Front wheel drive

Monk

Monk

Well-Known Member
4,218
2,196
SW Virginia
Vehicle Model
2012 Civic EX
Body Style
Coupe FG3:ASM
I just got an ad from my dealer giving me a discount on having both my Front and rear wheels aligned.
I've never heard of the rear needing aligned, but have always had a straight axle rear end. I can see that it might be something to look at at some point, maybe if taking a strong hit.

What I'm asking, is it something that would need as much attention as the front?
 
It's best to get them all checked for alignment as you drive the rear wheels take the same beating too.
 
Dark said:
It's best to get them all checked for alignment as you drive the rear wheels take the same beating too.
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I thought it was the steering part of the front that was where the problem was weak, but I haven't really looked at my rear setup to see what's weak.
Thx for your response.
 
It usually only costs $10 more so I tend to just have it done. Better to be safe than sorry. Not to mention our roads here are terrible.
 
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Monk said:
I just got an ad from my dealer giving me a discount on having both my Front and rear wheels aligned.
I've never heard of the rear needing aligned, but have always had a straight axle rear end. I can see that it might be something to look at at some point, maybe if taking a strong hit.

What I'm asking, is it something that would need as much attention as the front?
Click to expand...

the rear suspension, being a multilink design, will actually change geometry as you drive. for instance, going into a corner and causing the car to lean can change the toe, forcing the outside tire to point more towards the center of the car, and helping to reduce the chances of oversteer (spinning out). camber also increases, helping the contact patch stay flat on the road, increasing traction and also reducing the likelihood of a spin. on some cars, the opposite is true, where body roll pushes the toe out, making the car feel more "sporty" by helping it to rotate. others cars suspensions have anti-dive and anti-squat characteristics built-in, helping keep all four tires firmly planted by reducing body motion during acceleration and braking. multilink setups are super versatile, and are limited only by the imagination of the chassis engineers. but the wide range of motion in the suspension also means that wear on the rear suspension components like the springs, shocks, and bushings can cause substantial changes in the geometry. sagging springs can change toe, increasing tire wear. worn bushings can increase camber, also increasing wear and possibly reducing the contact patch. that's why alignments are important, even if the car is front wheel drive.
 
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hey_mikey, As much as Darkk & squiggy had some useful info, which I'll take their advise and have that done with my frt when the time comes, It was your technical reply that I was really wondering about. Well done, Thx........
 
no problem. most people don't care to take notice of such things, but the civic's rear suspension design is very elegant, for lack of a better term. it's almost as compact as a torsion beam setup, but has much more control over wheel movement than a solid axle design. people focus on the front suspension when they think of ride and handling, but in some ways, the rear suspension is just as critical, if not more so. they say honda dropped the ball with the 2012 civic, but it's still one of the better driving cars in its class, and most of that is because of how much work they put into chassis development. a lot of manufacturers are starting to catch up, at least in the handling aspect, but honda's refinement (balance of comfy ride and sporty handling) is still among the best.
 
hey_mikey said:
no problem. most people don't care to take notice of such things, but the civic's rear suspension design is very elegant, for lack of a better term. it's almost as compact as a torsion beam setup, but has much more control over wheel movement than a solid axle design. people focus on the front suspension when they think of ride and handling, but in some ways, the rear suspension is just as critical, if not more so. they say honda dropped the ball with the 2012 civic, but it's still one of the better driving cars in its class, and most of that is because of how much work they put into chassis development. a lot of manufacturers are starting to catch up, at least in the handling aspect, but honda's refinement (balance of comfy ride and sporty handling) is still among the best.
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Interesting, I would say I'm a Nascar fan, but I watch the garage stuff more than the race, and they're always talking about getting the rear end to work, and that changes with every track, so this info is always welcome.
 
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Whether you do a two or four wheel alignment, alignment machines use the rear alignment readings to calculate the vehicle's center line (all four heads are hung anyways). If the rear is badly out of spec, the steering wheel ends up off center, even if the front measurements are OK. As far as I know, no reputable garage will do a two wheel alignment anymore.
 
I work at a dealer 4 wheel alignment is the only thing theyll do...its an 800k machine ...only townfair tire and bootleg places do 2 wheel alignments
 
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