# Buying tires & 4 wheel alignment.



## skijay (Feb 11, 2012)

How come when you go to a national tire chain or retail store that sells tires they insist on selling a 4 wheel alignment.  They make it sound as if it's "mandatory" when buying new tires.  My OEM tires at 43k still look great but the winter performance is not as good as it was the previous two winters.  I do not see any uneven wear and have the tire rotated every 7,500 miles or so.  In fact my rotations have been done at the dealership and they never mentioned any uneven wear. (They also do alignments)

I have found a decent set of new tires at Costco - where they don't do alignments.  Included is lifetime rotation and road hazard.  I would prefer to buy here as they have the brand and the size I need (225 / 55R /17) which seems to be a hard to find passenger car tire (not an SUV tire). 

What do people do regarding the alignment?

Oh, my previous vehicle a Saturn VUE had front end / rear wheel (wheel bearings, control arms, suspension bushings, front drive shaft, etc.) issues from day one and many parts were replaced from about 10,000 to 100,000 under warranty / extended warranty that required alignments and those were all covered under the warranty.


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## ski stef (Feb 11, 2012)

not sure but i usually always get an alignment after i switch tires over or put new ones on.  My car came with an extra set of rims and snow tires so I switched them over myself.  I didn't think I'd need to bring it in but my wheel was shaky for a while at higher speeds and didn't feel right.  I think it was just two of the tires needed to be balanced.  I don't think alignments are very expensive ($60?) ..if your car doesn't feel right after the new tires are put on get it aligned.


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## Terry (Feb 12, 2012)

They do it for 2 reasons. #1 to upsell service to get you for more money and hopefully sell you some front end parts as well.#2 to help cover their ass so the tires don't wear out prematurely due to alignment issues and then they have a pissed off customer because they didn't get the advertised life out of the tires.


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## wa-loaf (Feb 12, 2012)

Since you are in Mass. Direct Tire does not push the alignments on you and their prices are as good as the other chains. Also do free remounting of Snows if you buy them from them. I bought my snows from them 3 years ago and they are still swapping them for nothing. I'm talking about a full remount and balance too, not just switching separate wheel sets.


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## mlctvt (Feb 13, 2012)

If your previous tires were wearing perfectly normal, you get no weird feedback through the steering wheel and you didn't change any suspension components there is no need for a wheel alignment.
 I've had cars go 10 years without needing a wheel alignment, tire wear and everything esle was normal.


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## hammer (Feb 13, 2012)

mlctvt said:


> If your previous tires were wearing perfectly normal, you get no wierd feedback through the steering wheel and you didn't change any suspension components there is no need for a wheel alignment.
> I've had cars go 10 years without needing a wheel alignment, tire wear and everything esle was normal.


Same here but I think I'll go with the alignment on my next tire purchase...did some checking around and my specific vehicle make/model is known to be a little more finicky WRT alignments and tires.  Think it will be $60-$80 well spent.


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## skijay (Feb 13, 2012)

I went to Sears to price the tires I want and when I got the estimate, the alignment was automatically tacked on. The other item was the $51 each for new TPMS sensors.  I need them after 40,000 miles.

I'm liking Costco for the tires..


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## hammer (Feb 13, 2012)

skijay said:


> I went to Sears to price the tires I want and when I got the estimate, the alignment was automatically tacked on. The other item was the $51 each for new TPMS sensors.  I need them after 40,000 miles.
> 
> I'm liking Costco for the tires..


Why would you need new sensors after 40K miles?

I checked Costco out for new tires and all they would recommend were tires costing close to $200/each.  Searches on TireRack brought up recommended tires costing much less.


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## mlctvt (Feb 13, 2012)

hammer said:


> Why would you need new sensors after 40K miles?
> QUOTE]
> 
> No reason to replace sensors unless the batteries are dead. They should last 5-7 years before that happens.


