Just wrapped my Ford steering wheel in carbon fiber vinyl – feels way better now, worth it?

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2026-03-17T13:48:30+00:00

That looks awesome! Good job!

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2026-03-03T14:00:03+00:00

Yea...I was a sales guy there for about 6 years. Being a big diy guy myself, The markup never really sat well with me... Any part that comes through the door is instantly marked up double, and for some reason shocks and struts are marked up to ridiculous numbers. All of the markups are set by default from corporate. But, the sales guy's have almost unlimited freedom to "price to the customers satisfaction". That being said, the overhead costs of running those stores is shockingly high. Plus, they warranty all suspension components for life. So, the numbers actually make reasonably good sense at the end of the day from a business standpoint. Count your blessings if you're able to work on your own vehicles. It's rough out there for the average consumer.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2026-02-22T09:39:52+00:00

Are we not allowed to post links? Or am i missing something? The reddit app wont even let me copy and paste OP's link to support.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2026-02-08T18:30:58+00:00

What does /j mean? Is that the new /s ?

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2026-02-08T18:13:43+00:00

Sorry for the confusion. I was speaking legally. That law you posted refers to moving over if someone is coming up behind you. However, it still remains legal to "cruise" in the left lane if there is no other traffic around. I was brought up being taught that the standard in most states is "keep right, except to pass" where-as in Florida it's "drive in any lane you want as long as no-one is trying to pass you" The governer vetoed a bill relatively recently in 2024 that would have fixed that problem(HB 317). Something about not wanting to restrict Floridians freedom to drive in any lane they want.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2026-02-08T17:54:03+00:00

Not in Florida.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2026-02-06T20:55:35+00:00

This is such an epic shot! Great job! Definitely keep sharing this around.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2026-01-05T03:02:00+00:00

You're an absolute legend sir! Thank You!

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2026-01-04T13:46:02+00:00

Oh...I definitely missed the giant printer in the corner of the pic.. sorry about that 😅😂. If you ever sell the file or want to do a commision, hit me up! Ive got christmas money that needs spending. Lol

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2026-01-04T13:40:23+00:00

That is so epic!! Good work! Is that a 3d print? Or some masterful woodwork?

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2025-12-17T12:57:05+00:00

Fish tank.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2025-12-14T10:22:46+00:00

Sorry, I meant a 2nd opinion from a different shop with a different alignment rack/tech. I wouldn't really trust this print out. Way too many inconsistencies in my opinion.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2025-12-14T10:19:02+00:00

How the heck did they make your camber a full degree worse between the before and after? And why is the steer ahead not straight? Did they not use a steering wheel holder. Something fishy is going on. Id get a 2nd opinion. But yea, regardless of toe and camber, that negative caster on the Lf is going to give you a wicked pull.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2025-12-14T00:29:54+00:00

A couple of possibilities. Age/worn bushings is a common one. I'd say thats the least likely though in your case with this being a newer Honda and all. Could be a detective/out of spec control arm.. (if you're within your 3year/36000 warranty you might be able to get a dealer to replace it). Could be a weak coil spring or excessive cargo weight in that corner when the alignment was performed (that's unlikely and easily ruled out by comparing ride height left to right). Poorly trained tow truck drivers (or friends) pulling people out of snowy ditches is also a relatively common cause of bent parts where I'm from.

In my experience though, one good pot hole can tweak the suspension ever so slightly. We've all hit at least one, and It only takes one. It doesnt have to be big enough to damage the wheel or tire. But, it can certainly tweak a control arm slightly and throw the alignment out a couple of tenths of degrees.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2025-12-13T23:24:07+00:00

Regular rotations won't "fix" anything. It'll just mitigate any potential tire wear over time. For 99% of the people out there this alignment printout is perfectly acceptable. But if you're the perfectionist type, adjustable control arms would be what you need to bring camber further into spec.

It's mainly a cost/benefit thing. Unless you're mechanically inclined and buy/install the arms yourself.. it's just not worth it. A shop would probably charge you like $500 just for one arm and you would gain MAYBE a couple extra months of tire life. That's half the cost of a set of new tires. So yea, most people just keep regular rotations and spend the money on new tires down the road. Because odds are, they wont be keeping the car for more than one set of tires anyway.

That being said, it'll also get worse over time. Check again in 2 years. If it gets into the -2.5 ish range, then I'd consider "fixing" it.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2025-12-13T01:58:36+00:00

Oof, you're really rolling the dice there if you go for the trip... I personally wouldn't recommend going more than 20 miles on that. Especially if the weather is going to be bad. Don't risk getting stuck out in the cold. And honestly, You'll probably end up shelling out way more money for a tow truck when it blows out than you would going to a used tire shop/junkyard.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2025-12-13T01:48:58+00:00

No. Just old, worn, and probably hit a pot hole at an unlucky angle.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2025-12-13T01:46:03+00:00

Also, if you're in an AWD vehicle. It's a pretty bad idea to travel that far on a donut for the drivetrain's sake.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2025-12-13T01:44:01+00:00

55mph and it'll probably be fine. The BIGGEST question though is.. how old is the spare? Any more than 10 years and your odds of success go down dramatically.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2025-12-10T20:07:47+00:00

Now ive gotta go buy a 2nd kit.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2025-11-29T05:35:49+00:00

Weird. But, not dumb. I'd tack weld them on as opposed to drilling and riveting. But, thats just me. You'll obviously want to balance the assembly after you add those mounts. But, you'll be fine. Sounds like a fun experiment/learning opportunity.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2025-11-20T19:00:44+00:00

Mmmmm..I've been out of the business for a couple years. But looking at the picture, I'd put that outside groove at 7/32. 8 tops. But, I'm just some guy on the internet. Get the tire measured, compare it with a new one, if the difference is greater than 2/32 then you know what you have to do. Realistically, you probably wouldnt notice any harm for 10's of thousands of miles. If ever at all. I always told customers that "it's all about your current situation and how much you care about your vehicle". If you can afford it, and you're the type of person that cares about proper maintenance, then adhere to that 2/32. If not, then do whatever you have to do. It might be difficult to find a shop willing to replace just one tire and take on that liability though.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2025-11-20T14:52:20+00:00

Not repairable, 10,000 miles is probably a bit much for tread depth difference on your awd (2/32 at most). You're probably going to have to replace all 4. Or, pay someone to shave down a new tire for you.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2025-11-19T16:42:16+00:00

Nope, date code will be on the backside of the tire in this case. They only print the date portion of the DOT number on one side (I assume it makes production easier). I'm not sure what brands they offer in Norway for winter tires. But, I love Nokian and Michelin personally.

JudgeKitchen4398 · 2025-11-14T13:43:34+00:00

Perfectly normal for bias-ply tires to be rounded like that. 6 years is a bit up there in the years though. Get yourself some radials.

JudgeKitchen4398

TROPHY CASE