School Me on Wheel Alignment, Please.

[Kira]

At 55K the "shoulder wear" (post #11) in the picture seems normal and unavoidable.
Your rotations kept things even-Steven but the scrubbing off of rubber during turning is what I think is in that picture.
I rotate too all my old tires looked like that as they neared the end of their lives.

I read that alignments (and balancing) hold longer than people think.

Sure, inspect for worn parts but otherwise...if it ain't broke.

 

[svtrit]

Wow, thank you everybody for the input. You answered a lot of my doubts/concerns and provided some tips to help me.

cb13, yes I decided on the same RT43's again. I made a thread titled "Tires other than RT43's?" My list boiled down to Firestone LE3, Cooper Enduramax, and Avid Ascend (limited tires in this OEM size). The RT43's checked more boxes than the others AND my local dealer had an outstanding price. Current tires have become somewhat noisy the past year.

Junk, I hope the annual Krown sprays have mitigated the fastener corrosion. Your comments about tire chop - our horrendous washboard roads probably add to the problem.

I just put a set of RT43’s on our minivan and it became a new vehicle. Plus the weather handling is fantastic! Great tires for sure.

 

[deanm11]

Also - especially if only toe is more or less in play, the DIY-er can do a pretty good job at home. I bought a pair of $100 toe plates and tape measures and feel like I can get the toe set to as good a precision as someone on a rack. Plus you see and know what your car has because you did it. If you are DIY-type.