Dunerunner, your owners manual will tell you nothing useful like alignment specs. 2 thousand warnings about drive slower in the rain, and never try to change the radio station while the vehicle is in motion, but little of actual value.
Yes, they have a ton of negative camber. Helps keep the rear end planted while cornering. Shouldn't have a big effect on tire wear. I'm used to performance tires on my other cars that rarely make it to 20k. I suspect the Continentals will last well beyond that.
how about all those silly cautions and warnings!! It is so sad that all that crap, or most of it anyway, needs to be put in there so that MB/smart has their butts covered for manufacturer's liability. The whole country is infatuated with safety rules and regulations. I still have all my body parts after 62 years by exercising some caution and common sense like many others younger and older than I am. Too bad we can't get some credit for intelligence and having some smarts when it comes to what we can or can't or shouldn't do to protect ourselves....no we have to be told in writing!! BS to all that!!
yep, to many lawyers in the country. I often think that all car manufactures need to stop installing automatic transmitions. And if you can't drive a stick well you don't drive. This would also get people to stop driving and talking on cell phones.
yep, to many lawyers in the country. I often think that all car manufactures need to stop installing automatic transmitions. And if you can't drive a stick well you don't drive. This would also get people to stop driving and talking on cell phones.
AMEN!
Or make the tests equally as hard as they have them in Europe where you REALLY do have to TRY to pass the TEST.
yep, to many lawyers in the country. I often think that all car manufactures need to stop installing automatic transmitions. And if you can't drive a stick well you don't drive. This would also get people to stop driving and talking on cell phones.
just to comment on "talking on cell phones", when we were on a tour, the driver of the van we were in was driving stick, text messaging, and pointing out sites all at the same time
Yes, no, not sure......in any event they 'appear' to have "Negative Camber". It may be just an optical illusion too.
I'm taking a 'level' to my rear wheels when I get home and see if, in fact, they are leaning 'in' at the top. That should work......I think
Don't bother with the level. They are definitely "leaning in". All modern cars are designed with some degree of negative camber in the rear and normally either a bit less negative camber or (rarely) 0 camber in the front. The fortwo only has a tad more negative rear camber than your typical VW Jetta or Mazda Miata. It just looks exaggerated from the rear because the rear fenders actually taper inward.
Despite suspension being in spec, (I had it checked) both rear tires developed an inside ridge after 18-20k miles. (Fronts also cupped out.) A2Jack
Confirmed, my 08 is the same way at 28k. I sure wish there was a way to take the negative camber out. I know what it is there for but I still don't like it.
Confirmed, my 08 is the same way at 28k. I sure wish there was a way to take the negative camber out. I know what it is there for but I still don't like it.
If you actually drove the car with 0 rear camber, you'd want your -2 degrees back in a hurry, trust me.
The rear tires will obviously eventually show uneven wear, but it shouldn't be something extraordinarily pronounced. My Porsche did the same thing with its Continentals. I'm not terribly familiar with the wear rate of the ContiSportContacts, and it may also be that they wear a bit quickly regardless. Many drivers were lucky to get 15,000 miles out of a set of stock Bridgestone RE-010's on the Integra Type-R. That wasn't the car's fault and nothing was wrong, it was just a combination of the tire compound and the suspension specs.
a2jack - Did you have the front alignment checked as well? The fronts shouldn't be "cupping" unless there's a problem with the adjustment.
Confirmed, my 08 is the same way at 28k. I sure wish there was a way to take the negative camber out. I know what it is there for but I still don't like it.
Would you also want to do that to a Porsche, or Mercedes, or VW, or the many other cars that have negative camber? It's there for a REASON!
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2 thousand warnings about drive slower in the rain, and never try to change the radio station while the vehicle is in motion, but little of actual value.
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