How Frequently Do Have To Check The Wheel Alignment ?

[ColomboRox]

How frequently do have to check the wheel alignment ?

[jami]

for every 15000Km

[jaga]

it is better in every 5000 km due to our road conditions. Atleast in every 10000 km.

[The Don]

  On 6/6/2012 at 6:22 AM, ColomboRox said:

How frequently do have to check the wheel alignment ?

Personally if you ride on pretty rough roads it might be worthwhile getting it checked every year or so. But personally I'd definitely have it checked every time I change tyres or anything relating to the suspension or steering in the car.

[ColomboRox]

  On 6/6/2012 at 6:46 AM, The Don said:

Personally if you ride on pretty rough roads it might be worthwhile getting it checked every year or so. But personally I'd definitely have it checked every time I change tyres or anything relating to the suspension or steering in the car.

ok.Thanks,

another question-why should I check wheel alignment..Will it help for my fuel ?

[Crosswind]

You should check wheel alignment because:

1. It will reduce uneven tire wear

2. It will improve handling

It MAY save you a little bit of fuel. But disciplined driving will save you more.

[YALA]

i do it every 5000. Once i do it i take it back after i clock about 1000 to check if it has changed.

Edited June 6, 2012 by YALA

[ferrarif50]

  On 6/6/2012 at 6:27 AM, jami said:

for every 15000Km

if you are using only the highway

5000kms recommended by most of the people for Sri Lankan roads

[jehan80]

  On 6/6/2012 at 11:35 AM, ferrarif50 said:

if you are using only the highway

5000kms recommended by most of the people for Sri Lankan roads

Are you sure? And this applies to all cars in general?? That would mean checking the alignment at every service interval

[Komisiripala]

Look at it this way:

Price of two tyres: 25-30,000

Alignment: under 1000.

[Nilantha]

  On 6/6/2012 at 6:22 AM, ColomboRox said:

How frequently do have to check the wheel alignment ?

not only wheel alignment, when you fix new tyres you have to do wheel balance + wheel alignment also its better if you do change front wheel to rear and rear to front every 5000km

Edited June 6, 2012 by Nilantha

[The Don]

  On 6/6/2012 at 6:53 AM, ColomboRox said:

ok.Thanks,

another question-why should I check wheel alignment..Will it help for my fuel ?

The main reason is what Komsiripala has stated, to control tyre wear as tyres are so expensive. But it will also help with wear and tear on the suspension and steering and make your car handle better on the road, and this is particularly important at high speed. You don't wont your car to pull to a side at 100kmph do you on the E01?

[ColomboRox]

  On 6/6/2012 at 2:55 PM, Nilantha said:

not only wheel alignment, when you fix new tyres you have to do wheel balance + wheel alignment also its better if you do change front wheel to rear and rear to front every 5000km

Why swapping wheels? - Is it good for have the change every service?

[terrabytetango]

Rotating tires is to ensure generally even wear on all tires. We have discussed the topic at length here http://forum.autolanka.com/index.php?/topic/12873-tire-rotation-with-different-branded-tyres/page__hl__%2Btire+%2Brotation__fromsearch__1

[Amila G]

@terrabytetango thanks for the link,

OTT but, I too thought that the good tires should be on the back,

but I got first hand experience today on the E01 that they should be on the front. with not-so-heavy downpour my worn fronts skidded like on ice when I just touched the brake pedal. I was doing abt 80 and just slightly pressed the brake and the next moment the front was skidding but the car was still doing like 70 and it scared the hell outta me !!! mind you although they are worn, still they are in very usable condition.

My conclusion was that, since the fronts provide the majority of the braking power, they should have the best grip otherwise they'll lockup and you'll end up in the high speed skid.

[YALA]

  On 6/7/2012 at 9:16 AM, Amila G said:

@terrabytetango thanks for the link,

OTT but, I too thought that the good tires should be on the back,

but I got first hand experience today on the E01 that they should be on the front. with not-so-heavy downpour my worn fronts skidded like on ice when I just touched the brake pedal. I was doing abt 80 and just slightly pressed the brake and the next moment the front was skidding but the car was still doing like 70 and it scared the hell outta me !!! mind you although they are worn, still they are in very usable condition.

