i just switched to MPS2's all around (what a difference over the garbage stock pirellis)

is a wheel alignment recommended/needed after getting new tires..

i did notice that the rears on the pirellis did wear slightly uneven (on both rears- more wear on the inner part of the tire)..
my local porsche dealer once told me this is how the car is designed....and its normal..

anyway...my local porsche dealer also quoted me 240 for the alignment job?
worth it? im gonna do it...just want some opinions...

thanks

 

As a follow up to the previous question, I recently got a 996tt that has new pilot sport tires. The car would pull slightly to the right if i let go of the steering wheel (is this normal?). I then got the car aligned at phillips auto (in newport beach) and they made some small adjustments, but no change in the car. Do you think the tires need balancing or is there a problem with one of the tires? Otherwise the car is perfect and I can live with this, but i was just curious if other turbos do this and what the cause is. By the way, my alignment cost $90.
jb

2003 996tt
2004 X5
2002 M3 (just sold)

 

Air Jordan; yes, the inner side of the rears (and the fronts too for that matter) will wear more rapidly than the outer side. jbpricemd; no, pulling to the right isn't normal.....

Go to GMG racing in Santa Ana (a sponsor here) and get them to align your car. The dealer will give you a factory alignment which is the most conservative set of settings. You can talk to GMG and they will more specifically tune your car for you; within the boundaries of the suspension system you have on your car.

There are other SoCal places but none are sponsors on this board like GMG, who also sponsor some of our local PCA/OCR activities...nice guys and very knowledgeable to boot.

 

garey cooper...does 240 sound "fair" for a dealer alignment..

 

It doesn't sound unreasonable to me....I have paid more but this has not been at a dealer. In fact a good alignment with corner balance I BELIEVE would run closer to $400 or so......again the dealer is going to put you at factory settings so they may be more efficient.

 

You can ask the porsche dealer to align the car to motorsport track settings and they will. Then you will really get inside wear due to increased negative camber.

 

jb, no it is not normal. BTW, you should get your wheels balanced before doing alignment!

 

I just bought the car and the tires were put on by the previous owner, so I assumed they were already balanced. If they were not balanced correctly, would that cause the car to slightly fade in one direction or could there be another cause?

 

JB,

balancing a tire should only make it roll smoother- less vibration. If the car is pulling, must be something in the alignment or suspension.

Just my 2 cents.

How about some pics of the car.

Sameer

 

sameer,
Thanks for the info. We'll have to meet at crystal cove one of these weekends, so we can check out each others cars in person. I'm going to take my car back to the shop to check the alignment again. It only fades very slightly on certain road surfaces, but I want it to be perfect.
jb