May 2013 I bought 4 new cheaper tires plus lifetime alignment from Firestone.
November I changed the steering rack so I rotated the tires and got an alignment at Firestone in Augusta, GA.
Didn't rotate the tires besides that. Put 30k mikes on since I bought the tires.
Thursday I went to look under and rotate the tires for a 500 mile trip.
The two front tires were worn to wire and strings on the inside tread, but the rest of the tires were fine. Rears were worn but fine.
Took it back to firestone, they said I didn't rotate them every 5k miles and wanted to give me $5 off each tire but my wife got feisty so we paid $50 for everything instead of $150.
About an inch was shredded on both front tires, the rest of the tread was good.
We need pictures of the shredded tires and your alignment report.
I am pretty sure my alignment is out of whack... 350Zs have alignment issues that cause cupping and I have some kind of resonance going. I thought it was the brakes but I just fixed those and it's still there.
The insides of the front tires were worn? Sounds like you've either got a ton of negative camber or you're running significantly toe-out (or some combination).
Generally speaking, you rotate (front to rear, and ideally criss-cross if your tires allow for it) to equalize wear on all 4 tires so they all wear out at roughly the same time. If you don't rotate, you'll generally find that one axle wears faster than the other (typically the fronts, especially on a FWD car) and you'll either have to replace one pair sooner than the others, or if you insist on replacing all 4 at once, you'll be tossing a pair of tires that still have some life in them before their time.
Alignment ensures that wear on each individual tire is more or less even across the tread. If you're seeing grossly uneven wear across the tread on any given tire (much more wear on the inside or outside), that generally means some kind of alignment problem. And by "grossly", I mean 2/32s or more variation from where the tread is most worn and where it is least worn. Road crown and the fact that some cars have some amount of negative camber and toe-in means that you're apt to see some slight amount of unevenness across the tread. If you're to the cords on the inside of the tread and the outside still has 4-5/32s left, you have a major alignment issue.
Tire pressure can also result in uneven wear, but is typically symmetrical about the center line of the tire (over-inflated = center of the tread wears faster than the sides; under-inflated = sides wear faster than the center). Cupping, or an alternating wear pattern, generally means you have a balance issue (or a bent axle).
Sounds like you had some serious toe out on the front. Post your alignment numbers.
Sounds like the new wife is doing you some good.
Quote from: Soup DeVille on August 30, 2014, 02:06:13 PM
Sounds like the new wife is doing you some good.
This
Also, be advised that recommended alignment figures don't completely eliminate wear. The spec is often a balance between OEM desired handling characteristics and desired wear. My car always wears the inner shoulders more despite being frequently checked by yours truly. If someone offers lifetime rotation, take full advantage of it by rotating every oil change (~5k miles) and you'll be fine.
Waiting at Firestone. Went to change oil and there is steel poking out of rubber on the front tires... Inside inch again. It's been a month, they were evenly worn when I rotated them from the back....
So they said that the toe is like 1% off, I need a camber bolt kit to be able to adjust that. I'm like, "Why didn't you guys notice that last time? It was Aug28!!!!"
They said the kit is $140 installed, they'll take care of the tires.
So these tires were on the rear, but I rotated them to the front. They looked evenly worn but still had lots of tread on them. The (new) back tires show zero wear- I've driven about 2000 miles since Aug28 (trip to Maryland and back, driving to work.)
So the tires have about almost 30k miles on them total since Spring 2013. (?!?!?!?!!!!! Trip to Wyoming and back was 4k, trips to Maryland and back are about 1k each, I put 1k every month driving to work and back...)
Quote from: AutobahnSHO on October 05, 2014, 07:48:03 AM
So they said that the toe is like 1% off, I need a camber bolt kit to be able to adjust that. I'm like, "Why didn't you guys notice that last time? It was Aug28!!!!"
They said the kit is $140 installed, they'll take care of the tires.
So these tires were on the rear, but I rotated them to the front. They looked evenly worn but still had lots of tread on them. The (new) back tires show zero wear- I've driven about 2000 miles since Aug28 (trip to Maryland and back, driving to work.)
So the tires have about almost 30k miles on them total since Spring 2013. (?!?!?!?!!!!! Trip to Wyoming and back was 4k, trips to Maryland and back are about 1k each, I put 1k every month driving to work and back...)
Why would you need a camber bolt to adjust toe? Toe is adjusted but the tie rod ends.
