I used to have a Metro a long time ago. My memory says that the rear has no alignment adjustments. You say that the outside of the tires are wearing, that means the bottom of the tire is tilted towards the car too much. This could be caused by 1) an accident; 2) bad struts; 3) bad wheel bearings. If 2 or 3 is your problem, replacing the parts if pretty straight forward. If #1, then you either have to get pricy or creative - the unibody frame has to be unbent. A good frame shop can do this, but it'll likely cost more than the car (couple thousand). It is possible to bend the shock towers apart using jacks and wood, but most of the time you ruin the car. It takes careful planning and constant, precise measurements. TireRack has a good primer on the lingo of alignments here, http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=4 . It sounds like you are looking at a Camber problem. You can get a cheap camber guage off ebay, but it may be more than you want to spend http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Strut-Tool-Gauge-Wheel-Camber-BMW-VW-Audi -Mercedes_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem27aca885f2QQitemZ170400450034QQptZM otorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools . You can use a standard torpedo/small level for comparison against your other tires to check for big problems though. If you're anywhere near Seattle, I'd be happy to look at it with you. If you're somewhere else, email back with any follow on questions. Brian
________________________________ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Robert McElwee Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 1:20 AM To: Miatapower Miata Power Subject: NPC: Good link to DIY rear end alignment on front wheel drive car? My rear wheels are wearing on the outside on my Geo Metro. Anyone have a nice site for info on a DIY method of fixing this? Too much noise on the internet about this and I cannot find a good site. I'm not really interested in spending $40 (or whatever it is, I haven't checked) to align a $30 set of tires <G>. If I could move spend 10 minutes to move the rear tires a pinch I would be happy. Also, I am a complete alignment newb. I get confused on it and would take a quick lesson on what is going on with my car's alignment based on my wear pattern if someone would be willing to help. Hmm, I really need to change my signature. I no longer have the 50 MPG Miata (sold a few months ago) and I am currently working on the 70 MPG Geo... -- Robert McElwee and Blue Flash "The 50 MPG Miata" www.lightweightmiata.com/blue Lightweight Miata Forum: www.lightweightmiata.com/forum The Miata Trailer Project: www.lightweightmiata.com/trailer
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