[Rodie09]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Alignment report is okay. Is 'tyre wear' even on tyres? And hope no suspension related issues on fortuner for pull towards left.

Yes, only front toe can be adjusted. You could have visited Darshan tyres branch located near Jupiter hospital off baner road.

Yeah, had visited them too but choice of tyres made me go to Sai. Didn't know this beforehand that I won't get print. I assumed that as a standard.
Thanks mate

[mithun]

Recently in a tyre shop with 3D wheel alignment, my car's alignment was done first and then the balancing(with new sticker weights).

Previously, the order was always:

1. Balancing
2. Alignment

Is it wrong?

[KK_HakunaMatata]

Originally Posted by mithun

Recently in a tyre shop with 3D wheel alignment, my car's alignment was done first and then the balancing(with new sticker weights).

Previously, the order was always:

1. Balancing
2. Alignment

Is it wrong?

I don't think there is any set order for doing Balancing and Alignment. Balancing is for the wheels and Alignment is for the chassis.

Anyway I will wait for an expert to confirm my understanding.

KK

[Gansan]

^^ Normally alignment is done after wheel balancing, but there is nothing wrong if the order is reversed. For instance if we are changing four tyres within a few months of the previous balancing and alignment, it is sufficient to just balance the wheels, no need to check alignment. Simple removal and refitment of wheels will not affect alignment. But alignment is done any way because it is free.

[tud]

Hi all,

At my recent car service, the FNG took the car (Fiat Punto 2011 model) to a nearby tyre shop called FCA to align the wheels. I didn't feel comfortable after this wheel alignment, and took it to MRF tyredrome. After completing the wheel alignment at MRF, it feels much better, there is no pull or anything. But the guys at MRF said the Castor and Camber are now out of specs and that can only be set right a Fiat authorised service centre as only they can handle such issues. Is that right? I'm sharing both the wheel alignment reports. Please advice.

Wheel alignment at FCA


Wheel alignment at MRF tyredrome

[BeantownThinker]

I have a question on tyre rotation.

For a vehicle which has all 5 wheels and tyres of the same size and make, is it advisable to do a 4-wheel rotation (without using the spare tyre) and do a proper 5 wheel rotation?

What are the benefits and pitfalls of each option?

[suku_patel_22]

My EcoSport is a year old and will be going for its first service this weekend. I am stuck in a peculiar situation when it comes to tire rotation.

The front two wheels had sidewall damage in October/November and have been replaced.

So i have two tyres in the front with around 1000 km on them and the rear tire with 8000 km on them. The spare wheel has done close to 200 km.

How do i go about rotating my tires?

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by BeantownThinker

I have a question on tyre rotation.

For a vehicle which has all 5 wheels and tyres of the same size and make, is it advisable to do a 4-wheel rotation (without using the spare tyre) and do a proper 5 wheel rotation?

What are the benefits and pitfalls of each option?

How do you propose to do a 5 wheel rotation with 4 wheels. If your question is which is better, the answer would be 5 wheel rotation. There is no particular benefit to be gained if the spare wheel is not used, as the rubber tends to get hard with age, whether you use it or not. It will anyways have to be replaced around the 8-10 year mark at most.

If your running is more (more than 10k kms per year), its always better to use all the 5 wheels so that they wear out evenly and you gain the maximum benefit for your money.

[el lobo 6061]

What is the ideal time/kilometers to do following?
1. Wheel Alignment
2. Wheel Balancing
3. Wheel Rotation

Is wheel balancing required every time you do alignment and/or rotation? OR just when you change to new tyres?

Old school of thought said to do all 3 every 5000 kms.

[bharatbits]

Originally Posted by BeantownThinker

I have a question on tyre rotation.

For a vehicle which has all 5 wheels and tyres of the same size and make, is it advisable to do a 4-wheel rotation (without using the spare tyre) and do a proper 5 wheel rotation?

What are the benefits and pitfalls of each option?

Do all 5
Benefit: All tyres wear evenly. Increasing tyre life by 20%. Not using spare makes it hard and useless over time.

Originally Posted by tud

At my recent car service, the FNG took the car (Fiat Punto 2011 model) to a nearby tyre shop called FCA to align the wheels. I didn't feel comfortable after this wheel alignment, and took it to MRF tyredrome. After completing the wheel alignment at MRF, it feels much better, there is no pull or anything. But the guys at MRF said the Castor and Camber are now out of specs and that can only be set right a Fiat authorised service centre as only they can handle such issues. Is that right? I'm sharing both the wheel alignment reports. Please advice.