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## SkiFanE (Feb 14, 2012)

I don't know how anyone could live and commute in the Boston area w/o getting an alignment every now and then.  We usually buy 4 tires at a time and get one then.  I hit potholes, curbs, everything all the time.  There a big pothole on 128 I try to avoid every single morning...sometimes I remember, sometimes not lol, been there about a year.  Guess I treat my cars like skis haha.


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## skijay (Feb 22, 2012)

Trying to find a great all season tire that has longevity, great for dry and wet pavement and good for the snow is not that easy.  Since 1991 I have always had dedicated snows (4) on each FWD or RWD car that I had owned.  So I would purchase a good quality "summer" tire and Blizzak for the winter.  Very easy.

Does anybody have any experience with Michelin Primacy MXVX, Toyo Versado LX II or Mastercraft Touring LSR tires? 

What do drivers here with Audi, BMW (with X-drive), Mercedes (4 Matic), Volvo (AWD models), VW (4Motion) or Subaru, or other AWD cars (not SUV) use for an all season tire, that you drive with in the winter?  Thanks


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## o3jeff (Feb 22, 2012)

I've read good things about the Continental DWS over on the Acura(RDX) board, will probably be my next set of tires.


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## Glenn (Feb 23, 2012)

I just put a set of the Conti DWS's on our 02 A6 quattro. We've got maybe 1500 miles on them so far? I'm very impressed with them! The fist thing I noticed was how quiet they are. They ride very smooth as well. I haven't had them in deep snow, but in a light coating, they were excellent. They perform great in the rain. Our road in VT has experienced some "mini" mud seasons with the warmup. No issues there...traction control didn't even kick on. 

We've never had the A6 aligned since we've owned it. Tirewear has always been even. I've had the Jeep aligned a few times, but that's because I've replaced a few links in the steering system.


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## hammer (Feb 23, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> I've read good things about the Continental DWS over on the Acura(RDX) board, will probably be my next set of tires.





Glenn said:


> I just put a set of the Conti DWS's on our 02 A6 quattro. We've got maybe 1500 miles on them so far? I'm very impressed with them! The fist thing I noticed was how quiet they are. They ride very smooth as well. I haven't had them in deep snow, but in a light coating, they were excellent. They perform great in the rain. Our road in VT has experienced some "mini" mud seasons with the warmup. No issues there...traction control didn't even kick on.
> 
> We've never had the A6 aligned since we've owned it. Tirewear has always been even. I've had the Jeep aligned a few times, but that's because I've replaced a few links in the steering system.



I've also read some good reviews of the Continental DWS tires over on swedespeed.com.  Only downside I read is that the sidewalls aren't quite as stiff.  I still have some usable tread on the OEM tires so I'm waiting for now...


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## o3jeff (Feb 23, 2012)

hammer said:


> I've also read some good reviews of the Continental DWS tires over on swedespeed.com.  Only downside I read is that the sidewalls aren't quite as stiff.  I still have some usable tread on the OEM tires so I'm waiting for now...



What are you putting them on? I have Michelins on my car which are known for soft sidewalls so I am not worried about the Conti's. Have read that some people didn't get a lot of mileage out of them but others have so who knows.


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## hammer (Feb 23, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> What are you putting them on? I have Michelins on my car which are known for soft sidewalls so I am not worried about the Conti's. Have read that some people didn't get a lot of mileage out of them but others have so who knows.


I have a Volvo S40 which has Michelin MXV4s on it now.  They are a bit noisy and have been getting noisier with wear, and the snow traction is not that good even for an all-season tire, but I'm up to over 43K on them so I can't complain too much.

One other big advantage on the Contis is cost...Michelins run close to $200/tire and the DWS is in the $130-$150/tire range.


