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Old 07-31-2005, 05:24 PM   #1
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I'm seeing some abnormal (??) tire wear on the outside edge of the front tires on my 2004 Honda CRV after only about 6-7K of towing. Use Blue Ox hitch and tow behind 2003 Dolphin, stay within speed limit (55-65). Other than that, no probs w/toad or MH. Is this normal?, not?. Whatcha think?
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Old 07-31-2005, 05:24 PM   #2
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I'm seeing some abnormal (??) tire wear on the outside edge of the front tires on my 2004 Honda CRV after only about 6-7K of towing. Use Blue Ox hitch and tow behind 2003 Dolphin, stay within speed limit (55-65). Other than that, no probs w/toad or MH. Is this normal?, not?. Whatcha think?
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Old 07-31-2005, 08:31 PM   #3
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What kind of abnormal wear? If you're seeing cupping, it could mean you have too much slant on your tow bar. Blue Ox says to have the toad connection no more than 4" lower than the MH connection. You may be bouncing the front of your CRV. Another thing to check is the alignment on the toad. You might want to have them set the caster at maximum, if it can be adjusted.
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Old 08-01-2005, 04:03 AM   #4
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Toads are meant to be driven, not towed. The alignment geometry is best set up for those conditions and towing tends to aggravate those settings if they are slightly off. Caster is the amount that the wheel's center (or turning) axis is set back from the vertical. If you have an excessive positive caster your vehicle will handle like a Harley chopper with extended forks. You'll go straight down the road but it'll be a bear to try to turn it and the turning radius will increase. If you have negative caster your vehicle will turn on a dime but be impossible to keep in a straight line. Think of it as one of those shopping carts with a bad caster on it that wiggles and shakes all over the place.

The first thing I'd do is have the alignment checked. It doesn't take much variance and it will show up on your tires when towing. As previously mentioned, if at all possible, I'd consider increasing the caster a bit if it's marginal. I've increased a factory spec of 1.5 degrees to 3 degrees on my '72 Javelin and it made a huge difference in the way it drove - much more stable at high speed.
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Old 08-01-2005, 05:18 AM   #5
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Checking the alignment is a good place to start. And the level tow bar is also vital for safety as well as for tire wear. I would add to what was said about what is suggested by the engineers at Blue Ox.

In an article in Escapees magazine, Mark Penerick(SP?) states that the attach point of the tow bar to the toad should never be any more than 4" below that of the attach point on the motorhome, and never at all above the attach point of the motorhome. Tire wear is only a small part of that issue.

We tow a CR-V and there is somewhat more wear on the front tires than on the rear, but not a great deal. We do rotate the tires frequently.
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Old 08-01-2005, 06:22 AM   #6
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Thanks All for the info. A trip to the alignment shop is in order. The tow bar is within the 4in margin, in fact I'd say it's about "dead-on" level. Cruzer - your explanation made things very clear to me - thanks man....
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Old 08-04-2005, 06:41 AM   #7
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When ever I need any towing info I just call the Blue Ox hot line. Cruzer is right on.
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