Yes, Fiat ASC have to do that. But, the question is whether all Fiat ASC s competent enough to do that is the question. I had a similar issue in my Linea, Fiat ASC were reluctant to take it because it takes lot of competency and hit and trials thus time to make things right. I showed it to a expert alignment person outside who took his own sweet time but still did the job and my car is straight like a arrow now. I really enjoy leaving my hands off the steering wheel on straight roads.

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

What is the ideal time/kilometers to do following?
1. Wheel Alignment
2. Wheel Balancing
3. Wheel Rotation

Is wheel balancing required every time you do alignment and/or rotation? OR just when you change to new tyres?

Old school of thought said to do all 3 every 5000 kms.

If you do not know much about your car, tyre wear tear, steering response, tilt, pull, vibrations, wobble etc blindly do all 3 every 5k kms. Else, i think you know the answer.

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by mithun

Recently in a tyre shop with 3D wheel alignment, my car's alignment was done first and then the balancing(with new sticker weights).

Previously, the order was always:

1. Balancing
2. Alignment

Is it wrong?

It doesnt matter. Both these are independent services. Alignment handles the suspension angles and balancing doesnt touch the suspension but balances the wheels and tyres individually.

Originally Posted by tud

Hi all,

Attachment 1837831

Wheel alignment at MRF tyredrome
Attachment 1837832

On most cars, only Front Toe is adjustable. Other angles like camber, caster and rear toe are fixed and can only be adjusted by mechanics who usually dismantle parts of the suspension and replace worn parts.

So, the MRF guys are right. I suggest you ask Fiat to fix whatever is wrong and then go to MRF for a correct Alignment.

Unfortunately, FIATs for some reason are known to have out of spec angles. I dont know if it is poor quality control at the factory or wrong specs being circulated by the company.

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

What is the ideal time/kilometers to do following?
1. Wheel Alignment
2. Wheel Balancing
3. Wheel Rotation

Is wheel balancing required every time you do alignment and/or rotation? OR just when you change to new tyres?

Old school of thought said to do all 3 every 5000 kms.

Do all 3 every 5k for peace of mind. Of course, you could save the thousand or so bucks and extend your interval to 10k or 15k but then you might pay a huge price in rapid wear of tyres or suspension components.

Do remember one thing: Your steering wheel wobbling or vibrating is the last and final symptom. That means your wheels are so badly out of balance that your suspension is unable to insulate you anymore and now you are feeling the imbalance in your steering wheel.

Many people justify skipping balancing by saying "I dont have any wobbling or vibration". I wonder if those are the people who wait for shooting pains down the left side of their body and chest pain before they meet a Doctor.

When it comes to alignment, a pull or a crooked steering is again the final symptom. Every car is supposed to have a particular set of alignment angles and there is a tolerance specified by the manufacturer.

If you get alignment done frequently, chances are your alignment will be within spec for longer.

[shady]

I have a question regarding tyre rotation. After the previous service of my new gen figo i had done the alignment/Balancing/Rotation at a tyre shop. The guy at the shop suggested to swap the sides of the tyre inside out i.e to swap the inner tyre sidewall to face the outside for all tyres. I declined it since I was not sure whether its a good idea.

Can anyone shed light on this? Is it a good idea?

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by shady

I have a question regarding tyre rotation. After the previous service of my new gen figo i had done the alignment/Balancing/Rotation at a tyre shop. The guy at the shop suggested to swap the sides of the tyre inside out i.e to swap the inner tyre sidewall to face the outside for all tyres. I declined it since I was not sure whether its a good idea.

Can anyone shed light on this? Is it a good idea?

That is usually done only when there is some excessive wear on one side. We used to do it on old Sumos and Tempo Travellers.

If there is excessive wear on one side and someone is recommending reversing the tyres, clearly, they are only treating the symptom and not the root cause. You need to see why there is uneven wear. Is it due to Camber or Toe? Or something else? Usually Camber isnt adjustable on cars. So, have any parts worn out? Would you need to replace some suspension components?

If there is no uneven wear, then dont bother with this useless exercise. It is probably a remnant of some old mentality of an old technician who has worked for years and has not upgraded his knowledge....

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

If you get alignment done frequently, chances are your alignment will be within spec for longer.

I agree; I would generally see toe values within limits everytime I took my Corolla for alignment. All that the guy would do is bring the values as close to center line as possible.

That car is no longer with me but has only seen front struts replacement and tyres replacement in 14 years.

[sarfraz1997]

Does anyone know any balancing and alignment stores with Road Force balancing and alignment in Hyderabad? My Jetta's steering is wobbling above 100kmph.