Had car for less than 4 months and the tracking is out

AndyMc.....

pinkshoes wrote: »

Isn't it about £45 to get tracking done?

I hit a big pot hole the other day and now need to go get mine shortly!!

£25 a few months ago.

James2k

depends if you go 2 wheel, 4 wheel, computer or boggo laser alignment

EdGasketTheSecond

Merlin139 wrote: »

You could have put the tracking out of line the day you picked it up by hitting a curb or a Pothole.
.

That's utter BS. You'd have to physically damage something to put the tracking out and then it would be beyond adjustment. Once the tracking is correct it rarely, if ever, needs to be done again unless parts are replaced or the steering suffers extreme wear. All the tracking is locked in place by threads and locknuts IT CANNOT CHANGE BY HITTING A CURB OR POTHOLE!

Herzlos

Joe_Horner wrote: »

You can assume that, if they're legal, they're safe.

To be legal you need at least 1.6mm tread depth in a band around the central 3/4 of width of the tyre.

Legal is the bare minimum, so it's maybe better to say that if it's illegal then it's unsafe.
Lots of organizations (including the police) change theirs at 3mm.


There even seems to be some industry pressure to review the minimum limit upwards to 3mm.


There's an article here about it. It includes this quote from a MIRA test of various depths:

This research was conclusive and showed that the stopping distances in the wet start to increase dramatically at tread depths of below 3mm. It also showed that at the legal minimum tread depth of 1.6mm, the stopping distance increased by 36.8% on hot rolled asphalt and 44.6% on smooth concrete.

Joe_Horner

Herzlos wrote: »

Legal is the bare minimum, so it's maybe better to say that if it's illegal then it's unsafe.
Lots of organizations (including the police) change theirs at 3mm.


There even seems to be some industry pressure to review the minimum limit upwards to 3mm.


There's an article here about it. It includes this quote from a MIRA test of various depths:

Ther's also very clear industry guidance from Michelin that you should use them to the legal limit and that many aspects of their performance (including dry grip and braking) actually improve significantly as they wear towards the limit.

Since by far most of our driving in the UK (believe it ir not) are on dry roads, or roads not wet enough for tread depth to be a factor, it makes sense to aximise grip in those circumstances and learn to slow down on the rare occasions it's really wet.

Herzlos

Michelin have also made mention that their claim is somewhat biased by the fact they make tyres which perform pretty well all the way down to thin treads. The MIRA tests I mentioned above show that part worn mid-range performs better than new budget, so I assume that the same applies all the way down the depth and that a good tyre at 1.6mm is likely still better than a ditchfinder at 3mm.



There's a valid point regarding cost and environment, since an increase from 1.6 to 3mm means binning tyres 20% earlier and losing the more efficient (in the dry) tyres.



The roads not usually wet enough to make a difference, except for when they are. We still get enough water (and maybe it's just our infrastructure but we get a lot of surface water up here without that much rain) and potentially snow for it to be a factor.

EdGasketTheSecond

Herzlos wrote: »

There even seems to be some industry pressure to review the minimum limit upwards to 3mm.

Well they'd love that wouldn't they? Then we'd all have to buy more tyres and boost their profits. Doesn't help the environment though throwing away perfectly useable tyres.

System

kaggi wrote: »

Thanks, could I have done that much damage to the tyres in that period?

Yes. Kwik Fit cocked up tracking my car once and an almost new tyre went from almost full tread to chord showing on the inside edge in 250 miles.

Robisere

EdGasketTheSecond wrote: »

That's utter BS. You'd have to physically damage something to put the tracking out and then it would be beyond adjustment. Once the tracking is correct it rarely, if ever, needs to be done again unless parts are replaced or the steering suffers extreme wear. All the tracking is locked in place by threads and locknuts IT CANNOT CHANGE BY HITTING A CURB OR POTHOLE!

No, but a steering or suspension component, including bushes and track rod ends, can be damaged, if the impact is hard enough. That results in repair work and a need for steering alignment. Tracking", is only a part of the alignment work, there is more to it than that nowadays.

sh2011

Full disclosure - I haven't read the full thread, but just posting my recent experience in the hope it might help someone out there.

I recently purchased two new front tyres from Kwik Fit online. I was aware that my front wheel alignment/tracking was out due to the obvious wear patterns on the old tyres. I asked for them to check the alignment/tracking for me.

Whilst I was waiting for the tyres to be fitted they started the alignment/tracking process without asking me or informing me of the price. When I challenged the centre manager at the desk they quoted me ~£70 which I flat out refused to pay. They immediately dropped to £50 which I agreed to.

So far (about 2 weeks and ~300 miles) all is well.

Good luck!