Hi need some help choosing what tracking/alignment to get done, I've recently had two new front tyres put on my vrs hatch. The two tyres that came off were worn really Badly to the point were the wires were through on one of the tyres, my rear tyres hvnt worn to bad at all, now do I just get the front checked for tracking or do I get 4 wheel alignment? In a previous post I've stated I've been running 29 psi in the fronts and 30 psi in the rear which are the manufacturers settings, is low tyre pressure enough to warrant the inside edge of both front tyres to be totally worn out? Any help appreciated 

IMHO the pressures you have been running are too low for the car being a diesel.

I would expect 32 PSI on the front at the least and 33 to 34 PSI on the rear.

Having said that someone will probably disagree.

Even with correct pressures I had that problem of severe inner edge front tyre wear after Skoda tried to do a 4 wheel alignment on my vRS some years ago. Skoda then got it redone at local Audi dealer and all four tyres wore perfectly evenly thereafter. Personally, I'd get a full 4 wheel alignment done. 

I had a Hunter alighment done as soon as I bought the car (15 months old and 10K miles) and tyre wear has been fine for 32K miles.  My summer tyres I run at 32F/30R and my winter tyres at 35F/33R.  All tyres are worn evenly across the tread.  When I change Summer-Winter-Summer I put most worn on rear and least worn on front to even out the wear so that I can change a complete set of 4 tyres at once.

Hi, thanks for the advice. I'm running 34 in the fronts and 30 on the rear on these new tyres surely if it needed four wheel alignment my rear tyres would be worn

the same way?? There fine, was hoping to just get away with front wheel alignment, what's your thoughts

Edited 8 March, 20179 yr by Catzeye

Get a 4 wheel alignment done.  I run the factory pressures and mine is a diesel. The tyres you have fitted are no doubt xl, which means the tyre wall is reinforced and you dont need as high pressures. All my tyres are wearing fine.

Why so much resistance to getting a 4 wheel alignment done when replies you have asked for indicated to?

 

A front alignment should resolve the front wear assuming there is no underlying chassis alignment problem / crash damage that prevents target settings being achieved. I also have replied to a previous thread, if I am remembering correctly that the pressures you have been running have been  too low, especially if doing any spirited twisty driving. I don't think that will have helped with wear issues.  It seems like alignment is also a significant problem, in the front at least.

 

However, for the sake of the extra money involved, and given the problem you've got with the front, it would IMO be well worthwhile doing a 4 wheel alignment as you do not appear to have the history of when it was last done and in any case, a wheel alignment is maintenance item and adjustment is unlikely to be a permanent set and forget for the entire vehicle life. 

 

 

Clearly it needs a geometry setup if the tyres are wearing like that. 

 

I run 32 front 30 rear on my VRS on 18s. Some on here like the pressures even higher. 

Well, IMO you probably have one of:-

1. Too much front camber.
2. Worn track rod ends causing too much toe out.
3. Worn lower balljoints do do do.
4. Worn wishbone bushes do do do.

A competent garage attempting a full alignment will diagnose any of these, oh and they can show up in just a month or 3 after an MoT so please don't waste our time by saying it passed.

Hi all, thanks again for all your replies, after seeing some of your comments I am definitely going to have four wheel alignment done on it, I don't think anything is worn on the car as it has only covered 33,000 from new, although I know things can wear prematurely but I doubt that's my problem here, the client , my reluctance to have the 4 wheel alignment  done is simply down to the rear tyres no having worn anything like the fronts and the rears are still in really good condition although after seeing the replys to my question on here I'm definitely going to get the full four wheels done, I want to run as close to the manafactures settings as possible down to the fact that it softens the ride quality off a bit as I think that my vrs has quite a hard ride quality as standard. Can I ask if any of yous have had your cars hunter aligned at tyre spot and and your experiences with them as this is were I am looking at having it done, also if the camber is out on the front, can this be adjusted aswel as the tracking? Thanks again for the advice

56 minutes ago, Catzeye said:

Hi all, thanks again for all your replies, after seeing some of your comments I am definitely going to have four wheel alignment done on it, I don't think anything is worn on the car as it has only covered 33,000 from new, although I know things can wear prematurely but I doubt that's my problem here, the client , my reluctance to have the 4 wheel alignment  done is simply down to the rear tyres no having worn anything like the fronts and the rears are still in really good condition although after seeing the replys to my question on here I'm definitely going to get the full four wheels done, I want to run as close to the manafactures settings as possible down to the fact that it softens the ride quality off a bit as I think that my vrs has quite a hard ride quality as standard. Can I ask if any of yous have had your cars hunter aligned at tyre spot and and your experiences with them as this is were I am looking at having it done, also if the camber is out on the front, can this be adjusted aswel as the tracking? Thanks again for the advice

 

With hunter alignment, they will probably charge you a set amount for set up, possibly including some minor adjustment(s), but then plus other costs @ £? per adjustment. Probably towards £100.

