Npath wrote:I was shopping for new tires and at the end of the discussion, he suggested a wheel alignment.
Is it recommended to get a wheel alignment after installing brand new tires, or is he trying to get more money out of me.
I've got 50,000 Km. (31K miles).
Recently, during a tire rotation, I noticed some cracks within the groove of the treads. I filled the cracked area and don't see air bubbles, so I think it would be OK for the time being.
I would recommend it. It ensures they can't come after you later if you have a warranty claim on the tires for 'lack of maintenance'.
I have a 08 civic, and got new tires put on it at 8000kms. They offered a free alignment inspection, which I figured I would defer until the vehicle was older. In retrospect, I should have taken the inspection, and would have probably needed an alignment. The reason I replaced the tires at such a low mileage was because I thought the tires were horrible. (Goodyear Eagle RS-As) Every time I hit a patch of ice, I thought I was going to end up in the ditch. And yet people would be passing me while I had to limit my speed to 80kph or less to feel safe. The new tires (Nokian WRG2s) are winter-all season hybrids, and were much better. Still felt a little squirrelly on ice, so the next winter at 35000kms, I took it in to an alignment shop. My alignment was WAY off. However, since I had driven so much, I couldn't go back to the Honda dealer. But it wasn't bad on the ice anymore, so I can only deduce that the alignment was off from the factory.
t