Alignment after tire size change

Discussion in 'Modifications & DIY how-to' started by jyang, May 26, 2007.

  1. jyang

    jyang Member

    OK. so my car started wobbling after I got tires. I guess its time for an alignment. What's the difference between perf alignment and normal alignment?

    What kind of price range am I looking at?

    After getting hit with $700 (I decided to go with good tires), Im looking to save every bit of money I can :) ofcourse without sacrificing the performance.

    I heard perf alignment is for autoX and drag. I don't race. (I plan to try AutoX very soon). So do you think regular alignment will do the job?
     
  2. savsuby

    savsuby Member

    I say do the regular alignment.
     
  3. jyang

    jyang Member

    do you know hwo much they cost?
     
  4. pEd

    pEd This ain't no Piccadilly!

    the perf. alignment, and how good it is, will depend on how what suspension mods you have.
    I would say that if you plan to autox it, I would go with a perf. align. It'll be about $80 or $100.

    On a regular alignment, they'll align it to stock Suby settings (which was crap on the Sti's).
     
  5. kingwrex

    kingwrex Supporting Member

    what do uou mean the car wobbles. do you mean it just rides bumpy at certain speeds. you problem may not be an alignment. maybe the new tire you bought are crap and have high roadforce, which in that case i would take them back and demand a new set.
     
  6. calmnothing

    calmnothing Shlimp Flied Lice Supporting Member

    lugnuts on tight? Dekalb tire blows
     
  7. jyang

    jyang Member

    no the car's steering wheel and chassis vibrates at high speeds. and yes lugnuts are tight.

    alignment or problem with tires?
     
  8. slowwrx

    slowwrx Supporting Member

    sounds like a wheel balancing issue
     
  9. jyang

    jyang Member

    grrr..they balanced the wheel ..they charged me for it..
     
  10. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    You may have thrown a weight.

    GTE raised their prices, but I dont remember by how much. SOG / SS charges $140 for the performance alignment.
     
  11. Dr.Chris

    Dr.Chris Member

    There is an old school shop with new laser alignment that does a very good job on South Cobb Drive called Smyrna Tire. Dale Seeley that races One Lap goes there. I think they charge about $70.00 for alignment. I'm by no means an expert (only in spinal aligment), but it sounds like more of a balance issue than alignment to me too. Bring it back to where you purchased the tires and let them know what it's doing and test their customer service. They should appologize and take care of it right away. When I shop tires I make sure they do that for the life of the tires with free rotation and balance. Good luck and keep us posted.
     
  12. keevo54

    keevo54 New Member

    Go to Dean at Americas Best Automotive. He set up my evo for the autocross at Year one and I was pleased with the results. It was $89 and I was happier with their customer service over GTE
     
  13. WJM

    WJM Banned

    You have a tire balance problem.

    You dont need an alignment either.

    Otherwise, at SOG, request me, and the alignent cost is $90.
     
  14. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    Symrna tire is a lot of fun :)
     
  15. jyang

    jyang Member

    So I went to N Georgia mountain to test the tires out. It still wobbles. :(

    I got Exalto A/S BTW. 225/50/16

    I noticed today that everytime I turn. even a slight turn like changing lanes, it started making skidding like sound. Is this normal with new A/S tires even when the tires aren't even close to skidding?
     
  16. clemsonscooby

    clemsonscooby Active Member

    Different treads make different noises when loaded. The tire wobbling just could be feedback from the road. Since you are running larger tires, the treads are going to tend to grip more things in the road which will sort of make the car feel like its pulling, or a slight wobble in the steering wheel at high speeds. Its pretty normall. You can also change our your steering rack bushings which will decrease the free play in your wheel.
     
  17. jyang

    jyang Member

    I'm not sure that's it. The sound it makes is kinda scary. I thought a person behind me slid and crashed and took me a whil eo trealize that it was my car making that sound. Also, the steering wheel wobbled on a freshly paved road.

    I already have a new set of steering rack bushing :)

    So, I've decided that I didn't like the new tires and I'm going to take it back for refund/replacement

    I'll probably get a set of summer tires instead. Thank god for Michelin 30day trial gurantee!!!!!
     
  18. clemsonscooby

    clemsonscooby Active Member

    Michelin's are overpriced to begin with. You should be ordering your tires from the internet and have them shipped to your house. You can easily save 100+ dollars on a set of tires. I use vulcantires.com.
     
  19. jyang

    jyang Member

    OK Everyone, I'm at dekalb tire again (I love their free internet).

    I decided to go with Goodyear DSG3 Summer tires. The problem seems like A/S was H rated meaning it was wayyyy too soft for the way I drove it or for the car..or something.

    Dekalb Tire was actually pretty good about return and exchange. Pretty impressed with their service. Would come back again. + They have free rotation service hehe

    I hope this tire would get rid of the sound and the wobble.

    Thank you everyone for their input.

    I'll post again when they finish putting it on.
     
  20. FACE

    FACE Active Member

    Discount Tire Co.

    Discount tire near town center has always had great customer service. I bough mich. ps2's for my 04 wrx and they transfered the rot. and bal. to my RE 070 for no charge because they know i will buymy next set (soon...) from them. I have always talked to Alex or Mike. only thing is they don't have aligh. rack...
    glad to hear you fixed the problem
     
  21. jyang

    jyang Member

    Actually,

    The price was pretty much the same as the internet. Except Ididn't have to pay shipping and labor.

    So overall, i think it was cheaper to get tires from dekalb then internet.

    +1 Dekalb Tires
     
  22. jyang

    jyang Member

    OK Tires are now replaced and alll problems are GONE!!!!!

    and I have a awersome set of summer tires!!!
     

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