Ok so heres the situation, in about a month or two im going to be getting new shocks and springs... after the shocks and springs of course the new wheel alignment, but i also need new tires as my rears are bald and i lose traction on everything... so the question is should i wait till after i get new tires to get the alignment or before and would doing it before have any affect anyways?

 

Bald to Brand new tires will have a rotational diameter and ride height change, but it will be very very slight. I recommend waiting until after you have new tires and shocks/springs swapped in.

If the shocks/springs will come before the tires, then the alignment timing shouldn't matter too much, but still best effect if it comes after everything. If your shop is giving you the alignment free, for either the tires or the shocks/springs, then I would see if they would be willing to postpone the alignment until after the other.

 

The only thing is i dont have to pay for the tires, and half of the Koni yellows im getting but im afraid if i get the new tires first its going to take longer to get my new shocks, you know how parents are... i mean i dont suppose the alignment would be bad enough to where i should wait till after i get new tires? They way i look at it is this, when i get my new shocks&springs installed i can then annoy them with new tires and that way i dont have to wait any longer for my shocks... get it?

 

Wait till you have new tires on the car.

 

Yeah, i'd wait on the alignment. Bald tires don't mix well with winter, even in TX

Sounds like it is a case of "do what you have to before what you want to".

 

yikes ok... well what about this... drive around unaligned until i get new tires... i mean whats the worse that could happen? uneven tread wear? im getting new tires anyways... bad or good idea?

 

I might be misunderstanding you. Do you need an alignment currently? Is it severe?

 

well im currently on stock springs and shocks, after i get my koni yellows and Tein S.techs im going to need a alignment after they settle in which is 2 weeks no?

 

and im going to need new tires soon, idk when the last alignment was but i assume it was ALONG time ago

 

Ah, so you are getting the shocks/springs installed, and then worrying about tires? I don't think the alignment timing is going to matter much. You will probably be wearing your balding tires unevenly until you do get the alignment, but as long as you are not going a couple thousand miles between shocks/springs and the new tires, and you keep an eye on the shoulder (inner and outter) wear, you should be fine from that perspective. I cant predict how they will wear different, I don't know the geometry enough for that

Personally, I would still go for the tires first, to make sure you still have an 8 to put the springs in, rather than spending a day at the junk yard removing your new shocks and springs as the insurance company is totaling it.

 

Thanks for your help Can, granted im a teen but since they are so bald i stay off the highways when its raining, i just dont want to wait longer for my shocks because my parents dont have money... i appreciate your help and thanks for clarifying

 

When you lower the ride height...it can drastically change the toe....improper toe is the most common reason for severe tire wear...

If you have poor tires already.....a week driving on crappy alignment could have you to and through the tire cords...and potentially into a blowout situation

If you drop it.....do the alignment...if it is a good rack the tire dia makes no difference.....

 

so dan your saying when i get the shocks&springs installed align my old tires anyways because its not going to make a difference on new tires? and when should i get the alignment? 1-2 weeks is about right no?

 

????

 

I think Dan is saying you are getting into dangerous ground. The 1-2 weeks of settle time might be enough to put nearly dangerous damage on your tires since they are already bald. It really depends on how far down you lower.

I stand by my opinion that you really should replace tires first. Koni Yellows do no good to you in the junkyard or hospital.

You might be fine, but is it worth the risk?

 

I would get the tires first.....then the suspension...and alignment.

Tires are first line safety stuff...like brakes. You never want to drive on **** tires...or brakes.............especially in the winter

You don't need to drive it more than an hour to get it to settle..unless you royally screwed up the install.....and longer won't help anyway...just will kill your bushings if you did it wrong

Don't drive on the new tires very long without the alignment......l

 

that is the idea. they dont align the tires, they align the wheels. the alignment with change with a spring shock change. not so much with the tires.

driving around on bald tires is bad.

beers

 

Alignment if done properly is tire independent........

Get an alignment with the suspension change........

Don't need it necessarily with new tires if it was done recently...but it is always a good idea to do the alignment with new tires if it is more than a few months...could save you a lot of tire wear

 

Usually some places offer a 6 months or so many miles for alignment warranty, so you can can get the alignment done and just go back since its under warranty at which ever shop you go to. But its recommended after any suspension work has been done for sure.

 

sweet thanks drifter, that helps alot... heh sounds good guys thanks everyone!!!

 

get aligned twice, they should do it for free.. if they dont threaten that their competitor will.

i went thru 2 decent tires in a week because i didnt get an alignment because i was about to buy new tires. why does it matter? i had a blow out the night before i got the new tires