New Tires..Need Alignment?

mike keech · 10 Feb 2006

Hi Guys,

Car is booked in JZM for new conti sport n2 on the rear..they quoted for "alignment" at c £200..surely this job just needs "balancing"? am i wrong here? These are the same tires I have on the front...

Cheers,

Mike

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911doctor · 10 Feb 2006

it depends on how the tyres have worn. if they were just low across the whole tyre then alignment is not necessary, however, if the wear across the tyre tread is uneven then alignment is needed

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Porsche · 10 Feb 2006

mike

due to the specialist nature of the 911 the normally of the suspension (e.g. camber, toe, etc etc) is quite expensive and requires special tools and does cost £200 a pop... OPC charges £350 IIRC....

you can just change the tyres and see how the car is, but as the 911doc says if tyre wear is uneven then the alignment does need doing to sort out these problems....

although I get mine down every year as part of the annual maintenance to keep the set up in good shape....

but if you're aligment hasn't been done in say 2 years or 24k miles then it's probably worth doing anyway.... which can make all the difference to how you car handles

regards

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mike keech · 10 Feb 2006

Thanks. Had it done less then 12 months ago when new shocks put on so should be ok with just balancing..Thanks guys.

Mike

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Bobby Pritchard · 12 Feb 2006

I'm just about to renew my rear 996 C4 michelin pilot sports, about 9,000 miles out of them with careful driving. My garage suggests realignment too, I think its just a money making exercise for them. By the way are there any better value for money tyres for the C4 996 than the Michelin pilot sports?

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911Silverback · 12 Feb 2006

Hi Bobby,

A realignment check is well worth doing, you should feel a difference once its done. Depending on how hard you drive your car will determine how often you need the alignment checked, these cars do need adjusting quite regular.

Also IMO the michelin sports are a good all round tyre i like em!

...rob

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Graham Johnson · 12 Feb 2006

I had my alignment checked after I changed the dampers on my 993 C4S.

Was within tolerance and made no difference to the handling. So a straight change of tyres showing no signs of uneven wear should be a simple low cost job.

Your call.

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les windows · 15 Feb 2006

I have a 992 C2 no PSM, I like the pilot sports in the dry but find its easy to whellspin in the wet. Anybody tried dunlop eagles whjhc i had recomended to me ?

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JMK · 16 Feb 2006

Running P Zero Rossos on my 2002 996 Targa. £200 all in for each rear - 285*30*18. Seems to get great rear grip (old had 2mm and were useless) yet the fronts get lots of understeer if it's slightly damp and have 5mm left. Maybe it's by alignment.

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Porsche · 16 Feb 2006

Previous poster said:
Quote: Originally posted by JMK on 16 February 2006

Running P Zero Rossos on my 2002 996 Targa. £200 all in for each rear - 285*30*18. Seems to get great rear grip (old had 2mm and were useless) yet the fronts get lots of understeer if it's slightly damp and have 5mm left. Maybe it's by alignment.

side effect of bigger tyres is slight understeer, as the optimal chassis balance point is passed and in slightly damp conditions that suggest your entry speed to corners / speed in corners is to high for the chassis, causing the tyres to understeer....

a common occurance on track days, you would just need to feed off the power slightly to return the balance to neutral, although it seems like you'll be going around the corner slower you are actually in a better position to get back on the power earlier and quicker as the straight appears, whereas you would still be fighting the understeer into the straight and have a much slower exit speed and thus compromising your progess till the next corner !

regards

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