Tire wear, second alignment

[swr]

Yes I off road my truck, but it's the pavement that tortures the tires, not the dirt! I don't go to the dealership except for the 7,500 mile service intervals or for the occassional warranty item (like sunroof drain tubes).

Was wondering if the off road threw off the alignment... I know the LR is tough... but not sure how tough...

For your alignments, do you go to a chain, a local shop, or someone with land rover expertise? I am 100 miles from a Land Rover dealership and don't think there are many shops in town that have even had one in their parking lot...

 

[Anita]

Yeah, I replaced my tires twice and now I have changed the brand on my 3rd time and it is much better. No probems yet. 3 sets of tires in 35k miles.

 

[jimzigg]

i also had uneven wear on my winter tires 2005 with 65k. had it aligned and negative rear camber corrected per dealer. when i took off winter tires to swap to summer 2 weeks ago the winters are wearing pretty unevenly.

 

[nwoods]

I get my truck aligned quarterly at a minimum, I've got 46,000 miles and never expereinced uneven wear after the first alignment.

 

[swr]

Are you able to get the alignment done at any reputable shop? Or does it need to be the dealer or LR specialist?

I know some places aren't familiar with the air suspension and the all-wheel drive...

 

[nwoods]

Are you able to get the alignment done at any reputable shop? Or does it need to be the dealer or LR specialist?

I know some places aren't familiar with the air suspension and the all-wheel drive...

I go to Big-O-Tires and they have a 4 wheel laser rack. The adjustment process is dead simple, take a crescent wrench and turn the nut on the tierod. It's knowing how far and how much that matters

 

[richpike]

I go to Big-O-Tires and they have a 4 wheel laser rack. The adjustment process is dead simple, take a crescent wrench and turn the nut on the tierod. It's knowing how far and how much that matters

nwoods - isn't yours coil sprung? There may be a difference for the air sprung vehicles because of the different ride heights. Having said that, I have taken mine to a tire shop in town and they did a great job. It also sounds like most dealers farm it out anyway. I'd just call around, or call your local dealer and see if they recommend anyone.

-Rich

 

[nwoods]

I don't think there is much difference with respect to alignment. We use the same suspension part numbers for the critical bits, I just have fewer bits and pieces.

 

[Roverine]

I think this is something you have to have done regularly or keep a close eye on. I have had my left rear Terra Grappler worn more to the inside at 20,000 mi.. I switched the spare onto that wheel at an alignment and have not noticed bad wear again after another 5000.

 

[mustbeaudi]

Back on the difference for coil vs. air spring alignments, different procedures exist within the famous "close tolerance alignment TSB" for these two systems. With the automatic air system, the TSB suggests that a tech hooks the car up to the diagnostic computer and puts the car into a certain setting to enable the alignment procedure to be done as directed. For the coil, there's a weight adjustment made to even account for fuel level!