This should include Caster, Camber and Toe.

I cannot comment on tyre spot as never used them.

You could ask them not to adjust the rears, but I guess their readout will undoubtedly show that your rears are out of alignment.

Wether they really are out or not, depends on the honesty of the garage doing the work imo.

 

In the experience that I have had with having hunter alignment done, and F1 (notts) doing the work, and your rears being ok, and the advice of my mechanic, and the car drives straight without pulling either side, I would just get my fronts done, but maybe that is just me.

 

Good luck with it.

 

29 minutes ago, Tilt said:

 

With hunter alignment, they will probably charge you a set amount for set up, possibly including some minor adjustment(s), but then plus other costs @ £? per adjustment. Probably towards £100.

This should include Caster, Camber and Toe.

I cannot comment on tyre spot as never used them.

You could ask them not to adjust the rears, but I guess their readout will undoubtedly show that your rears are out of alignment.

Wether they really are out or not, depends on the honesty of the garage doing the work imo.

 

In the experience that I have had with having hunter alignment done, and F1 (notts) doing the work, and your rears being ok, and the advice of my mechanic, and the car drives straight without pulling either side, I would just get my fronts done, but maybe that is just me.

 

Good luck with it.

 

If you pay that much for Hunter alignment you need to go somewhere else.  Initial check plus two adjustments cost me £45.  That included the usual before and after graphical print-out.

2 minutes ago, philbes said:

If you pay that much for Hunter alignment you need to go somewhere else.  Initial check plus two adjustments cost me £45.  That included the usual before and after graphical print-out.

 

To be fair, that totally depends on the amount of adjustments though. And there aren't that many places (locally) that do it afaik.

 

Your £45 cost is / was reasonable.

 

IMO, and experience of having this job done twice, I think it is open to dishonesty. I think the before print out's could easily be falsified by an unscrupulous garage / mechanic.

I had to get F1 head office involved to get £40 overcharge refunded. I purchased the basic adjustments online and the garage charged me for these again plus other adjustments. This was the first time I used them. I had to use them again unfortunately after suspension work, and couldn't find another garage with hunter set up, and again they charged for rear adjustments. I know people say they need regular checking / adjustment (this has been said in other alignment posts) But they shouldn't require it imo. I have never had any other cars that have required so much attention and cost Re alignment, or tyre wear.

 

I have considered trying to mark my rear adjusters for future reference but not got round to it yet.

Hi again,  been quoted 70 pound from tyre spot at team valley Gateshead, tilt, i too have reservations about them trying to diddle me!!! Don't they give you a print out with green coloured bits if it doesn't need adjustment and then yellow/ amber is if it's out? Do yourself know how long four wheel alignment takes?

 

Edited 10 March, 20179 yr by Catzeye

13 hours ago, Catzeye said:

Hi again,  been quoted 70 pound from tyre spot at team valley Gateshead, tilt, i too have reservations about them trying to diddle me!!! Don't they give you a print out with green coloured bits if it doesn't need adjustment and then yellow/ amber is if it's out? Do yourself know how long four wheel alignment takes?

 

 

23 hours ago, Tilt said:

I think the before print out's could easily be falsified by an unscrupulous garage / mechanic.

 

You will probably be waiting 3/4 hour or there abouts. As to how long it actually takes them, in between coffees and fag breaks, and talking on their phones, who knows.

 

Most will tell you to just get it done, it's up to you. £70 is probably not bad so long as they know what they are doing, but it is a lot if only your fronts require adjusting. See what philbes said above.

Align my car . Co . Uk 

 

This. Get it done. Go do it. Stop asking about it. 

Looking at the pressures you are running. If you have a diesel they are too low. The diesel 18 inch pressures are 2.1 front and 2.2 rear. That equates to 30.458 psi and 31.903 psi. If you have a guage that does both psi and bar id set them using the bar reading. Or psi, set them to 31 front and 32 rear. An increase of 2psi may not sound a lot. But it is 2 pounds per square inch and there are a lot of square inches within the space of the tyre.

