Wheel alignment and tyres

[Andrew Fisher]

These two posts are rambling old toffee but there is a simple message: If you find your Beat is wandering at speed please get the alignment checked!

I've just had my wheel alignment done, and the information on the database the company (STS Tyre Pros) used stated 2.6 - 4.7mm rear toe, so they set it at 3.2mm each side.

All the information I have says rear toe 1 +/- 3mm, so how they've set it is within the specification, but not on the nose by any means.

I can go back to have it checked in a couple of weeks. When I challenged them on the setting they said that 'specifications may have been updated'. I would have thought that was highly unlikely.

Has anyone else encountered a change in rear wheel alignment???

I did all this because the car had a distinct wobble when overtaking at motorway speeds. I had a full service with Honda and asked them to look into it and they said they 'balanced the front wheels' (whatever they mean by that).

The car had rubbish, but annoyingly nearly brand new, tyres on. I drove myself round the wall trying to work out what to put on, but eventually got Nexen NBlue HD Plus because you could get the same tyre in both original sizes (only a T rating for the front though).

It may well be the tracking change that's done it, but the car is completely transformed and in a good way. When I had my first Beat it had some low profile Dunlops that I think were Japanese on it and I changed to Continentals that were not the same at all, but I wonder if changing them knocked out the alignment.

The initial alignment on the car was front toe 1.5mm and -1.4mm, rear toe -10.8mm and -3.9mm. A couple of MOTs back there was an advisory of excessive wear on the inside tread of both rear tyres. Not, perhaps, a surprise.