My conclusion was that, since the fronts provide the majority of the braking power, they should have the best grip otherwise they'll lockup and you'll end up in the high speed skid.

good tyres should be on all 4 wheels not just the front two or rear. How much tread does your tyres have might have hit a oil or grime spot ???

[Amila G]

all tires are good (IMO) but the rears are new and fronts are old but still hasn't reached the wear marks yet. No there were no oil spots just water. Actually I tried braking 2 - 3 times after that and the same thing happened. (Yes I checked the mirror and the road was desserted)

[Ripper]

  On 6/6/2012 at 6:38 AM, jaga said:

it is better in every 5000 km due to our road conditions. Atleast in every 10000 km.

yep. same here. i do it every oil change. cheap insurance!

[The Don]

  On 6/7/2012 at 9:16 AM, Amila G said:

@terrabytetango thanks for the link,

OTT but, I too thought that the good tires should be on the back,

but I got first hand experience today on the E01 that they should be on the front. with not-so-heavy downpour my worn fronts skidded like on ice when I just touched the brake pedal. I was doing abt 80 and just slightly pressed the brake and the next moment the front was skidding but the car was still doing like 70 and it scared the hell outta me !!! mind you although they are worn, still they are in very usable condition.

My conclusion was that, since the fronts provide the majority of the braking power, they should have the best grip otherwise they'll lockup and you'll end up in the high speed skid.

I think this particularly in front wheel drive vehicles the best tyres should be at the front because its responsible for drive as well as steering.

On a slightly different note Amila, could you tell me where this place you got wheel alignment is at and if you know a good place in Colombo (I read your other thread on wheel alignment and you mentioned a few places but not the location). Thanks!

[Amila G]

@The Don,

I got my pulling issue corrected at auto wheel center panadura

map: http://g.co/maps/gmv9s

Phone. 038-2231133

In colombo Car Care in wellawatte (in front of Savoy) does a good job

Car C@re

Sinsapa Road, Wellawatta

011 2 586545

Google map

[The Don]

  On 6/8/2012 at 1:30 PM, Amila G said:

@The Don,

I got my pulling issue corrected at auto wheel center panadura

map: http://g.co/maps/gmv9s

Phone. 038-2231133

In colombo Car Care in wellawatte (in front of Savoy) does a good job

Car C@re

Sinsapa Road, Wellawatta

011 2 586545

Google map

Much appreciated! Would you mind also sharing how much each of these establishments charge. I got my initial wheel alignment done today for 1200 at a place close to where I live (as it was 5.30PM already and my car has had suspension bushes, shocks, tie rods and ball joints changed and I wanted to get it done before I went home) but not sure of the quality of work.

Edited June 8, 2012 by The Don

[Amila G]

Car Care charges abt 2200 for aligning all the 4 wheels (camber + toe ) and the panadura place is around 1000. But both of them charges according to the adjustments done.

For ex. if they did not do the camber they won't charge for it , so the charges vary

One thing I learnt is, not all the places are equal at doing alignments

Edited June 8, 2012 by Amila G

[The Don]

  On 6/8/2012 at 4:50 PM, Amila G said:

Car Care charges abt 2200 for aligning all the 4 wheels (camber + toe ) and the panadura place is around 1000. But both of them charges according to the adjustments done.

For ex. if they did not do the camber they won't charge for it , so the charges vary

One thing I learnt is, not all the places are equal at doing alignments

True, like one of the problems that has come out of fixing new bushes and suspension repair is that the new bushes are probably not exactly the same as original, as in you can't buy just the bush but the entire suspension arm, so when it was more cost effective I opted to replace the bushes not the arm. And probably the arms have also slightly lost shape over the years. So now you can't quite adjust everything 100% so some brute force is required This is where you see a difference in a place committed to what they are doing and a place which just follows a computer and does adjustments. The suspension replacement cost me 70K and the vehicle geometry feels ok after the wheel alignment. I have also been offered a re test in 2500km. I shall wait and see.....