Swapped my tyres around about two weeks back. Then I had to be out of the country the week after. So when I got back, the evo felt really 'loose'. It's hard to describe but wobbly would be the best description. It didn't pull to any side in particular, just felt like the steering wheel is really sensitive and on hard acceleration, it car seemed to want to go in several directions at once.

So had my alignment checked. A very slight adjustment was made and I drove it home. That didn't seem to solve it, the same situation persistsed.

Anyway, I thought about it a bit and looked at the car carefully and so on, and finally decided to swap the tyres back. The original swap was front pair for rear pair, so the reverse was done.

Voila, problem solved!! Thing is, the camber on the back has worn the rears so that they are more worn on the inside. Now the front doesn't have any camber (or not to such a degree) so sticking the rears up front is like running on slanted front tyres.

So, if anyone's got a similar problem, you might want to try swapping you tyres back...

p.s. I had probably waited too long to swap tyres on my car...

THIS HAS BEEN ADDED FOR THE SAKE OF CLARITY:

I am NOT telling you to swap your tyres back permanently. What I am saying is that if you have a similar problem, try swapping the tyres back first see if it goes away. If it does, then you've left it too late like I have. What you choose to do therafter is up to you. In my case I am going to have to change my tyres earlier cos this lot don't look like they can take it much longer anyhow.

Swapping the tyres back is relatively quick and simple procedure. Saves you the time of going to check alignment etc.

END OF ADDITIONAL PART

 

definitely waited too long.

 

Well, its only done like 18000kms. (around 11k miles)...

 

rotating your tires is the whole idea of having even wear.

if you do not rotate tires at proper intervals, then you chance having a blow out on your tires due to the extreme negative camber wearing the inside of the tires so bad.

our tires are supposed to be rotated every 5000 miles, not 11000 miles.

you haven given extremely bad advice to people. your mistake should not be followed or people could get hurt or die.

 

No, man. I am not telling people not to do it!!!

What I am saying is that if you have a similar problem, this is prolly what happened!!!

Swapping tyres IS a good thing to do. I am just trying to highlight the fact that the camber difference can cause problems if you do it late.

i.e. if you have a similar problem and it goes away after swapping the tyres back, you've cocked it up like I have....

 

p.s. i somehow forgot to do it at 5000. But remembered to do it at 10000. Which was when the swap happened...

 

thank you for clarifying your post. i took it as to swap them back permanentely, which would be very bad. just don't want to get anyone hurt.

 

After several weeks of driving, your tires will wear in the new wear pattern and your car should be back to normal....

 

yes, there is that. But it is really rather bad to an extent that I think it will take more than a couple of weeks. It's raining quite a lot around here at the moment, and I really don't want to risk it.

Does anyone know the reason for the rear camber? My Sti also has a noticable rear camber. Does it help reduce understeer or something?