Hello Gary:

Thanks for the reply.  Squish plates was suggested by a machinist from Lawrence Livermore Lab when he observed my strange tire wear.

When I lowered the plane onto the plates, I was amazed at how much the gear spread out.  It appeared that the angle of the tire in contact with the ground (plates) changed quite a bit.  Then I started thinking that the "gear spread" had to be a function of total aircraft weight.  So, do you use your takeoff weight, your average landing weight, or somewhere between???

As it turned out, the shims had to be cut again when using the squish plates so now I'm really confused because the strange wear pattern on the tires continued.  Go Figure.

This time I will measure the toe-in and camber with and without the squish plates and see what the difference actually is.  Let me know if you have any other thoughts.

Regards, Bill Hogarty