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## drjeff (Feb 23, 2012)

It drives me crazy (sorry about the pun  ) when i'm following behind a car that is obviously out of alignment as you can see by it's back and front ends NOT tracking on the same line!   For some reason, these folks also seem to very often be the ones that refuse to get out of the left lane while driving 1-2 mph below the speed limit


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## Geoff (Feb 23, 2012)

skijay said:


> Trying to find a great all season tire that has longevity, great for dry and wet pavement and good for the snow is not that easy.  Since 1991 I have always had dedicated snows (4) on each FWD or RWD car that I had owned.  So I would purchase a good quality "summer" tire and Blizzak for the winter.  Very easy.
> 
> Does anybody have any experience with Michelin Primacy MXVX, Toyo Versado LX II or Mastercraft Touring LSR tires?
> 
> What do drivers here with Audi, BMW (with X-drive), Mercedes (4 Matic), Volvo (AWD models), VW (4Motion) or Subaru, or other AWD cars (not SUV) use for an all season tire, that you drive with in the winter?  Thanks




How about the Nokian WRG2?   Nokian calls it "All Season Plus".   I know several people who use them year 'round on Subarus.   It's not a true snow tire because the rubber compound is too hard but it's a pretty good compromise for somebody who drives up from the flatlands every weekend and doesn't want to swap tires.

http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=11899&


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## skijay (Feb 23, 2012)

Thanks everybody! I received better information here than I did on a car specific forum.  I do have a friend who recommended the Nokian WRG2 also (he out them on their Outback).  I also like the Continental ExtremeContact DWS.  I can find those locally.  What I do not understand is two places I went to never mentioned the Continental tires - and they do come in my size.  I looked on TireRack and they are less than $150 each.


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## marcski (Feb 24, 2012)

I've also been thinking about the Conti's extreme contact DWS's.  I've been running P6's on my Audi as they were the OE tire.  They are ok..a bit pricey for the wear.  Although the Quattro does tend to burn through rubber pretty quickly.  And as mentioned the DWS are a good deal compared to other tires in terms of cost and I have read good performance and wear reviews. 

I am also going to have to get a set of snows or good all seasons in the fall for my new car, which should be in in a few weeks, as that only comes with summer tires. Maybe I can get a deal on 2 sets of tires!!


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## Glenn (Feb 24, 2012)

skijay said:


> What I do not understand is two places I went to never mentioned the Continental tires - and they do come in my size.



The sales people at Town Fair are paid on comission. Often, you'll get a tire that's best for their paycheck vs best for your vehicle.


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## deadheadskier (Feb 24, 2012)

Glenn said:


> The sales people at Town Fair are paid on comission. Often, you'll get a tire that's best for their paycheck vs best for your vehicle.



Absolutely

I went into Townfair two years ago looking to pick up the Continental DWS's after the reviews I read. Salesguy talked me right out of them and into a set of Mastercrafts which were the worst tires I've ever owned. Loud and terrible performance in snow.


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## Glenn (Feb 24, 2012)

I had a few bad experiences with them a number of years ago, so I chose to go elsewhere. I'd rather pay a bit more to get better service and a better tire up front. "free alignments" are a PITA when you have to go back 3 times to get it right...same with wheel ballancing.


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## o3jeff (Feb 24, 2012)

I used to work at TFT in my younger days!


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## skijay (Feb 24, 2012)

deadheadskier said:


> Absolutely
> 
> I went into Townfair two years ago looking to pick up the Continental DWS's after the reviews I read. Salesguy talked me right out of them and into a set of Mastercrafts which were the worst tires I've ever owned. Loud and terrible performance in snow.



That is what happened to me! I went for the Primacy quote and he was quick to point out the Mastercraft in my size.  They do carry the Continentals.


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## Hado226 (Feb 24, 2012)

Last may I put four new summers on my suv, a month later the two rears were bald, there had been no unusual wear on the winter tires.  60 bucks would have saved 600...


Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk


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## skijay (Nov 19, 2012)

I'm reviving my post.  I just bought my new tires today. I had 58,000 on the OEM Yokahoma Geolanders but did not want to go through this winter with them.  The plus is they wore evenly and I have no alignment issues.  They still have usable tread left.

I went with Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus tires.  I researched on Tire Rack's site and Subaru forums first before going to purchase.

I bought local from an independent tire dealer.  His price was better than Firestone & $30 more than Costco.  

