Here’s a quick story that I’m sure most of you can empathize with: I recently had my alignment done because, well, obviously, it was pulling. In this case, it was to the right. It was pulling pretty hard and I couldn’t let it go any longer; it was making me nervous and I’m sure it was causing incidental stress or damage to my front end. I took it in and Superior aligned it perfectly…I saw the printout of the measurements and everything. “Great Job Guys!”, I said.
So, I hit the road and take the old girl on the freeway. There is a definite difference, but it still seemed to pull to the right. I let it go for a couple of days and though there has to be another problem. I took it back with the simple statement, “It’s still pulling.” they checked the alignment again (for free might I add). It was perfectly aligned.
“We’ll switch your front tires around and see what happens”, they offered (again, at no charge).
LOW AND BEHOLD IT PULLED TO THE LEFT NOW!
It wasn’t my alignment…it was one tire causing a majority of the issue. New tires was the recommendation…I agreed. However, I still had a few thousand miles left on the other 3. I wasn’t going to buy just one tire so I asked, “Do I replace all four? What should I do?”
“Two new tires on the front” was their answer. Their response was honest and appreciated consider to me it seemed like an idiotic question considering I write an automotive blog.
Since my Honda Accord is a front-wheel drive, the front tires showed more wear than the rear ones. When you go to replace only 2 tires, the tire company will tell you to put them on the back, for fear that the older back tires will slip during a sharp turn, but, realistically, you want the newest tires on the wheels that grip the road during acceleration, especially on slick surfaces.
If you can easily afford to replace all four tires, of course this is preferable, so that they will all match in traction and wear. However, if it would be easier on you financially to replace only two at this time, do so, and keep an eye on the tread on the back tires as time goes by, replacing them, as well, when the tread seems too thin.
So, I learned two things here, some problems aren’t always as they seem, so get an honest mechanic…and I confirmed that it is perfectly fine replacing just two tires…especially if you are on a budget.
I hope this story helped at least one of you out there that might be experiencing the same types of issues. If you aren’t sure, take it to your mechanic and keep in mind that it might not be your alignment that’s causing your car to pull, it very well could be your tires.