Quote from: Soup DeVille on October 05, 2014, 07:50:02 AM
Why would you need a camber bolt to adjust toe? Toe is adjusted but the tie rod ends.
Maybe the rear toe? In which case I still wouldn't use crash bolts.
What Soup said - no reason you need new parts to adjust toe. More negative camber would also be silly since it would wear the inside more not less.
they were saying that the camber is not adjustable from the factory, some cars need the kit.
Seems the tie rod ends on my car wouldn't adjust camber- they would only adjust the direction horizontally the tires are pointing. :huh:
Quote from: AutobahnSHO on October 05, 2014, 12:24:19 PM
they were saying that the camber is not adjustable from the factory, some cars need the kit.
Seems the tie rod ends on my car wouldn't adjust camber- they would only adjust the direction horizontally the tires are pointing. :huh:
Camber may not be adjustable from the factory, but toe is not camber. Very different things. Every car has adjustable toe.
I'm not sure you have a camber issue. Wearing a tire even with half its tread to the cords in 2000 miles says something is scrubbing, which to me speaks of a toe issue. Camber doesn't cause scrubbing that would wear a tire down that quickly. And if the camber was so extreme that it was wearing the tire like that, you'd visibly notice that the tires were leaning inward. If they're telling you your toe is good, I'd take it to another shop. That is not remotely normal wear, and if your old tires didn't look like that before installing these last fall, something has significantly changed on your vehicle. Either they botched your alignment last time it was done, or something on your car is bent (hit any big potholes lately?).
Do you have your alignment printout?
Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on October 05, 2014, 12:40:38 PM
Do you have your alignment printout?
+1
The story isn't making sense. You're using toe and camber interchangeably. Post the alignment printout and we can help a lot more.
Yeah, take it to another shop.
Quote from: Rupert on October 05, 2014, 12:53:34 PM
Yeah, take it to another shop.
Find an independent shop that specializes in front end work. In my experience tire stores that sell alignments aren't that good. YMMV, however
Edit:
You still near Augusta?
Try someplace like Johnston's Frame and Alignment, 1249 Ellis Street, Augusta, GA Phone: (706) 722-8779
Email: johnstonsframe@yahoo.comf
I don't actually know of anywhere in Boise that does alignments that's not a tire shop.
Quote from: Rupert on October 05, 2014, 01:25:40 PM
I don't actually know of anywhere in Boise that does alignments that's not a tire shop.
Garden City is about 4 miles up the road. Try Ammerman's Exhaust. http://www.ammermansexhaust.com/boise-suspension-steering-shocks (http://www.ammermansexhaust.com/boise-suspension-steering-shocks)
I'd go to the dealer before I went to a Firestone store.
Quote from: CLKid on October 05, 2014, 01:33:16 PM
Garden City is about 4 miles up the road. Try Ammerman's Exhaust. http://www.ammermansexhaust.com/boise-suspension-steering-shocks (http://www.ammermansexhaust.com/boise-suspension-steering-shocks)
I'd go to the dealer before I went to a Firestone store.
LOL Firestone.
Those were the guys that tried to sell me 60,000 mile all weather tires for the S2000.
Quote from: CLKid on October 05, 2014, 01:33:16 PM
Garden City is about 4 miles up the road. Try Ammerman's Exhaust. http://www.ammermansexhaust.com/boise-suspension-steering-shocks (http://www.ammermansexhaust.com/boise-suspension-steering-shocks)
I'd go to the dealer before I went to a Firestone store.
Nice Google-fu. :lol: Maybe I didn't look hard enough. I think I just searched for "performance alignment".
Quote from: Rupert on October 05, 2014, 01:45:33 PM
Nice Google-fu. :lol: Maybe I didn't look hard enough. I think I just searched for "performance alignment".
I simply googled "boise alignment shops". :huh:
I'm often amazed at the amount of useful info one can find on the internet if one is willing to look for it.
IIRC, I was looking specifically for a place that was familiar with Porsche. I've been using Big-O Tires, which is allegedly the place the local PCA club uses, but I've never really liked the job they do-- always get the feeling they didn't put in the time required.
I always just have to triple check that they're using the specs I want and not stock specs.
After the last experience I had with a dedicated tire shop, I wouldn't trust them to do much of anything. Failed to balance the wheels the first time (even though I paid for that with the tire install). Used shitty, steel clip-on weights on my aluminum wheels when I brought it back so they could do the job right, which in turn ruined my wheels due to galvanic corrosion in the salt of winter. And both times, when I double-checked the torque on the lug nuts after getting home I found at least one lug on each wheel was finger tight and one lug on each wheel that was so tight I needed a big breaker bar to crack them loose.