I left the place today with confidence.  I drove on the highway with no shaking in the wheel or pulling to one side that seems to be the case when I've gone to the "chains".


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## darent (Nov 19, 2012)

mastercraft is town fair tire profit tire, they always chat them up so you buy them, more profit. do your research, know what tire you want and price them at several places, then go and buy them wherever you get the best deal to your liking.I bought my winter tires for my subie at TFT and they have been changing them over for three years now with no problems or cost. of coarse I have to turn down the alignment and balancing job every time.


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## xwhaler (May 29, 2013)

Bump to this thread. I've recently purchased 2 new sets of tires online.
1) My daily commuter 2006 Mazda 3 got a new set of *Kuhmo Ecsta 4x's* bought on Tirerack.....good reviews and tire rack tests liked them among the Ultra High Performance "value brand" tires. So far I'm happy with them abt 3k miles in...much less vibration than the worn out Pirelli's I had on. Didn't help as much reduce the road noise as I'd have liked but at this point I'm chalking it up to the car is both getting older (145k now) and it was never designed to have an ultra quiet cabin. 

2) Yesterday I bought new rubber for our Kia Sorento. The Bridgestone Dueler H/T's that were OEM were junk and only rated to last 36k...we have 37k on it them now and sure enough down to the wear bars. Did a lot of research as I wanted my wife to be very safe with our son (not that I wasn't concerned for her safety pre-kids but you get the point! 
This is our primary ski vehicle in the winter too so wanted something decent in the snow w/o having to get a dedicated snow tire and do the changeover. The wheels are 18" so dedicated snows were going to be pricey.
Went with the *Firestone Destination LE2*....seems like a great tire from what I read online. There's a $50 rebate through Firestone right now and I bought through TireBuyer.com and applied an addl coupon code..pretty good value at $514 delivered. Will have my buddy's shop mount for me.


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## hammer (May 29, 2013)

deadheadskier said:


> Absolutely
> 
> I went into Townfair two years ago looking to pick up the Continental DWS's after the reviews I read. Salesguy talked me right out of them and into a set of Mastercrafts which were the worst tires I've ever owned. Loud and terrible performance in snow.


Bit of a bump...after reading all the great reviews of the Continentals I picked up a set for my S40 last July when the OEM Michelins wore out.  They were good in the snow this season, but from day one I've had a vibration at highway speeds that I have never been able to get balanced out.  Would not get them again.


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## marcski (May 29, 2013)

hammer said:


> Bit of a bump...after reading all the great reviews of the Continentals I picked up a set for my S40 last July when the OEM Michelins wore out.  They were good in the snow this season, but from day one I've had a vibration at highway speeds that I have never been able to get balanced out.  Would not get them again.



Interesting. I got these for my older Audi after going through a few sets of Pirelli's on it, which were OEM's.  I have no vibration issues at all.  I found them to be really great and grippy in wet or snowy roads.  I did feel that the sidewalls were a bit softer than the Pirelli's and that took a bit of getting used to...but makes sense that they'd be a bit softer to get a better grip in rain and snow.


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## HD333 (May 29, 2013)

Thread jack, sorry. But kind of on subject. 

Anything REALLY wrong with taking my full size spare which is actually an old rear tire from when i replaced another tire so I  had 2 "new" tires on the rear and putting it on in place if a weirdly worn front tire on a 4Runner? It is mounted on a regular rim. 
I plan on driving the 4runner for about a month then trading it in and would rather not trade it in with one weird worn  tire showing.


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## Puck it (May 30, 2013)

HD333 said:


> Thread jack, sorry. But kind of on subject.
> 
> Anything REALLY wrong with taking my full size spare which is actually an old rear tire from when i replaced another tire so I had 2 "new" tires on the rear and putting it on in place if a weirdly worn front tire on a 4Runner? It is mounted on a regular rim.
> I plan on driving the 4runner for about a month then trading it in and would rather not trade it in with one weird worn tire showing.



No reason not to if you are trading.


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