Replacing my OEM tires with same size Michelin Crossclimate 2 - Do I need an Alignment?

[Teslaeata]

Sounds like Sam’s with the insurance is your best option from what little I know about US tyre insurance.

Insofar as the wheel alignment is concerned, I’d recommend, say, once a year just to ensure the alignment is kept spot on as a preventative measure.

If you measure it you can manage it along with good tyre wearand protect against range loss due to any slight misalignment.

When covering 30,000 miles per year I had mine checked twice a year after the rear camber angles were adjusted to within a hair’s breadth of the maximum positive limit and tracking/toe slightly to compensate for the effects of driving with maximum load all the time.

Now I’m retired and mileage has fallen off a cliff I aim to wheel align Stangy once per year and re-adjust the angles to middle of specified limits.

However, if you feel you want to save the cost of a wheel alignment unless there’s anything obviously horrendous which the tyre fitters should be able to advise anyway I doubt you’ll run into serious trouble.

Sponsored

 

[Atari]

Per our local and most trusted tire shop, people have been grossly oversold on alignments and rarely need them.

 

[Teslaeata]

Per our local and most trusted tire shop, people have been grossly oversold on alignments and rarely need them.

Problem is, you don’t know til you’ve had one

It’s a preventative measure.

 

[markboris]

About the alignment, I have brought this up a few times in other threads and so have several others, if you have never gotten one I would have it done. All three of my Mach-E's I had aligned within the first week or two of me owning them and all three had at least one of the specs completely in the red. My '24 was the worst. I don't rely on them being perfect coming out of the factory.

This was my '24 a week after picking it up new.

 

[Teslaeata]

About the alignment, I have brought this up a few times in other threads and so have several others, if you have never gotten one I would have it done. All three of my Mach-E's I had aligned within the first week or two of me owning them and all three had at least one of the specs completely in the red. My '24 was the worst. I don't rely on them being perfect coming out of the factory.

This was my '24 a week after picking it up new.

It’s really not unusual to find cars are not set up properly at the factory.

In numerous cases where brand new cars do not drive straight a wheel alignment was complacently overlooked on the grounds “a new car couldn’t possibly be out of true” when it was found to be so

 

[kens]

Yeah right now Sam's has the best deal and comes with 5 years of roadside assistance, prorated hazard protection, free tire rotation, etc. I just need to make sure that they know what they're doing with the Mach E.

Discount Tire will price match, I'm not sure how/if they'd handle the 5 year Sam's warranty though, but you could at least get them to the $1180 from the dealer.

I've mainly chosen them due to how ubiquitous they are in case of issues while traveling, whereas some of the other shops may not be available. Their price matching has also been on point for me in the past.

 

[mkazen]

Discount Tire will price match, I'm not sure how/if they'd handle the 5 year Sam's warranty though, but you could at least get them to the $1180 from the dealer.

I've mainly chosen them due to how ubiquitous they are in case of issues while traveling, whereas some of the other shops may not be available. Their price matching has also been on point for me in the past.

Interesting thought - I might just do that for Discount Tire.

 

[mkazen]

So I just checked on the Discount Tire web site, and without the price match, they still charge $108 for installation and $14 for disposing of the new tires (included at Sam's); If I want to add certificates for road hazard protection, it'll be another $257.64, although that includes full purchase price refunds if anything happens to the tire. Still leaning towards Sam's....

 

[Snakebitten]

My bigger concern is that the tires from Sam's come with free tire rotations and road hazard protection. If I want that from the dealer, I have to pay...

If you buy at Discount tire, also free.

While Discount Tire vs Costco might not be the same exact price, I doubt seriously anything is free. Not install labor, tire rotations, nor hazard insurance. All those co$ts are back office value equations that might be presented to the consumer as free or included, but they aren't unaccounted for.

The good news is that North American customers have choices and competition is a good thing.

 

[HuntingPudel]

It’s really not unusual to find cars are not set up properly at the factory.

In numerous cases where brand new cars do not drive straight a wheel alignment was complacently overlooked on the grounds “a new car couldn’t possibly be out of true” when it was found to be so

LOL got as much as people talk trash about late ‘70s GM cars my T/A was right in the middle of allowable tolerances when I brought it home new. Of course, that wasn’t how I wanted it set up.

 

[OrchidMania]

I noticed a problem in the sidewall of one my tires while washing.
Is there something special about jacking up the mache so not to damage the battery? What questions do I ask Costco or other installers.
Tires at my dealer said $279 each. Ok not bad then 4 for came out to over $1600!!! So looking for alternate installer.

 

[kens]

I noticed a problem in the sidewall of one my tires while washing.
Is there something special about jacking up the mache so not to damage the battery? What questions do I ask Costco or other installers.
Tires at my dealer said $279 each. Ok not bad then 4 for came out to over $1600!!! So looking for alternate installer.

Yes, there are two jack points per side, if you look under the car you'll see it marked between the tires on each end. You'll also want jack pucks to prevent damage. A good shop should have the pucks, but they're cheap so it's good to have a set, you'll need four.

Once you find a deal you like Discount Tire will price match. I like that they're easy to find all over if you have a warranty issue.

 

[OrchidMania]

Is this what I need?

 

[Teslaeata]

So I'm replacing the Continental Cross Contact 245 45R20's with Michelin Crossclimate 2's (also 245 45R20/XL 103V). The dealer right now has a deal starting next week where you get the 4th tire for $1.00. I was talking to the service advisor and he recommended getting an alignment when replacing the tires. Is this necessary if the car has not been driven roughly and the existing tires appear to be wearing evenly? They want $140 for the alignment. They also don't seem to offer a very good road hazard warranty. I'm comparing this to Sam's Club where it comes with a 5 year hazard warranty and free tire rotations:

Dealer: $1180 for the 4 tires installed + $140 alignment = $1320 - no Road hazard, and not sure if I need the alignment
Sam's Club: $1278 for the 4 tires - I don't think they even do alignments, but comes with 5 year road hazard and free tire rotations for the life of the tires.

What do people think? Sam's or the Dealer and if I go with the dealer, get the alignment?

You won’t know if you actually “need” an alignment unless you have one.

Anybody who says otherwise is guessing based on no actual knowledge whatsoever and just on opinion unqualified or otherwise, gut feeling, personal preference based upon what I don’t know or some kind of prejudiced view.

I’d say have one at least once per year depending on mileage and nature of driving to minimise tyre wear and maintain fuel efficiency & range.

The slightest misalignment could cause premature tyre wear which don’t necessarily show up clearly as adverse wear characteristics on the tyre tread and higher rolling resistance so reduction in range.

Misalignment can occur as a consequence of what you may think is normal driving or otherwise and it’s cause is not limited to replacement of steering components, toe is not the only steering angle that can be adjusted and wheel balancing which should be done when tyres are replaced as a given doesn’t affect alignment but out of balance wheels & tyres can cause wheel-wobble, premature wear to steering & suspension components, wheel bearings etc.

 

[Teslaeata]

Nope. Changing or swapping tires of same size is a routine activity. Alignment is not a routine activity. It’s correcting an out of spec condition with the vehicle. My 2024 GT is 15 months old and it needed an alignment since day one (at least in the pax rear tire). It came from the factory with an out of spec condition.

This is not that unusual.

Sponsored