Thank you - excellent help!!!

Tiny Response from hardcytr
3 questions asked
Replied on April 1, 2009

You are welcomed.

Feel free to drop by anytime you got a question.

Have a nice day.

Tiny Answered by KHLow2008 (expert)
40,332 answers provided

Replied on November 5, 2010

I took my s2000 to be aligned today, and they said they were unable to adjust rear camber due to the "dog ears" on the rear subframe being bent, but your description of how to align does not make any mention of the "ears". Are they just BSing me?

They said I would need to have a new subframe put in before my car could be aligned.

Tiny Answered by dfws2k
0 questions asked
Replied on November 6, 2010

I am not sure what they are referring to by dog ear but for the camber adjustment, behind bolt " A ". the hole is elongated and when the bolt is turned, it can move in or outwards, pulling or pushing the rod.

If the radius rod is bent, you would have to straighten or replace it. If the bracket is bent, repair is possible so I don't see the need for replacing the subframe, unless the damage is bad whereby at maximum adjustment the camber is still out of specs.

Get a second opinion.

Tiny Answered by KHLow2008 (expert)
40,332 answers provided