Edited 12 March, 20179 yr by Ecomatt
Spelling error

Golf fiend, I'll ask if i want, that's what the forums are for so don't  be so blunt like that, just an update for the other people who have had helpful input on this thread, I've been driving around with 34 in the front and 30 in rear and i have to say its far to firm of a ride with 34 in the fronts, going to go with 32 in the front and 30 in the rear, and after much debate with my self in my own mind and also with having mixed opinions in this thread on weather to have four wheel alignment or just the front alignment checked, I've decided to just get the front aligned based purely on the fact that the rears are wearing perfectly fine, if problems persist then I'll think about four wheel alignment, do they check for camber castor, and toe on just a front wheel alignment or do the only check all 3 on a four wheel alignment check?, thanks again for everyone's input and i will post the results hear when it has been done thanks 

 

 

 

 

9 hours ago, Ecomatt said:

Looking at the pressures you are running. If you have a diesel they are too low. The diesel 18 inch pressures are 2.1 front and 2.2 rear. That equates to 30.458 psi and 31.903 psi. If you have a guage that does both psi and bar id set them using the bar reading. Or psi, set them to 31 front and 32 rear. An increase of 2psi may not sound a lot. But it is 2 pounds per square inch and there are a lot of square inches within the space of the tyre.

Yeah it is a derv m8

 

On ‎12‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 21:14, Catzeye said:

Golf fiend, I'll ask if i want, that's what the forums are for so don't  be so blunt like that, just an update for the other people who have had helpful input on this thread, I've been driving around with 34 in the front and 30 in rear and i have to say its far to firm of a ride with 34 in the fronts, going to go with 32 in the front and 30 in the rear, and after much debate with my self in my own mind and also with having mixed opinions in this thread on weather to have four wheel alignment or just the front alignment checked, I've decided to just get the front aligned based purely on the fact that the rears are wearing perfectly fine, if problems persist then I'll think about four wheel alignment, do they check for camber castor, and toe on just a front wheel alignment or do the only check all 3 on a four wheel alignment check?, thanks again for everyone's input and i will post the results hear when it has been done thanks 

 

 

 

 

I had a 4-wheel alignment check done when I purchased the car (at 15 months old and just under 10K miles) although rear tyres were evenly worn.  Although little change was required to the rear settings the car felt much better to drive after the alignment adjustments - more stable at higher speeds and changed direction better.  Correct alignment is not just about tyre wear although that is a symptom of out of alignment.

On 12/03/2017 at 12:23, Ecomatt said:

Ok m8, thanks for the advice

Yeah it is a derv m8

 

5 hours ago, Catzeye said:

Yeah it is a derv m8

 

See how you go with the slightly higher pressures. I run them as per factory spec and after 5000 miles of onwership, havent had any issues. But I also had a hunter 4 wheel alignment completed when i first purchased the car.

Edited 15 March, 20179 yr by Ecomatt
Spelling error

25 minutes ago, Ecomatt said:

See how you go with the slightly higher pressures. I run them as per factory spec and after 5000 miles of onwership, havent had any issues. But I also had a hunter 4 wheel alignment completed when i first purchased the car.

The front end is rock hard with the higher tyre pressure m8, to the point where it's uncomfortable, I've changed my mind about 5 times in this thread but i am going to go with full four wheel alignment, more people suggesting  that then suggesting just getting the fronts done and also people stateing that they run factory pressures after alignment with no probs so hopefully it will sort my problem out, just hope the don't make a balls of it as the car handles fine and drives straight as it is, wouldn't want some incompatant person setting it up so its worse haha

Edited 15 March, 20179 yr by Catzeye

Get a 4 wheel alignment.

You probably have some toe-out on the front.

 

The rears have all the adjustment and tend to move around.  Get the camber as close to -1 as you can.

 

Tyre pressures minimum 34psi all round.

 

This thread could be going for a Guinness Book of Records entry on what tyre pressures to run and whether I should get a 4 wheel alignment, 23 and counting!  Almost as much procrastination as my mother in coming to a decision... Just do something and run with it.  2 wheel, 4 wheel, if you choose a reputable place and heed some advice on here it ought not be worse than before. I've given my opinion several times previous, so won't repeat...