Daily Driver: Do you get wheel alignment after X miles, X years, or when not straight - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

btan219 · 03-19-2018, 06:25 PM

Just wondering how often wheel alignments should be done for a daily driver, no tracks or anything. Is it after X miles, X years, or when the car doesn't seem to drive straight anymore, or when uneven tire wear?
If the car still drives straight and tire wear is even, is there any reason to get a wheel alignment, even if you haven't done one in 2-3 years?

Sapphireho · 03-19-2018, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by btan219

Just wondering how often wheel alignments should be done for a daily driver, no tracks or anything. Is it after X miles, X years, or when the car doesn't seem to drive straight anymore?

If something feels wrong, hit something, notice strange tire wear, or get new tires.

btan219 · 03-19-2018, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sapphireho

If something feels wrong, hit something, notice strange tire wear, or get new tires.

thanks for the quick reply! replied faster than i could add an edit to my original post

Sapphireho · 03-19-2018, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by btan219

thanks for the quick reply! replied faster than i could add an edit to my original post

I'm bored at work.

guybo · 03-19-2018, 09:16 PM

Think of it like a repair (unless you just want to change the alignment to your own settings)

reeves · 03-20-2018, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by btan219

Just wondering how often wheel alignments should be done for a daily driver, no tracks or anything. Is it after X miles, X years, or when the car doesn't seem to drive straight anymore, or when uneven tire wear?
If the car still drives straight and tire wear is even, is there any reason to get a wheel alignment, even if you haven't done one in 2-3 years?

I didn't get my first alignment done until almost 5 yrs after I bought it, and 75K+ miles (no tracking or autoX either). The tires wore evenly & steering wheel didn't shake at highway speeds, so I didn't think there was a need for it. Only once the car started "drifting" ever so slightly to the right when the steering wheel was centered did I get the alignment checked.

finch1750 · 03-21-2018, 12:25 PM

I would do mine whenever it doesn't drive straight or I notice uneven wear when I rotate the tires.

Sapphireho · 03-21-2018, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reeves

I didn't get my first alignment done until almost 5 yrs after I bought it, and 75K+ miles (no tracking or autoX either). The tires wore evenly & steering wheel didn't shake at highway speeds, so I didn't think there was a need for it. Only once the car started "drifting" ever so slightly to the right when the steering wheel was centered did I get the alignment checked.

That would be wheel balance. steering wheel shake=have your tires re-balanced.

Racecomp Engineering · 03-21-2018, 02:41 PM

We basically get alignments right off the showroom floor.

After that, settings should hold for a long time for MOST people, depending on how the car is used and how adjustments are made. Camber bolts can slip depending on how they're installed, the rear toe arm isn't perfect, and sometimes you just hit a big ass pothole.

IMO it's a good idea to check yearly if your car is tracked/autocrossed often OR driven on crap roads. A camber gauge and toe plates aren't too expensive. That's all you need to check an alignment. Alternatively, an alignment shop shouldn't charge much to just put it up on the rack.

Overkill for most people, but I'm anal about alignments.

- Andrew

churchx · 03-21-2018, 07:28 PM

Racecomp Engineering: and another reason i can think of to change alignment more often - if car is tracked both in (cold) winter & summer, as ideal alignment is different in low-grip situation.

BuzzR · 03-23-2018, 12:08 AM

I will have had my 2013 BRZ exactly four years on April 1st, and I just had my first alignment done today while having new tires put on my Limited.

The guy said it was slightly off, but it's perfect now. I probably didn't need to do it, but I wanted it perfect for the new tires.

I would say not to worry about it unless you've hit some really bad bumps or the car is noticeably drifting.

03-19-2018, 06:25 PM	#1
btan219 Member Join Date: Mar 2017 Drives: DGM 15' BRZ Limited Location: Orlando Posts: 63 Thanks: 23 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Daily Driver: Do you get wheel alignment after X miles, X years, or when not straight Just wondering how often wheel alignments should be done for a daily driver, no tracks or anything. Is it after X miles, X years, or when the car doesn't seem to drive straight anymore, or when uneven tire wear? If the car still drives straight and tire wear is even, is there any reason to get a wheel alignment, even if you haven't done one in 2-3 years?

03-21-2018, 12:25 PM	#7
finch1750 Undisputed El Presidente Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: Zenki 37J ZN6 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 11,571 Thanks: 9,382 Thanked 9,397 Times in 5,261 Posts Mentioned: 374 Post(s) Tagged: 33 Thread(s)	I would do mine whenever it doesn't drive straight or I notice uneven wear when I rotate the tires. __________________ "Just like how a strut bar somehow enables you to corner 20MPH faster around a cloverleaf on-ramp, when the reality is, you can do it already but you just don't have to balls to do it." - CSG David

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03-19-2018, 09:16 PM	#5
guybo Huge E85 fan! Join Date: May 2016 Drives: 2016 Scion FRS Location: Tampa, FL, USA Posts: 1,850 Thanks: 539 Thanked 1,010 Times in 605 Posts Mentioned: 32 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Think of it like a repair (unless you just want to change the alignment to your own settings)

03-21-2018, 02:41 PM	#9
Racecomp Engineering Join Date: Nov 2011 Drives: 2016 BRZ, 2012 Paris Di2 & 2018 STI Location: Severn, MD Posts: 5,408 Thanks: 3,420 Thanked 7,242 Times in 2,963 Posts Mentioned: 303 Post(s) Tagged: 9 Thread(s)	We basically get alignments right off the showroom floor. After that, settings should hold for a long time for MOST people, depending on how the car is used and how adjustments are made. Camber bolts can slip depending on how they're installed, the rear toe arm isn't perfect, and sometimes you just hit a big ass pothole. IMO it's a good idea to check yearly if your car is tracked/autocrossed often OR driven on crap roads. A camber gauge and toe plates aren't too expensive. That's all you need to check an alignment. Alternatively, an alignment shop shouldn't charge much to just put it up on the rack. Overkill for most people, but I'm anal about alignments. - Andrew

03-21-2018, 07:28 PM	#10
churchx Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Drives: 2014 GT86 Location: Latvia, Riga Posts: 4,333 Thanks: 696 Thanked 2,085 Times in 1,436 Posts Mentioned: 53 Post(s) Tagged: 1 Thread(s)	Racecomp Engineering: and another reason i can think of to change alignment more often - if car is tracked both in (cold) winter & summer, as ideal alignment is different in low-grip situation.

03-23-2018, 12:08 AM	#11
BuzzR Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Drives: 2013 BRZ Limited Location: AZ Posts: 38 Thanks: 3 Thanked 8 Times in 5 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I will have had my 2013 BRZ exactly four years on April 1st, and I just had my first alignment done today while having new tires put on my Limited. The guy said it was slightly off, but it's perfect now. I probably didn't need to do it, but I wanted it perfect for the new tires. I would say not to worry about it unless you've hit some really bad bumps or the car is noticeably drifting.

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