[Lotus99]

My car's coming up on 4 years now, and the dealer's got a special on alignments, so I was thinking of getting it done, since I've never had one.

On the other hand, my tires are wearing fine, so I'm wondering if it's worth doing one?

Do people just do alignments every xx years or after xx miles? Or only if you see something's off like bad tire wear?

RFT's in the rear I heard are notorious for wearing a lot more on the insides, but mine after 17,000 miles (I use winters too and only drive this car about 5,000 miles a year) don't look a lot worse on the inside compared to the outside, so maybe I'm fine?

[335okc]

it just depends on how anal you are. how bad your roads are, how many pot holes you hit, etc.
i had back to back alignment within 2 months and the numbers changed already.
i never have tire wear issue tho.

if you think you're fine, if the car doesn't pull, if the tire wear are ok, if you don't track it. you're probably fine.
my 2 cents.

[project6]

The old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" may very well apply here.

[Lotus99]

Originally Posted by 335okc

it just depends on how anal you are. how bad your roads are, how many pot holes you hit, etc.
i had back to back alignment within 2 months and the numbers changed already.
i never have tire wear issue tho.

if you think you're fine, if the car doesn't pull, if the tire wear are ok, if you don't track it. you're probably fine.
my 2 cents.

Hmmm... I hit a pothole like 3 years ago, which I know dented the rim ever slightly (had it checked out after, but didn't need repair), other than that, road are pretty good here.

RFT's pull / track as soon as you hit some grooves, so I guess some of that I'm going to have to chalk up to the tires vs. bad alignment.

But when you say "if you track it", can you expand please on how that might affect the alignment? Or is it that it's that much more important to get it checked occasionally if you track, as you need your car in top shape? I've tracked a couple of times in the past year, and if all goes well, a couple more.

PS They want $100 for it, in case that matters, and it didn't seem like a lot I thought.

[335okc]

Originally Posted by Lotus99

But when you say "if you track it", can you expand please on how that might affect the alignment? Or is it that it's that much more important to get it checked occasionally if you track, as you need your car in top shape? I've tracked a couple of times in the past year, and if all goes well, a couple more.

it's just that.
and generally, people who tracks want more camber.

[Lotus99]

Got it, thanks. So far, with two track days on these tires, they're wearing ok, so maybe the camber's set up ok as is.

For the few times a year I track (if I'm lucky, five), I don't want excessive inside tire wear so that they wear out too quickly, as I'm thinking of getting a nice set of Michelin's PSS's, which are expensive, so I'll think about how to proceed.

I'd read of some guys getting flat tires, then pulling off their tires to see what had happened, and discovering they had worn their tires to the belts on the inside, but the outside tread was still quite good. RFT's mind you, are supposedly worse at doing this.

[vwong]

Originally Posted by Lotus99

For the few times a year I track (if I'm lucky, five), I don't want excessive inside tire wear so that they wear out too quickly, as I'm thinking of getting a nice set of Michelin's PSS's, which are expensive, so I'll think about how to proceed.

Depending on your camber settings, you'll actually wear the outside quicker if you track often.

My E92 is on OEM sport suspension, camber is -0.8° front/-2.0° rear with toe at zero all around. The outside shoulder of the front tires wore out quicker, while the rear tires wore out more evenly across the width of the tire.

Anyways, I normally do the alignment after putting on a brand new set of tires, and that means about once a year for me.

[Lotus99]

Originally Posted by vwong

Depending on your camber settings, you'll actually wear the outside quicker if you track often.

My E92 is on OEM sport suspension, camber is -0.8° front/-2.0° rear with toe at zero all around. The outside shoulder of the front tires wore out quicker, while the rear tires wore out more evenly across the width of the tire.

Anyways, I normally do the alignment after putting on a brand new set of tires, and that means about once a year for me.

I'm thinking that maybe my rear tires have worn evenly possibly because of the track days, though I've only done two, as the outside as you say has worn b/c of tracking, and the inside has worn b/c of the camber.

Are your settings the default ones? Or did you put more negative camber b/c you track? I also have the sport suspension.

Lastly, with your annual alignments, do you find that your alignment was out before generally?

[#Tee]

Its common practice to have an alignment done when ever you have new tires even tho your previous tires did not have abnormal wear. If you want the best life out of your new set then you should have it done ...why? as suspension bushings start to wear down it changes and effects all the angles. Even if you didnt lower height, camber effects toe and toe is the tire killer.

[Lotus99]

Thanks, will do. Only thing is I was going to get one done now, as it's on special, and wouldn't you know, in the next few months, I'm going to have to get a new set of tires...

PS Would you just go with factory settings if you only track a few times a year?

[VMRWheels]

I wouldn't waste my money if you feel that you don't need it. I'd only get an alignment if I was going on a very long road trip or have uneven tire wear.

[Lotus99]

Thx, good to hear from a wheel vendor on this!

[Surly73]

Yep.

"Abnormal" tire wear can take so many forms, they're not always going to be easy to spot depending on what your issue is. "Abnormal" wear could also include uniform but premature wear across the entire tire - would you necessarily pick up on that?

To me, alignment is about tracking through corners, how mid-corner bumps are handled and other factors, not just tire wear.

On average I get an alignment every 18 months, and SOMETHING always needed correcting and I always feel a difference after it's done.

It should be pointed out that a lot of things aren't adjustable, so they aren't going to be "out" unless something is bent. Other things, like front toe, are adjusted with threaded rods. Unless you have a bushing or ball joint going out, you also shouldn't see a lot of variance. Other factors, like all of the rear end adjustments, are made with eccentrics and bolts acting like "set screws". These are the settings which can be bumped and jostled out of place by normal driving. Add some pot holes and things will almost certainly be out of spec.

[e90pilot]

Originally Posted by Surly73

Yep.

"Abnormal" tire wear can take so many forms, they're not always going to be easy to spot depending on what your issue is. "Abnormal" wear could also include uniform but premature wear across the entire tire - would you necessarily pick up on that?

To me, alignment is about tracking through corners, how mid-corner bumps are handled and other factors, not just tire wear.

On average I get an alignment every 18 months, and SOMETHING always needed correcting and I always feel a difference after it's done.

It should be pointed out that a lot of things aren't adjustable, so they aren't going to be "out" unless something is bent. Other things, like front toe, are adjusted with threaded rods. Unless you have a bushing or ball joint going out, you also shouldn't see a lot of variance. Other factors, like all of the rear end adjustments, are made with eccentrics and bolts acting like "set screws". These are the settings which can be bumped and jostled out of place by normal driving. Add some pot holes and things will almost certainly be out of spec.

This. And, if alignments are on special, do it. It could save you some $$$ in the long run. At the very least you should have them check it.

[Lotus99]

If I do one, and get new tires in a few months, do I technically have to do another or it's more based on how many miles I've driven since the last alignment when it goes out?

[e90pilot]

It's lots of factors but changing the tires does change the way the car sits, so it will change the alignemt numbers. You should align the car when the tires have enough tread to las a while.

[Lotus99]

OK, then I won't waste my $ now, and maybe I'll do it after I get new tires in a few months.

[vwong]

Originally Posted by Lotus99

Are your settings the default ones? Or did you put more negative camber b/c you track? I also have the sport suspension.

Lastly, with your annual alignments, do you find that your alignment was out before generally?

Sorry for the late reply. My alignment setting is NOT the OEM alignment specs. IIRC, OEM settings have a little bit of toe-in on both front and rear.

Generally, the alignment wasn't out too much. But I want to make sure that the alignment was still the way I want it after installing new tires.

[Lotus99]

Posted update here: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=699068