Is alignment needed?
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,446
Likes: 314
From: Tarpon Springs FL
FL Events Coordinator
Is alignment needed?
I am going to put new tires all around my 08 Vert. I purchased it new 4 yrs ago next week. I have 26,000 miles on the OEM GY's. The rear tires have more thread than the fronts but I will replace them anyway. All 4 tires have worn perfectly even. The wear bars are just starting to "Thump Thump" on the front tires. I live in a rural area so I will order my tires online and then take the wheels off myself and bring them to a tire store in Va Beach, Va...a 2 hr drive one way, that knows how to handle chrome wheels to have them mounted & balanced. My question is....Do I have to have it re-aligned if I replace the tires with the exact same size but a different brand?
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
considering your stated wear patterns, no. but considering that this is a new set, I don't think it can hurt to have it done (esp. once every four years), just make sure they really tighten things down when they do it. my take is you've been very lucky not to need one sooner.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 6,897
Likes: 181
From: Menifee (I.E.) CA
I take off my tires once a year when I do my oil change. Within one year of my last tire takeoff, my front insides were almost to the wires. Somehow they got out of alignment in one year.
Do the alignment, just find a place that will let you drive it on and one that will take your car, being the front is so low. You'll screw the valance going up and coming back down. See if they have 2x4s or something. Just some thoughts.
Do the alignment, just find a place that will let you drive it on and one that will take your car, being the front is so low. You'll screw the valance going up and coming back down. See if they have 2x4s or something. Just some thoughts.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 5,394
Likes: 281
From: cumming ga
usfo your front end is aligned from the factory with a lot of neg camber you need 0 camber and toe on the front for good tire wear. The rears need 1/2 degree neg camber 0 toe. Hope this helps
z51vett
z51vett
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 6,516
Likes: 730
From: Sausalito CA
Since perfect wear.....forego an alignment IMHO.
FWIW:
Yet another option would be to have the alignment specs printed out after you install the new tires for future reference.
Again w/ perfect wear....what would you change in your specs?
You could look to corner weighting and ride height then align to a spec recommend by co-members of this forum.
It can be time consuming to get "perfect" specs and then you or a passenger sit in the car, adding your weight, which changes the specs. Again, since you have proper tire wear...I'd skip an alignment.
FWIW:
Yet another option would be to have the alignment specs printed out after you install the new tires for future reference.
Again w/ perfect wear....what would you change in your specs?
You could look to corner weighting and ride height then align to a spec recommend by co-members of this forum.
It can be time consuming to get "perfect" specs and then you or a passenger sit in the car, adding your weight, which changes the specs. Again, since you have proper tire wear...I'd skip an alignment.
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The Consigliere
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 23,011
Likes: 6,047
From: 2023 Z06 & 2010 ZR1
If your wear pattern is fine, I wouldn't mess with the alignment. In the face of a perfectly acceptable wear pattern, wouldn't want to give a shop the opportunity to mess it up.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 11,146
Likes: 1,913
From: Missouri City, TX
considering your stated wear patterns, no. but considering that this is a new set, I don't think it can hurt to have it done (esp. once every four years), just make sure they really tighten things down when they do it. my take is you've been very lucky not to need one sooner.
Moderator
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 40,902
Likes: 4,352
From: Lakewood Ranch, FL
I am going to put new tires all around my 08 Vert. I purchased it new 4 yrs ago next week. I have 26,000 miles on the OEM GY's. The rear tires have more thread than the fronts but I will replace them anyway. All 4 tires have worn perfectly even. The wear bars are just starting to "Thump Thump" on the front tires. I live in a rural area so I will order my tires online and then take the wheels off myself and bring them to a tire store in Va Beach, Va...a 2 hr drive one way, that knows how to handle chrome wheels to have them mounted & balanced. My question is....Do I have to have it re-aligned if I replace the tires with the exact same size but a different brand?
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 11,146
Likes: 1,913
From: Missouri City, TX
That's it!!
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,446
Likes: 314
From: Tarpon Springs FL
FL Events Coordinator
Thanks for all the input....I am of the firm belief "if it ain't broken..don't fix it" and why give someone the chance of messing it up. I will put the new tires on and monitor the wear. If there was a decent dealership/shop where I could have it checked I would have it done. Like one of the previous posts...cheap insurance...but then I would risk damage by someone who doesn't know what they are doing.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 41,732
Likes: 1,718
From: Springfield MO
26,000 miles on the original Goodyears. If you have a base C6, that mileage sounds normal. If you have a Z06, please get the alignment checked and send me the results so I can get my Z06 aligned to your specs.
Seriously, it sounds like your alignment is okay, so don't be messin' with it.
Seriously, it sounds like your alignment is okay, so don't be messin' with it.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 41,732
Likes: 1,718
From: Springfield MO
I have only had five alignments done to my cars over the past 50 years. Two were because I changed out the front springs in the cars(hot rods), one was because the car was scrubbing to much in tight turns in one direction, one was because I slid on some ice and smacked the curb, and then once on my Z06 last year when it was obvious that I needed an alignment because my right front tire was wearing badly on the inside. But on my Z06 I did hit a bridge deck at 65 MPH where they had scraped the asphalt off the road(about 2-2.5 inches) and didn't put any temporary ramps in to the concrete bridge floor, thanks to the Kentucky Highway dept.