So I realized I haven't had a wheel aligment in a while. I know that the car was stolen some time ago and then was abandoned with the bumper knocked off but very minor damage aside from that. I wasn't the owner at the time, my brother was and I'm not to sure if he did it, but knowing his cheap ***, he didn't. It's certainly been above 15,000 miles since it has been done, and that's a minimum. The steering wheel is pretty staight and there aren't any steering issues but I think the tires are getting pretty noisy and the previous set of tires on the rear started to become cupped. One thing that didn't help was the fact that the tires were different. So far mine aren't cupped cause they aren't sucky pep boy tires.
I don't know when it was last done but it seems like it would be a good idea, to make sure I don't ruin my tires.

Still think it's a good idea to get them aligned?

Mr. Tire has it for 63$ does that sound good?
Do you guys know of any other places in the Maryland area that are cheaper.

 

I would consider you to get your tires balance, that can cause cupping and unsual wearing on the tire. As for wheel alignment, if the car is going straight and you dont have to hold the steering wheel, the alignment should be fine. I hope this helped you. If your tires arent balanced, they cause cupping and other wearing problems.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by iStyle inc. &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">As for wheel alignment, if the car is going straight and you dont have to hold the steering wheel, the alignment should be fine.</TD></TR></TABLE>

While usually the case, this is not always true.

If you're thinking about getting an alignment, do it after all new tires. If you get an alignment on tires that worn unevenly, even if only a little, it will throw the alignment off when you put new tires on.

 

well the tires are relatively new, around 2,000 miles, that's why I'm considering getting an alignment. They only do a balance when they replace tires.. correct? I know I don't need them balanced. I would think after a while things like camber etc would shift off a little and still not cause the steering to careen in one direction. I'm pretty sure the entire time my bro had the car he didn't get an alignment and he had it for at least a year, and I've had the car for a good bit. The tires aren't worn wierd, i've looked at them but if I keep going it might.
I'm mainly suddenly thinking about this just because I got the tires not long ago, and recollected that my bro neglected the car. So 1 + 1 = o ****.

 

any more words of wisdom since I mentioned the tires are almost new?

 

Why put this much thought into something that obviously won't hurt the car?

Just go for it

 

yeah, well I'm on a tight budget so I thought I would ask. I was pretty sure about the decision but I wanted to get peoples thoughts for future reference etc. I don't know much about a cars suspension and alignment.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Homesickelian &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">yeah, well I'm on a tight budget so I thought I would ask. I was pretty sure about the decision but I wanted to get peoples thoughts for future reference etc. I don't know much about a cars suspension and alignment.</TD></TR></TABLE>

about twice a year if there's nothing wrong with the suspension, you have to do it if you happen to fix something like a damper, ball joint, which will knock the spec off a tad.

but it's a good insurance to get it with your new tire purchase so you know it will not chew up the rubber. plus most of the places will give discount on combo purchase.

60 buck is average price for one time alignment.

 

ok cool. You think having transaxle rods broken and replaced would affect the alignment at all? I had that done and I'm not to certain as to how much of the suspension they might shift. Either way I think I'm going to get it done ASAP since I'd like to keep these tires a long time since my car is in good shape.
Maybe if the report is dreadfull enough and my alignment was pretty bad I'll be sure to post the stats


Modified by Homesickelian at 8:50 PM 2/8/2007

 

They say that anytime you remove any suspension components, you should go ahead and get an alignment.

With only 2000 miles on your tires, you'll be fine if you get an alignment done. At the very, very least, I get one done every 2 years. More if necessary, of course.

 

you really should get an alignment if you notice uneven wear in the tires. get a tire depth gauge and check all the outer treads depths.

if you were driving on a set of tires for 30k and then you replaced them with new tires, get an alignment. it's just right

 

We do alignments at work and I'm not sure what we charge but I want to say $63 sounds about right. I am for some reason thinking we do it for $57 or something but I'm not really sure.

 

Yeah, Mr. tire usually does it for like 80, which sounds rediculous but they had a 20% coupon so I stuck with it. Ill post the adjustments soon but I think my toe on both front tires was way off.

 

My overall front toe was pretty ugly.