q5q7

I don't feel anything wrong with the tires now. No pulling, no vibration.

However for the sake of preventative maintenance, should I go straight to a dealer or a really good shop for an alignment?

How is our car prone to misalignment after pothole encounter?

uberwgn

How was your tire wear prior to the mishap? It takes a lot to knock these cars out of align.

q5q7

It was ok. I'll call the tire shop to confirm. I hit the pothole slow at 10mph.

That's good news!

Maverick61

If everyone who has hit a pothole or bump at 10mph or more went in for a wheel alignment each time it happened, the guys doing wheel alignments would be mulch-millionaires

q5q7

called shop and requested the owner to look at my old tires. He doesn't see abnormal wears, there were about 50% tread left. So I think I should be Ok. Thank you guys.

Decim8r

Check out my thread and corresponding pic...
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...hlight=pothole

I hit a major pothole than not only dented my wheel but cracked it as well..It was about 2 feet deep I would say. Luckily my tire didn't pop and only have minor bulging, may even be due to the lack of sidewall support for the tire.

Either way I was worried I would need a realignment and I didn't...

q5q7

your damage and impact speed seems much bigger than mine. I only got a mild bulge on my left front. How's your tread wear now? no vibration/pulling etc?

Decim8r

I don't have any issues, the mechanic that swapped out my rim said it balanced just fine on the road force machine.

It drives laser straight, no noticeable issues with the new rim on...

These cars are rock solid...

spoon2000

If your remaining tires only have 50% of their tread left, and if you don't notice any pulling, etc., then I'd say absolutely do not spend money on an alignment now and just wait until you get new tires installed.

If you can't sleep at night worrying that something might be wrong, then take the car to some shop that gives free alignment checks and see what they say. WARNING: take a copy of your alignment specs with you to the shop to compare them with what the grease monkey says the specs should be, because invariably those guys put the car model into the computer wrong and come up with some wacky result.

Also, a lot of dealers have a "toe machine" in the driveway or service area that you just drive over to find out if your toe is off. I've found that most of the time if you go inside and ask nicely, they will be happy to let you drive over the toe machine plates and will generate a one-page printout for you.

q5q7

good advice. The tires with 50% tread left have already been replaced with a new set because one of the old tires had a bubble on the sidewall.