Quote from: hotrodalex on October 05, 2014, 02:14:27 PM
I always just have to triple check that they're using the specs I want and not stock specs.
These guys don't seem to be able to match any specs...
Quote from: MX793 on October 05, 2014, 02:39:06 PM
After the last experience I had with a dedicated tire shop, I wouldn't trust them to do much of anything. Failed to balance the wheels the first time (even though I paid for that with the tire install). Used shitty, steel clip-on weights on my aluminum wheels when I brought it back so they could do the job right, which in turn ruined my wheels due to galvanic corrosion in the salt of winter. And both times, when I double-checked the torque on the lug nuts after getting home I found at least one lug on each wheel was finger tight and one lug on each wheel that was so tight I needed a big breaker bar to crack them loose.
I always retorque the lug nuts after anyone other than myself fools with a wheel.
What is toe in then?? I thought camber was how far the tire tilted towards or away from the car on the vertical plane??
I'll have these guys do the tires and keep an eye on it- and find another shop.......
Quote from: AutobahnSHO on October 05, 2014, 04:16:50 PM
What is toe in then?? I thought camber was how far the tire tilted towards or away from the car on the vertical plane??
I'll have these guys do the tires and keep an eye on it- and find another shop.......
Camber is the angle the tire makes relative to the road surface. It's when the tires lean relative to the road. Toe is when the tires point towards or away from each other when viewed from above. Toe in is when the tires are "pidgeon toed". You generally set a car up with a slight bit of toe in for stability. Too much and you get excessive wear on the outer edge of the tread. Toe out is the opposite, and wears the inboard tread.
Has the car been twitchy lately?
Quote from: AutobahnSHO on October 05, 2014, 04:16:50 PM
What is toe in then?? I thought camber was how far the tire tilted towards or away from the car on the vertical plane??
I'll have these guys do the tires and keep an eye on it- and find another shop.......
Picture yourself sitting in front of the car staring at the tires using your x-ray vision to look through the sheet metal to see the tires.. They are standing more or less vertrically, but they each either lean in or out at the top in relation to the centerline of the car. if they lean in at the top you have negative camber; if they lean out that's positive camber.
extreme negative camber
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/MillikenMX1CamberCar1960.jpg/220px-MillikenMX1CamberCar1960.jpg)
Now stand on the hood and use your x-ray vision to look down on each tire. If the front of the tires are closer to the centerline of the car than the rears, you have toe in. If the rears are closer you have toe out.
(http://en.intraxracing.nl/UserFiles/File/CamberCasterToe/toe.in.out.detail.gif)
A good explanation of front end alignment terms:
http://en.intraxracing.nl/techniek/camber,-caster,-toe-intoe-out/ (http://en.intraxracing.nl/techniek/camber,-caster,-toe-intoe-out/)
Then to me just seems they messed up the toe. :huh: Twice. :huh: :huh:
Quote from: Rupert on October 05, 2014, 04:32:35 PM
Has the car been twitchy lately?
No. I ran these tires for a half a year without issues, before these guys messed with them.
I would say since both wheels are wearing horrifically, you have a massive toe out issue.
A camber issue or bent frame would probably not effect both sides equally.
So they're saying now the alignment is good but it was 1degree off camber both sides, and like .4degree toe wrong on each side.
They put two new tires on the front, cheap "Primewell" hard-rubber all weathers, they added the camber-adjustable bolts front, $200 total between the last time I took it in (Labor Day, $50) and this time for 4 tires + balance alignment etc...
You don't need camber bolts on a stock setup like that. Don't trust that place.
yeah, not going back.....
Why would they show the camber is 1deg off?? They don't know how to run an alignment rack?????
Post the printout. We have no idea what they're talking about until you post the numbers.
Quote from: AutobahnSHO on October 08, 2014, 07:09:43 AM
So they're saying now the alignment is good but it was 1degree off camber both sides, and like .4degree toe wrong on each side.
They put two new tires on the front, cheap "Primewell" hard-rubber all weathers, they added the camber-adjustable bolts front, $200 total between the last time I took it in (Labor Day, $50) and this time for 4 tires + balance alignment etc...
Alignment can't be good and off at the same time. It's either on spec or it's not.
Quote from: AutobahnSHO on October 05, 2014, 12:24:19 PM
they were saying that the camber is not adjustable from the factory, some cars need the kit.
