I need to replace the rear axle in a 2007 Fit. I think it's a fairly simple job...wondering if anyone had done this repair...and if so was it fairly easy???

 

what happened to your rear axle?

 

It was bent when we took delivery in 2007. I asked the salesman about the angle of the back tires. I worked in the tire business for years and know some suspensions square up when your driving and kinda lean when sitting. After putting 17" wheels and tires on it the rear tires started wearing out real quickly.

 

Shoot... I would have smacked that axle with the warrantyhammer!

Only problem I can foresee is Honda Bolt Syndrome, but an 07 may not have it yet.

 

Which angle are you talking about camber or toe?

The rear camber spec is listed in the owners manual as -1 degree and 30 minutes (-1.50 degrees) so it will be clearly visible and toe shouldn't be visually noticeable since it is listed at 0.10 inches (2.5mm).

If the beam is indeed bent then you may be able to use shims to correct the alignment as a cheap alternative for a minor bend; if not, then replacing the torsion beam will be necessary.

Also, what were the dimensions (including width & offset) of the 17 inch wheel/tire combo you choose to run?

 

It's a 17X7 wheel with a +40mm offset. Not ideal...but not enough difference to bend an axle. There is only one alignment adustment you can make on the car...don't want to go the shim route. You can see there is a problem. My fault...I never should have taken delivery on the car. After we replaced the wheels and tires we really couldn't go back and claim warranty. Obviously the wear on the tires became much more noticeable with the 17's. The tires are wearing out on the inside edge at about 4K miles.

 

My 2008 Fit that has 53,XXX on it that also is having a problem with the alignment on the rear. On the Carfax report, there was only a minor passenger front accident reported. It has 17x7 ICW 005B Adrenaline wheels on it. I can't find the offset due to the wheels being discontinued. The specs are as follow" left rear: -0.6° camber x.xx° toe; right rear: -1.6° camber 0.13° toe". The x.xx° means that they couldn't get a reading on the toe for that wheel because it was to far out. I just bought the vehicle a couple of weeks ago and had to buy some new tires for it. The passenger rear "was" a new tire but had excessive wear on the inside of the tire. When the vehicle is on a lift or just sitting on level ground you can tell the wheel is leaning in at the top. The driver rear tire, before getting the new tires, was not the tire that had been there for long. Its wear was even but worn down to 3/32". The driver front tire was new so I'm guessing it was put in the front to not wear out the new tire. The passenger front looked just like the driver rear. I build wreckers, rollbacks, and heavies(tow trucks) at a truck equipment business so I can weld, use of torch, plasma cutter, etc. Pictures of what I have built/repaired can be seen here to give you a better idea of what I can do. Also pictures of the Fit can be seen here. Any suggestions?

Would it be easier to cut off the plate where the hub and drum attach to the axle and re-weld it back on straight?

Are there any other methods other than shims or getting the plate machined?

 

After putting 15"X7" 41mm offset Enkei RPF1 wheels and stock size tires on my 2007 Fit it was obvious that the rear camber was way off just by looking at the car.. The rear tires weren't wearing out on the inside nearly as badly as the front tires were.. I have 16"X6 1/2" 45 mm offset Kosei K4R wheels with 205-50-16" tires on it at this time and visually the camber looks OK.. I had 16X 7" wheels with 38mm offset on it for awhile that really ate up the inside of both the front and rear tires.

 

Replaced the rear axle and now all is good.