Car Question - Camber bars

[Frappuccino]

At my last oil change I was told that I need new tires now - that my car was dangerous to drive. So that weekend I bought 4 new tires & had an alignment. The technician told me that I need rear camber bars or else my tires will wear out prematurely on the inside of the tires. He said this was a common problem for Hondas. These new camber bars will cost $600. I bought the car used almost 3 years ago - about 40,000 miles ago, and this is the first full set of tires that I had to buy for it (I did have to replace one tire once because of a flat that couldnt be patched). What would you do? How do you know if the recommended repairs are really necessary or just a sign of bad economic times? Thanks

[phil5185]

It depends on the mileage on the car - if the mileage is under 150,000 miles and it has never been in an accident, the camber links are still good. (As you say, your last tire went 40,000 miles OK).

BTW, a shop that would pull the fear-mongering trick about "dangerous to drive" is not a good place to be doing business. Your tires probably had over 1/16" of tread, right? One shop here told my daughter that her tires were in the 'yellow zone' (whatever that means) when they had only 15,000 miles and a full 1/4" of tread, LOL.

The shops are really beating the bushes for business these days, can't blame them for that - but you have to know when to say 'no'.

[blackcard]

So use the front tires until they are 1/2 worn out on the inside part. Then put the rear tires on the front. This might last years or just months? Or maybe you need a second opinion?
By the way, I think some tires come with a wear rating, like the tread will last longer than other tires. I think this is found on the sidewall of the tire?

[rileyoday]

When you have the tires rotated in the future ask the shop for a wear inspection. Different shop .

On a front wheel drive car like a Honda you should be doing a front to rear rotation at 7k or 10k or 15k whichever you choose to use.

[msnln7]

Check how your tire wore in the rear. If the tire wear is even, then you are OK and there is no need to do anything. If you have more wear on one side than the other (inside or outside), then you need to get it checked out. Many tire places will have you change suspension for no reason other than to add to their bottom line.

Also, you do not need to rotate tires every other oil change. Though some will disagree, I almost never rotate tires with front wheel drive vehicles. With front wheel drive cars, most of the weight will be in the front of the car so naturally front tires will wear out quicker. When front tires wear out, I purchase two new tires, install them in the rear and move rear tires in the front. My Accord has 100K miles but I did first tire rotation at 90K when I replaced front tires. Also I inflate tire to 40psi, which is close to max stated on the tire wall (I think max stated is 42 psi). By doing this, tires are much harder, and thus wear out slower, more evenly and last much longer. In this litigious society we live in, tire companies would never put max psi on the wall wall, unless they were sure it was safe to drive in that state.

[RoadToRiches]

So did they do an alignment? If they told you that you need new suspension parts, they shouldn't do alignment.

BTW, some cars do have negative camber. I don't know how big it is in Hondas, but my car (BMW) is notorious for that. It helps handling on the corners. Yes you will chew up your tires on the inside, because that's how the car is set up. Just rotate your tires and you will be fine.

If you do need new bars, I would go to a different shop and get a second opinion. But if they did alignment, then they might not be bad.