Car tyre tracking

[Covenant]

I am going to get a front tyre fitted this afternoon and I bet they say my tracking needs adjusting. This use to be very cheap but is now the best part of £30. Is it all a con? Does the tracking alter when you go over the first speed bump you encounter?
I am very suspicious it's another money making ploy. :hmm:

[Stratmangler]

You're asking this with the price of fuel being as high as it is?
Never mind the increased longevity of your tyres.

Stop being such a tight arse and release a few moths :ner:

[walpurgis]

Tracking can be affected by road wheel impacts, but, the tracking does not alter if you just have a tyre changed, therefore if it was OK before, it'll be OK now!

[Covenant]

Are you saying tracking affects fuel consumption Chris?
I just think the mechanics replace a front tyre and automatically suggest tracking adjustment.

[chris@panteg]

Check the wear on your tyres , is it even ? Or excessive on the inside or outside of the tyre ? If it's even all round , I would say your tracking is ok !

[brian2957]

Check the wear on your tyres , is it even ? Or excessive on the inside or outside of the tyre ? If it's even all round , I would say your tracking is ok !

+1 .I would only get tracking checked if the tyres showed uneven wear or the steering was pulling to one side while driving on a straight road.

[Stratmangler]

Are you saying tracking affects fuel consumption Chris?
I just think the mechanics replace a front tyre and automatically suggest tracking adjustment.

Incorrect tracking does increase fuel consumption.
It might even be worth getting all four wheels aligned, for exactly that reason.

[Covenant]

Well I did get the tracking checked and it was out of alignment. I went underneath the car with the mechanic and watched him set the alignment using a laser tool. So I know it's been done at least.
Didn't make the car feel any better though!
Buying the tyre on line saved £61 so that made me feel a bit better.

[Ali Tait]

Most tracking done is only on the front wheels. It's much better to have a four wheel alignment done. Costs more yes, but as Chris says it can improve fuel consumption, not to mention saving on tyre wear, and the improvements in handling can be a revelation. You need a place with decent computerised gear though.

[Filterlab]

You need a place with decent computerised gear though.

That's not a prerequisite as tracking is done by magnified light beaming on to measurement panels. You simply need a decent mechanic who knows what he or she is doing.

But yes, it is worth doing. A whole lot of vehicle parameters are improved by correct tracking; handling, tyre wear, turn in, grip etc etc. Easily worth £30 in my opinion.

[archiesdad]

4 wheel alignment is(was) a bonus on my Honda, camber/toe/castor all adjusted and it felt like a different car, it had been in Honda's tolerance but that was so vague that getting set up by a pro who knew what was right was chalk and cheese, I get it checked annually just in case a speed bump has upset something, well worth the cost considering the price of tyres and fuel.
Unashamed bump.
http://www.pro-grip.org.uk/Home.html

[DSJR]

Honda's and the old Triumph/Rover derivatives all had four-wheel tracking and yes, having it done turnned a skittish car into a stable one, as well as evening up tyre wear.

I remember once, after a year's very happy motoring with a Peugeot 306 (well rated at the time), it's MOT and service dealer (Peugeot dealer in Wellingborough!) told us it needed track rods to be replaced (no vagueness or bad handling up to this point). After this had been done, the steering wheel was mis-aligned and the ride and handling went out the window. I took the car back, got the wheel straightened and had the tracking checked and re-adjusted elsewhere, but the handling was never as good and the front went "soft." I wonder to this day if the front struts were "swapped" for a pair of more worn ones at the time, but could never prove it - the 306 did seem to go soft at the front after 40K miles or so I understand..... We changed the car soon after and eventually settled on our now old family Focus, which ate its two front springs after four years or so.

[goraman]

Most newer cars on well maintained roads,not bumping parking blocks and curbs will go 1 year before really needing an alignment.
An older car on a bumpy road my need one every 6 months.
It will affect handling,breaking and tire ware.

The best way to get an idea if your car needs it is to get out on a straight road and see if the car will track straight with out correcting the wheel, it should if anything ideally move to the shoulder of the road just slightly not into on coming traffic if adjusted properly. Here in the U.S. they adjust for a sleeping driver,so if you fall asleep the car will slowly drift off the shoulder and not into oncoming traffic,the amount it takes do do this is very small and has saved many lives.
Like said before look at your tires once and a while for uneven ware or separations.

[Ali Tait]

That's not a prerequisite as tracking is done by magnified light beaming on to measurement panels. You simply need a decent mechanic who knows what he or she is doing.

But yes, it is worth doing. A whole lot of vehicle parameters are improved by correct tracking; handling, tyre wear, turn in, grip etc etc. Easily worth £30 in my opinion.

It is if you want it done properly IMHO, including castor, camber etc all of which can affect handling and tyre wear.