Seems the tie rod ends on my car wouldn't adjust camber- they would only adjust the direction horizontally the tires are pointing. :huh:
Front or rear? Is this the Subaru you had? Because it should already have front camber adjusters.
Quote from: CLKid on October 08, 2014, 03:34:59 PM
Alignment can't be good and off at the same time. It's either on spec or it's not.
There's a "green" alignment where all the readings are within the specified range, and there's a dead-on alignment. I think that's where they're quibbling. I'd go somewhere else.
Quote from: MrH on October 08, 2014, 09:55:13 AM
Post the printout. We have no idea what they're talking about until you post the numbers.
Also this.
Again assuming a Subaru, toe should be 0 degrees front and rear. Camber should be around .5 degrees negative front, and about 1.2 negative rear.
Based on what I saw in your tires, Will, you have one or both axles toed out. Camber won't cause that sort of wear. I'd still set it to spec if possible anyway, but toe is the main concern. After they finish, see if anyone in your area does free alignment checks. A lot of shops here are doing it to get people in the door. In this case, it would be to double check their settings afterward.
Quote from: S204STi on October 08, 2014, 04:49:21 PM
There's a "green" alignment where all the readings are within the specified range, and there's a dead-on alignment. I think that's where they're quibbling. I'd go somewhere else.
Right, but without knowing the make, model and year of the vehicle and the actual measurements we have no way to know what "1 degree off" really means. 1 degree but with the acceptable range? 1 degree outside the specs.
Quote from: CLKid on October 08, 2014, 05:44:28 PM
Right, but without knowing the make, model and year of the vehicle and the actual measurements we have no way to know what "1 degree off" really means. 1 degree but with the acceptable range? 1 degree outside the specs.
Camber being out of spec just 1 degree is pretty significant for pretty much any car. (Sorry, you probably don't know me before this, but I was an ASE master tech, and my last year and a half consisted of literally hundreds of wheel alignments. I know the topic fairly well).
Quote from: S204STi on October 08, 2014, 05:57:56 PM
Camber being out of spec just 1 degree is pretty significant for pretty much any car. (Sorry, you probably don't know me before this, but I was an ASE master tech, and my last year and a half consisted of literally hundreds of wheel alignments. I know the topic fairly well).
No worries, you haven't said anything I can disagree with. I understand the theory of alignment. I think we all agree the actual measurements from the shop would be most helpful.
I've never had much luck with chain shops, like Firestone, NTB, Pepboys, etc.
Quote from: CLKid on October 08, 2014, 06:06:21 PM
No worries, you haven't said anything I can disagree with. I understand the theory of alignment. I think we all agree the actual measurements from the shop would be most helpful.
I've never had much luck with chain shops, like Firestone, NTB, Pepboys, etc.
Cool, cool.
I tend to look for recommendations from high end shops. Like, here I went to the local Porsche shop because they also club race, and require specific settings for that. So I asked them, and they gave me a good review for a shop. It turns out to be a chain. A lot of it depends on the tech. Totally agree, need printout to decipher what the fuck Will's problem actually is. :lol:
Quote from: S204STi on October 08, 2014, 05:57:56 PM
Camber being out of spec just 1 degree is pretty significant for pretty much any car. (Sorry, you probably don't know me before this, but I was an ASE master tech, and my last year and a half consisted of literally hundreds of wheel alignments. I know the topic fairly well).
Psssh. I'm running nearly 3 degrees in the front of the brz. :lol:
Quote from: MrH on October 08, 2014, 06:50:37 PM
Psssh. I'm running nearly 3 degrees in the front of the brz. :lol:
Nice, I'm jelly. With whiteline strut top mounts I can get maybe -2 degrees front. :lol:
Currently set to -1.5 all around though.
I'm running zero degrees up front. It gives me better traction off the line.
Quote from: S204STi on October 08, 2014, 07:09:12 PM
Nice, I'm jelly. With whiteline strut top mounts I can get maybe -2 degrees front. :lol:
Currently set to -1.5 all around though.
I'm running 3 in the front (coilovers + camber bolts). The rear needs some work though. Got almost half a degree difference side to side. The subframe tolerance stack up during production is garbage. I need some whiteline centering bushings. Also, I need some adjustable rear control arms. A degree less in the rear, so I get a lot of oversteer.
The front grips like you wouldn't believe though.
