I have a 07 RX400H and it needs 4 new tire per dealership and my husband. My husband stated to me that you do not need the tires aligned. Since all 4 tires are being replaced, do they need to be aligned or not.
First of all, how did four tires wear out in one year? You didn’t tell us what brand your vehicle is, but that’s not the point (it’s a Lexus, right?). Modern tires last MANY years, not just one.
How many miles are on this vehicle? I think you’re being taken for a lot of unnecessary money.
Be that as it may, if you are having four new tires installed, you NEED to have the wheels aligned. This is absolutely necessary.
Installing new tires without a wheel alignment is foolish at best.
But please tell me how four tires have worn out in ONE year. Unless your RX400H has more than 40,000 miles on its odometer, you’re being taken.
The number of tyres being replaced has nothing to do with it. If the tyres being replaced showed any signs of an alignment problem or if you detect any alignment problems from the way it drives, you really do need to get it aligned. Failure to do so could damage the new tyres rather quickly Same for shocks and/or struts.
Many people will have an alignment done at every new set of tyres. Not a bad idea, but it is less likely to be needed. I would likely have it checked if it were my car.
Well, an early '07 could be almost 2 years old by now, so it’s possible that a lot (30-40 k) of miles could have been put on. Car makers tend to put on the cheapest tires they can get away with, and high end cars are no exception. You can count on OE tires not lasting as long as high quality replacements. And finally, on high performance cars, their makers tend to put high performance (soft and sticky) OE tires on them, that tend to wear quickly. If you don’t drive it aggressively, you could probably put lower speed tires on it, which would last a lot longer.
If the tires are worn out evenly (and were rotated on schedule), there’s no real need for an alignment on a car this young. If there’s any irregular wear patterns, an alignment is in order.
I am back the RX 400H is a Lexus and has about 28,000 miles on it. It was stated to me by the dealer, that when you replace the front tires the rear should be replaced at same time. The miles are from equally city and highway, maybe a little more city than hwy. The vehicle came with Michelin tires and we are replacing again with Michelin tires. I thought it was too early to replace tires, but you can tell they look pretty worn out. Confused as to what to do. Please help.
28,000 miles on Michelins does sound early… I know my Original tires (Geolander) on 07 RAV may last 20K miles…
are the wear patterns the same on the front pair and rear pair? similar or different?
worn only in center…inflated too much, worn on edges low inflation, one edge only need alignment…
if AWD check manual or dealership to see if all 4 tires must match in diameter… you may be able to replace them in pairs…if wear is even on all four tires…maynot need alignment.
I’ve known three people who have had to replace tires on their new lexus within 28000 miles. Apparently, the original tires that dealers put on them make the ride very smooth but don’t last long. And they are expensive to replace, so most people don’t get the same tires again.
I’d get the tires aligned. You have a Lexus. Take care of it.
You’re going to get a range of opinions on this one, if it’s like every other time the question is asked. I’m on the conservative side, so I’d do an alignment (or at least have the alignment checked) if it’s been a few years just to be safe, especially if you drive on poorly maintained roads.
Your not buying tires at the dealership are you? I am confident you can find a shop that sells tires and does alignments,the cost of this alignment can be worked into the tire cost.Make a deal
We got very good quality tires on our new GM luxury car; Michelins. My 96 Cavalier OE Goodyear Conquest tires lasted over 100,000 miles. Are your other views reliable? Possibly.
Alignment requirement is always a mystery unless you can read the treads of your old tires while considering your cornering speeds, whether or not you kept the tires correctly inflated and that the tires may have been rotated and also how long ago they were rotated. If you, your husband or your mechanic can’t do that then align. An alignment check might as well be carried on to an alignment adjustment as required.
It’s even possible to run your new tires for a few thousand miles and then judge the treads to decide if an alignment is appropriate if your old tires did not provide a strong indication.
If you know how to read the treads considering the tire’s history on your vehicle, then you can judge if your car needs an alignment. Lacking that capability, then yes, align to be safe.
Vehicles now have more rugged front ends than those, for example, of the 1960s.
Most of the time that will work, but there are some alignment issues that will not be apparent from reading the tyres.Is this a 4wd or AWD vehicle. If so, you need to rotate your tires periodically and you do have to buy all four at the same time. If its just FWD, then you do not need to rotate and if the back tires have plenty of tread, you can move them to the front, not swapping sides and put new tires on the rear. A professional front end mechanic would have to look at the tire condition to give you an opinion as to whether you might need an alignment, but an alignment is not always a “must have” when buying new tires. In fact it can be detrimental as I’ve seen tire shops make a good alignment bad. It depends on how good the technician is.