XPost: alt.home.repair   
   From: invalid@invalid.invalid   
      
   rbowman wrote:   
      
   > I definitely wasn't going to buy what was on the car. Toyota used LRR   
   > tires to get the mileage up. I don't have a problem with that except they   
   > were worn out in a little over 20,000 miles which I consider unacceptable   
   > on a 2300 pound car. The current one came with Goodyear Assurance tires so   
   > I'll see how that goes. The CS5s had good reviews both for tread life and   
   > traction.   
   >   
   > I'm used to tire buying. When you ride bikes that get 8,000 miles on the   
   > rear if you're lucky you get to try a lot of different tires. With a dual   
   > sport in particular you're always looking for that ideal balance of on and   
   > off road performance.   
      
   Well, the good news is that the radials last a lot longer than the diagonal   
   bias ply tires used to last when we all started working on our cars!   
      
   That 20K miles seems low though. Almost at the diagonal ply tire wear rate.   
   Do you drive squirrelly roadways maybe? Twisting & turning sometimes scrubs   
   off a lot of the tread on the fronts.   
      
   One set of tools that I've always wanted to buy are basic caster, camber &   
   toe measurement tools. Mostly caster because camber can be measured as a   
   function of the caster with the proper sliding 20 degree protractor plates.   
      
   I've measured toe with a long wooden lath, but it is always a pita when   
   they give the measurements in degrees instead of in distances, and when   
   they use the centerline instead of wheel to wheel (although I know why).   
      
   While I'm aware that there is more to alignment than caster, camber & toe,   
   those are really the critical measurements when you know the vehicle hasn't   
   been in an accident & therefore you're just checking if anything went awry.   
      
   A typical alignment is what? $100 to $150?   
   Do you think the caster, camber & toe tools can be had for about that much?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)