Quote from: S204STi on October 08, 2014, 05:57:56 PM
Camber being out of spec just 1 degree is pretty significant for pretty much any car. (Sorry, you probably don't know me before this, but I was an ASE master tech, and my last year and a half consisted of literally hundreds of wheel alignments. I know the topic fairly well).
That's MiataJohn/ETypeJohn.
Quote from: Rupert on October 08, 2014, 07:32:49 PM
That's MiataJohn/ETypeJohn.
Oh, not shit. Thanks.
Sorry John! :lol:
Been gone a while...
Quote from: MrH on October 08, 2014, 07:16:59 PM
I'm running 3 in the front (coilovers + camber bolts). The rear needs some work though. Got almost half a degree difference side to side. The subframe tolerance stack up during production is garbage. I need some whiteline centering bushings. Also, I need some adjustable rear control arms. A degree less in the rear, so I get a lot of oversteer.
The front grips like you wouldn't believe though.
That's a crazy discrepancy side to size. Kind of surprising. Thank Christ for the aftermarket, lol.
Also, jelly of your handling. I still understeer despite Whiteline ALK, top mounts, -1.5 camber, etc. Not as bad though. Been fiddling with sway bars, still not convinced of common WRX logic which is that somehow more front bar than rear should yield less understeer. I had a 22mm Whiteline bar in front, (with same dimensions rear) went back to a 20mm stocker for the winter with the rear 22 still in, to see how tail-happy it gets. Snow is nice in that it's sort of like a low-speed skidpad for suspension tuning purposes.
I might need coilovers to achieve true balance, but for now that's off the table. Need to fix some body damage first.
Quote from: S204STi on October 08, 2014, 08:06:04 PM
I might need coilovers to achieve true balance, but for now that's off the table. Need to fix some body damage first.
If you need a discount, let me know. :thumbsup:
Quote from: MrH on October 08, 2014, 08:08:40 PM
If you need a discount, let me know. :thumbsup:
Totally! Still at Bilstein I guess?
Quote from: S204STi on October 08, 2014, 07:56:19 PM
Oh, not shit. Thanks.
Sorry John! :lol:
Been gone a while...
No sweat. :ohyeah:
So what about this?
(http://i57.tinypic.com/54uidf.jpg)
AWD car with normally 90% of the power goes to the front axle, yet the tire consumption happen to the rear ones. It started doing this when I was on the third set of tires (Continental SportContact5 235/40 R 18).
I thought an alignment would solve the problem so I just put the front ones at the back and new ones at the front, and every time the same thing: The tires obliterates themselves once they move at the back. I'm on the 3rd set of of two tires change (rear tires inner side tear). This time I decided to just put the new ones at the back, knowing that they will be consumed faster.
The technician this time said that the camber cannot be adjusted in this car, I have no idea how that can be possible. A previous alignment from the VW service center made no difference or change in tire consumption patterns.
Are the rear tires wearing evenly? or on one side more than the other?
And I'm assuming they are inflated correctly.
^^ In my case the inflation is correct as per recommended specs. Previously both of them were wearing almost the same. This time the rear one on the driver's side was worn more than the other
What about the tires themselves? Are they worn evenly across? Is one side or shoulder wearing faster than the other? Which side (inboard or outboard)? Or is the wear symmetrical about the center of the tire (both shoulders wear faster than the center or center faster than the shoulders)?
All those specs look very mild. Nothing there I would expect to cause serious wear problems. It's not uncommon for camber from the factory to be non adjustable, especially on McPherson/chapman struts.
The problem may be with the brakes or the AWD system.
Quote from: MX793 on December 16, 2014, 07:05:07 AM
What about the tires themselves? Are they worn evenly across? Is one side or shoulder wearing faster than the other? Which side (inboard or outboard)? Or is the wear symmetrical about the center of the tire (both shoulders wear faster than the center or center faster than the shoulders)?
I did explain in the previous post.
1. BOTH rear tires evenly consume more throughout the surface than the front ones
2. Additionally BOTH rear tires consume more at the inner side compared to the rest of the thread (an area less than 1 inch wide)
3. The rear tire on the driver's side consumed even more at the inner side than the other one. The wire mesh was exposed (it didn't yet on the other tire)
This is a pic when it happen previously, but the pattern of consumption is the same:
(http://i61.tinypic.com/mb4osj.jpg)
You can notice the tread consumption is less on the outer part of the tire and start increasing going inward, till it culminates with the exposing of the wire mesh at the inner side.
