exteme 1 tire wear=-

[jamesmetairie]

03 base vibe with factory 17inch alloys. numerous curb hits on the sides of the alloys . running hankook tires from pep boys. drivers side/front tire all of a sudden showing white thread all the way around the outside tread . the rest of the tire foot had good tread. vibe has about 110,000 miles and always rode terrible since bought it at about 75,000 miles. pot holes galore here in new orleans . never had any alignment. should i plan on spending big bucks for new struts before i do alignment? what do you guys usually spend on strut replacement down south?thanks in advance for any advice.

[nightmare22]

Does it look like the struts have ever been replaced? If your vibe is just like mine, its probably riding on factory suspension still. In a perfect world it should have its second replacement set on now. My personal suggestion, change your struts before you get an alignment. Also check for any other issues on your vehicle. Ball joints, tie rods and such.As far as prices go, I recently got a quote for Monroe replacement struts/shocks all the way around, installed with an alignment for just under $600 in North Carolina. I want to go better than Monroe, so I'm looking at Tokico suspension. Haven't gotten any quotes for the install, but I'm more than likely gonna spend a saturday doing the work myself.

[jamesmetairie]

thanks 22.

[Sublimewind]

Take it to an alignment shop first... they will tell you if they can't align it, because of some other factor.. (take it to multiples and get different opinions)Sounds like a tie rod end or possibly a camber adjustment slipped or went bad..

[nightmare22]

They will definitely tell you if somethings wrong, and that the car cannot be properly aligned. However, changing suspension components can affect the alignment. So if you have the time and money to change something you know is bad before you get an alignment, that would be best case scenario.One little test that you can do before taking it to the shop is to jack up the tire that is having the issue. Grab the tire at the 3 and 9 o'clock position and try to wiggle it. Do the same for the 6 and 12 o'clock position. If the wheel doesn't move in either of those two spots, you're in pretty good shape. I always confuse the two, but movement in one position signifies a damaged tie rod while the other is a damaged ball joint. GL When in doubt, take it to a qualified technician. Btw, yw and thanks SW for the add-on.

[joatmon]

I'd just go for the alignment, and a pair of new tires (to keep the same kind/age on the same axle) Don't replace the struts unless you know they are really bad, I can't see paying for them as preventative maintenance. I'm over double your miles and still have the factory ones on, no issues. Only tire wear problem I get is a tendency for the rear passenger tire to cup/scallop a bit if I don't keep up with tire rotation.

[jamesmetairie]

wow joatmon = over 200 k miles on original struts. you must travel some smooth roads.

[nightmare22]

Yeah, that's nuts. I'm jealous, really I am. I'm at 92k miles and mine are about dead. Any slight crosswind and I'm fighting to keep the car straight. Good news though, Tokicos and Tein S's should be here in a couple days. Just opened my box of strut bellows and strut mounts.