Is tyre tracking necessary ?

reg114

Is tracking of tyres needed or is it an unnecessary expense?

pippip

Well if your tracking is off you're going to need new tyres sooner.

Money well spent once you need it. Keeping an eye for uneven wear will let you know when you need it. If its even all the way across the threads you really shouldn't need it done.

Harry Palmr

Its the wheels that are aligned and yes wheels out of skew will wear the tread along one area of the profile leading to rapid renewal of said tyres, also it means that you will have a smoothed zone where grip is much reduced in the wet.

Caliden

Yes it is necessary (if it's required).

Uneven tyre wear and steering wheel vibration at high speeds are tell tale signs that it needs doing.

reg114

Thanks, my front left tyre is worn much more than the rest, hence the question.

CiniO

Caliden wrote: »

Yes it is necessary (if it's required).

Uneven tyre wear and steering wheel vibration at high speeds are tell tale signs that it needs doing.

Uneven tyre wear indeed is a sign tracking not right (wheel allignment).

But vibrations at higher speeds, would indicate that wheels are not balanced.

Wheel balancing and wheel alignment (tracking) is not the same thing.

biko

Yes, it's necessary sometimes. Particularly if there has been work on the suspension or anything "behind the wheel".

alias no.9

Got the two front tyres replaced on the wifes car a few months ago in Discount Tyres in Blanch and they offered a free tracking check. I was a bit suspect that this was going to turn into an extra charge to 'correct' the tracking as they could have ample opportunity to make sure it needed tracking but they brought me through and showed me the result with everything in spec.

Chimaera

Yes it's important. Aside from the tyre wear issues already mentioned, misalignment of the suspension is going to affect the handling of your vehicle and could cause it to behave in a dangerous fashion.

rex-x

Its one thing Irish tend to not do nearly often enough, normally waiting for new tyres or suspension work. I do mine every 6 months as a mechanic and its out every time. One bad pothole can ruin it

Chimaera

If potholes are putting your alignment out, then there's a problem with your suspension. The parts that hold the alignment are bolted up tight after it's set, so the only way it's going to shift is if the suspension links or steering arms are deforming (or balljoints or bushings are gone). It should only need doing after suspension or steering parts are changed.

rex-x

What puts it out is that the parts bend when hit hard. The most common part is the track rod as its the weakest and conveniently also controls your toe in and out. A tiny deformation can lead to a few degrees out in your tracking. It is most certainly not only down to worn suspension parts


Here is a more in depth discussion on the issue http://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/3228/how-does-the-tracking-on-the-car-get-hit-out

porsche boy

sorry Chimaera you off a bit there mate. A pothole or clipping a kerb can cause wheel alignment to be out without damaging suspension parts or tearing bushings.

visual

Ah the famous pothole yarn and yes boss you need alignment then realignment as obviously another pothole or you drove up on a kerb

If your alignment is out either suspension is damaged or worn. Unless suspension is made of chocolate as most alignment shops would like you to believe

micks_address

visual wrote: »

Ah the famous pothole yarn and yes boss you need alignment then realignment as obviously another pothole or you drove up on a kerb

If your alignment is out either suspension is damaged or worn. Unless suspension is made of chocolate as most alignment shops would like you to believe

I knocked out the tracking on my previous car hitting a pothole. Mind you I thought I'd broke the car it was such a whack.

CiniO

Tie rod could bend even a tiny bit, and this will cause alignment to go off.
Very easy to do when hitting a pothole.

Chimaera

rex-x wrote: »

What puts it out is that the parts bend when hit hard. The most common part is the track rod as its the weakest and conveniently also controls your toe in and out. A tiny deformation can lead to a few degrees out in your tracking. It is most certainly not only down to worn suspension parts


Here is a more in depth discussion on the issue http://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/3228/how-does-the-tracking-on-the-car-get-hit-out

That's exactly what I said: the misalignment is due to deformed parts in the suspension. It'd take some severe deformation in the track rods to change the alignment given how they operate in the suspension system. Most normally, it's going to be a bent control arm or torn bushing. In a severe case it could be a damaged chassis mount.

porsche boy wrote: »

sorry Chimaera you off a bit there mate. A pothole or clipping a kerb can cause wheel alignment to be out without damaging suspension parts or tearing bushings.

One way alignment can change is by the following: bolts are loosened, parts are moved and the bolts are tightened back up. Unless the mechanic doing the work was utterly incompetent, that adjustment is not going to come loose when you hit a pothole.

The only other way alignment is going to change is by control arms or track rods bending out of shape (or by the chassis bending). None of these things are welcome, and a simple realignment is not going to solve the problem.

visual

This is a big problem for a lot of motorists .

alignment is off usually because of ball joints or bushings worn but its put up on ramps the alignment is adjusted while the defective parts go unnoticed or ignored.

Problem doesn't go away and owner is back where they started seeking another alignment and the cycle continues until something breaks or an mechanic spots then problem.