While having service done on my '07 CS, the technician recommended (1)new REAR tires and (2)an alignment. I asked whether the recommendations were independent of one another. I was told that the increase in tread depth on new tires change the alignment settings and, therefore, an alignment should be done when new tires are installed.
Is this true ? If so, is the need for an alignment different between front and rear tires ?
TIA
I had 2 new rear tires & an aline at 20K miles. Tech found 1 front wheel out of balance. Car drives better than new. Always replace ties in a pair on the same axle. Worth the $$.
Back to the original question. I know of no reason to have an alignment just because you have replaced tires, unless you have replaced them owing to abnormal wear patterns. With independent suspension, the front and rear both should be aligned at the same time. Even a new car may require alignment - the factory settings are sometimes not even within spec.
Balancing. Yes.
Alignment? I don't think so...
The cars alignment from the factory was done with fresh rubber. So to me, the logic of the alignment settings changing with tread depth only hold water if the alignment was changed after the last set were put on the car.
Are they the same make and model of the original tires or are you switching brands? I could see some justification if you were going from PS2 summers to another brand all seasons.
If the wheels are out of alignment thats a whole nother story, but I'd want the mechanic to show me that first. Have you noticed anything wrong with the way it drives? any uneven wear on those rears?
An alignment was perfomed just 6 months ago during repair work from an accident (long story). Therefore, the alignment was done with the tires near their current condition (wear bars almost showing). I always thought alignments were done according to the wheel, not the tire. Is this not true ? Like I said, the technician says that the car is not out of alignment now but would need an alignment if the tires were replaced (with the same PS2's), as recommended.
Perhaps your technician recommended an alignment based on inspecting the tread wear patterns?
I beleive that your technician is misleading you a bit. While the alignment can be done at the wheel (laser), tire wear, pressures, etc can affect the balance and weight distribution a bit and alter a typical alignment. In practice, the small change will not matter as the car is never loaded perfectly anyway, certainly not close enough for the tire wear to signifcantly effect the alignment.
Now if the tire wear is an indicator of bad alignment, thats different.
Call Steve Alarcon at Johnson's Alignment/Suspension Specialties in Torrance. Steve is a top POC racer and does
Porsche
alignments "old school" with a string and gauge. He will give a straight answer to your question and, if the car does need to be aligned, will do it for much less (and better) than the dealer.
If you are in OC then call Dwain Dement at Vision Motorsports. Dwain and his techs will align your car in the same manner they do their race cars.
Cheers,
If you're installing new tires why wait until they show abnormal wear to determine if your car needs an alignment do it when they are installed. The technician should also be able to give you a printout showing what the correct alignment should be versus what you have now. You can make a decision based on that. you also know you can align your car based on your driving style. If you are a spirited driver who also AX's you may want to have them dial in a little more negative camber on the rear suspension.
Technician indicated curent tread wear patterns are OK (I agree with him) and that the current alignment is good.
This sounds very logical. I will assume they were just looking for some extra cash by recommending something that is technically true but practically unnecessary.
Thanks.