Quote from: Soup DeVille on December 16, 2014, 07:05:39 AM
All those specs look very mild. Nothing there I would expect to cause serious wear problems. It's not uncommon for camber from the factory to be non adjustable, especially on McPherson/chapman struts.
The problem may be with the brakes or the AWD system.
What you mean with breaks? That they may be weaken and the tires scratch the surface and consume more? I certainly don't experience any tire squeal during braking or acceleration, I used to in the past when the tires were wearing evenly, so I know when it happens.
Can a problem with the suspension arms also give this kind of effect as well? For example if the stiffness is reduced and chassis inclines backward possibly applying more weight to the rear axle?
Quote from: AltinD on December 17, 2014, 01:46:43 AM
What you mean with breaks? That they may be weaken and the tires scratch the surface and consume more? I certainly don't experience any tire squeal during braking or acceleration, I used to in the past when the tires were wearing evenly, so I know when it happens.
Can a problem with the suspension arms also give this kind of effect as well? For example if the stiffness is reduced and chassis inclines backward possibly applying more weight to the rear axle?
If the brakes are dragging and not releasing completely, it could cause excessive wear (on the tires and the brakes). That would not necessarily cause any squealing noise.
The center or rear differential not operating properly could also cause excessive wear.
Usually I would suspect a suspension problem, but it looks like you've already had that inspected.
Actually I haven't had that inspected, although at a previous maintenance servicing visit at the dealer I have asked them to check the problem (tire excessive consumption at the rear) so I'd suppose they will inspect the cars mechanical that can cause such problem. Actually they are supposed to inspect it as part of the service so i doubt they skipped on checking the brakes and or differential or even suspension.
However I do remain cynical to what they do or are capable to. Once they missed an overly consumed pad during service and I was left with calipers grabbing the rotors and as a result I had to replace the complete brake assembly at that wheel. They also failed to find a TPMS fault (even after replacing the sensors and the controller unit) and I opted to just deactivate the function instead of having to pay for them to open and inspect the entire wiring
my problem was a horrible alignment.
No problems since this last one, in November. Tires aren't wearing abnormally.
Quote from: AltinD on December 16, 2014, 03:44:57 AM
The technician this time said that the camber cannot be adjusted in this car, I have no idea how that can be possible. A previous alignment from the VW service center made no difference or change in tire consumption patterns.
That's actually pretty common. Typically however one can find aftermarket parts which allow for camber or toe adjustment.
Here's the thing to consider: alignment specs from the factory have to compromise between two different missions; stability in terms of vehicle handling, straight-line tracking, etc; and tire wear. Notice how your nominal camber front to rear is split by about a degree negative? That is there to promote straight-line stability, as well as creating a tendency towards understeer at the limit. A car can be "in-spec" but still chew up tires. Some cars are just like that. You could ask them to set toe to 0 in the rear and see if that helps.
Also, christ man, check your tires out more frequently. You should never be surprised by tires hitting the belts...
Yea that is pretty crazy
Z is at the shop for an inspection... alignment is all over the place :facepalm: Toe is off in front and left rear has a ton of camber. Tires got a little chewed up. O well
Quote from: S204STi on December 25, 2014, 11:59:59 PM
That's actually pretty common. Typically however one can find aftermarket parts which allow for camber or toe adjustment.
Here's the thing to consider: alignment specs from the factory have to compromise between two different missions; stability in terms of vehicle handling, straight-line tracking, etc; and tire wear. Notice how your nominal camber front to rear is split by about a degree negative? That is there to promote straight-line stability, as well as creating a tendency towards understeer at the limit. A car can be "in-spec" but still chew up tires. Some cars are just like that. You could ask them to set toe to 0 in the rear and see if that helps.
VW Service center said to do anything they have to send the alignment readings to the central VW service in Germany and than wait for their instruction on how to solve the problem, which in itself it will take days to a week, or even more. I didn't let them do it, maybe next time I will send the car for scheduled maintenance (which should be in around 6 month).
The car did not have any problem in the first 3 years of its life, only later it started. Now I can see clearly that the real wheels/tires are off and angled
Quote from: S204STi on December 26, 2014, 12:01:05 AM
Also, christ man, check your tires out more frequently. You should never be surprised by tires hitting the belts...
I know ..... though hitting the belts wasn't what surprised me, irregular wear was/is.
Now that I'm thinking, before when I had no alignment problems a tread-consumed set of tires would slightly spin and squeal under aggressive start, now that they get un-even tread wear they never do that again. No idea why or what it means.