Hey Everyone...

I was just curious..and I know i started a thread on this way back when, but now I'm fed up and I need new tires on the front of my car...they wear on the sides. Inflation isnt the issue, i checked...the issue is that the car goes out of alignment quicker than it takes to get it aligned. Would replacing the ilder arm, upper and lower ball joints and inner and outer tie rod ends with all new parts(good quality) help keep it in algnment? I just put two brand new Bridgestone Potenza RE 730 Generation II's on the rear cause they were bald, but now the front needs them. I dont want to spend $300 on the two front tires and then a month later, they are wearing on the outer edge again. Both front wheels, when up on a jack have a little play from side to side and top to bottom....but VERY little....someone checked it for me and told me that it was fine, thats expected....but someone else(my new mechanic) told me they are bad. I dont know who to trust anymore. So I guess the 280 million dollar Powerball question is: should I just fricken replace all those parts I mentioned above? I just dont want the car to keep going out of alignment, and having my tires wear so fast on the front. Thanks.

 

I would go ahead and replace all those parts you mentioned. You might as well replace your A arm bushings and upper strut mounts too. Your car is 16 years old so a front end rebuild is not out of the question. Even a 'little' play will become a lot eventually. It sounds like you have worn ball joints and/or bad upper strut mounts.

 

Iroczz3...

Thanks for your help. So if I do all this, you really think my car will stay in alignment longer and wont go out of alginment so easily, even with such bad roads up around here in Northeastern PA? What amazes me is my freind's 94 Trans Am....his car NEVER seems to go out of alignment....and he goes over rough pavemnt like its nothing, where as i would slow down for that stuff. NO tirewear on his car.....ever.

 

My car alignment seems to be fine, no pulling in either direction, no uneven tire wear, I have a small amount of play on my ball joints (like 1/8") I drive it hard sometimes.

And it never seems to go out. Front end is in line for a rebuild. So I'd suggest the same thing, rebuild it all, lots of little factors probably contributing.

 

PhantomTPI, your car does not have upper ball joints. No thirdgen's do. We run the macphearson (sp?) strut set up in the front which eliminates the need for upper ball joints.

PS: Dont buy new muffler bearings either.

 

Muffler bearings?? LOL HAAAHAA How'd you know about that? Thats an inside joke at my auto parts store...we prank the other stores posing as a customer asking the new hires for muffler bearings Anyways, wasnt sure about the upper ball joints on our cars....I never changed them myself, so this is news to me. Anyway, I am going to go ahead and replace everything that was mentioned in this post.....hopefully, that will solve everything, no more going out of alignment and tire wear, and I can then go ahead and replace my PROM with the updated one from the dealer. The car is throwing a false code 44...but thats for another topic in a different thread. Thanks for everyone's help....its very much appreciated. :hail:

 

Third gens can stay in alignment,I bought my car new car and it has 145,000 miles on it with all the original front end parts, except brakes, I've greased it at every oil change and none of it is loose and I've NEVER had it aligned, never have bad tire wear (unless I feel like burning some rubber), beware of some alignment shops, they don't know what they are doing, one will tell you they aligned it to within (specs) and when it still won't drive right you take it to another and they say it's out, align it correctly and it drives fine.

 

I know what you mean when some shops have NO IDEA wtf they are doing. I've gone through a few of those places already. One place around here is really notorious for not doing their job the right way the first time. However, I am still going to go and change everything...might as well...there IS play in the wheel when i jack it up and move it up and down/side to side...slight, but still...should be tight and NO play. I just want it to be good, and not wear my tires on the side anymore...b/c I need to get the two front tires replaced, and those Potenza's aren't el cheapo either....not bad on Tirerack.com, but still....I want them to last. Thanks for the info.