allroad'Ed now

Recall that when I pulled my 18's off in January to mount my snows, I discovered that after 8500 miles my right rear was on the warning bars, my left rear was at 4/32 but both fronts were between 7 & 8/32. rears were worn pretty evenly and knowing that we have a fair amount of negative camber, I suspected that I had excesive toe-in too.

Finally got around to getting my alignment done today. Results:

Front didn't even need to be touched.

Rear was way off:
Camber
L/R -1.6
R/R -1.5
--spec is between -0.2 & -1.2
--now set to -1.0

Toe
L/R .30" in
R/R .50" in
--spec is 0.05 to 0.20"
--now set at 0.15"

So my right rear had 3.5 times too much toe and left rear had twice as much toe as the final spec. No wonder the right rear was shot!

Car was aligned at dealer just 8 or 9 months ago. Now I recognize that there are a lot of influences that can knock a car out of alignment, but the front is fine and both rears are out almost equally side to side. Makes me think the rear was never right. Oh well, it's OK now.

Sorry for the rant.

Studly_1

I need to measure tread still. Same tires, same locations. My printout just shows the after, not before. It's different, but I'm not sure that it's better. 4 wheel align done 5k ago. Both alignments covered under AoA warranty -
Rear:
Camber
L/R -0.32
R/R -0.49
--Ed's spec is between -0.2 & -1.2
Mine says -0.3 & -1.3

Toe
L/R 0.06" in
R/R 0.08" in
--Ed's spec is 0.05 to 0.20"
mine says 0.05 to 0.13

Total toe 0.14
Thrust -0.01

FRONTS after:
Toe
L/F .15" in
R/F ..09" in
--spec is 0.05 to 0.15"

Camber
L/F -0.44 Caster 2.51
R/F -0.39 Caster 2.38
--spec is between -0.35 & -1.25
Total toe 0.24
Steer ahead 0.03

Allroadfin

my 3 summer tires are evenly wearing but one is nearly bald from inside! Is that alignment issue and is it covered by warranty?

Studly_1

Tire wear usually comes from alignment, in your case and mine I suspect the camber, maybe combined with the toe. Covered? The dealer protested, but mine was done before the 15k, and the steering wheel was off. They re-did it. Since it was such a short time and the tire is wearing, I asked the question of them again. At first, dealer told me they'd check the alignment. They called and said the car drives straight, come pick it up. I asked what they did and service said they drove it. With some prodding they aligned it again. My wheel is off again, but only a little. The dealer has a fabulous rack to do the job, but it seems I get a mediocre alignment each time. My dealer has made it hard to ever speak to a technician and get an idea of what he can do or how, as I could with domestic cars I've owned. Drop it and get in the loaner. Next time, I'll find my own tech and pay for the job.

Allroadfin

And what makes alingnment to change? I have never had this problem in my previous cars!

THANKS

Studly_1

My guess is $150. More for a good technician who takes his time. I haven't paid yet.

Generally, hitting bumps cause alignments to change. Bumps combined with braking absolutely stress the adjustments. Most driving for me has been pretty smooth. I haven't hit any big holes. AWD and height adjustment must make it all pretty hard to keep lined up.

Allroadfin

THANKS