My 2004 Prius has just over 40K miles. This evening I had the OEM tires replaced with Bridgestone Turanza EL400's at my local Firestone dealer. After replacing the tires they did an alignment check and gave me a spiffy printout with pictures of my tires and struts and all. All the numbers were "green" except the right rear wheel, which was "red" and showed a toe of 0.38 degrees. The Firestone guy recommended an alignment for $69.95. I told him I wanted to think about it because I recalled something about the rear alignment on the 2004 Prius not being adjustable. Now I've been reading posts in Priuschat all night, and people are talking about shims and bolts, and I really don't know what all, but I can't seem to find a definitive post so I can talk to the Firestone guys without sounding like a moron. Will the Firestone guys really be able to do anything about my car's rear alignment, or should I take my Prius back to the dealer? If I do have an alignment done, what are the *optimal* specs (not just the okay specs)? From my printout: Left front: 0.9 degrees camber 3.5 degrees caster -0.05 degrees toe Right front: -1.0 degrees camber 3.2 degrees caster 0.02 degrees toe Left rear: -1.2 degrees camber 0.17 degrees toe Right rear: -1.7 degrees camber 0.38 degrees toe I should also say that I've never experienced the handling problems that others have mentioned. I drive mostly suburban roads, with the occasional expressway trip. Thanks for any help or advice you can give me. Barbara in Illinois 2004 Prius, Salsa Red, which replaced 2002 Prius, Brilliant Blue Pearl
I can't personally help, but if you've been reading posts all night, you know that Galaxee and Tumbleweed are two experts. It was the dealer replacing his rear axle that really screwed up Tumbleweed's car. He fixed it with Galaxee's advice (and maybe shims). I'd email or PM them. Were your tires unusually worn when you replaced them? If they weren't oddly worn, and you didn't experience bad handling, maybe you should save your $70 for more fun mods...
I don't have the specs printed but had 4 new tires & "all wheel alignment" at Firestone. I remember seeing specs for all 4 wheels. Car rides & handles perfecto.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Mar 15 2007, 10:58 PM) [snapback]406653[/snapback]</div> I second Bill's opinion fully. Basically, the back is not adjustable in the normal sense (loosen a bolt, move it a little and then tighten it back up). Of course, there are other ways to force the wheel into the right position (like shimming and so forth) - but that was not what was originally intended by Toyota for most customers. Just answer these questions: 1- Does the car drive ok? versus pull to the left or right or drift sideways? 2- Assuming you kept your tire pressures up and had some sort of tire rotation regime, did the tires pretty much wear out evenly? (actually, at 40K miles, I have to believe your tires wore out very evenly - as that is good tire life) If the answers to the above are Yes, then don't mess with it - there is a chance that the firestone dealer might actually make things worse.
I've been moderately good about keeping tire pressures at 42/40, and the tires were rotated at the regular Toyota-specified intervals when being serviced at the dealer. I last checked the tread depths myself last September (It's winter in Illinois. I don't poke around the tires in winter.) and I had between 4/32 and 6/32, with the greater wear on the outside of all four tires. When I had my 40K service done at the dealer, they told me that the tires were "almost bald" and should be replaced. I had been noticing some lack of traction, I'd just gotten a bonus at work, and I figured "40,000 miles, I guess it's time." I haven't noticed any pulling or drifting, but I'll pay more attention to it over the next few days. I guess if it were really bad, I'd already know, right? Barbara <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(John in LB @ Mar 16 2007, 05:33 AM) [snapback]406682[/snapback]</div>
I take it that you checked out this post; http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=2...mp;#entry366665. Most people have hade no luck in getting Toyota to fix your problem except to change out the rear end.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joleta @ Mar 16 2007, 08:07 AM) [snapback]406789[/snapback]</div> Yes, you would know... just think about when you drive on the freeway... do you usually have to constantly tug at the steering wheel in one direction or the other slightly? or, when you let go of the steering wheel, does the car generally continue going straight? The error you have in the rear is pretty small, and given the mileage you got out of your tires - i am guessing that you should not mess with it. To give you an idea, I am pretty good about taking care of my tires and I have 16,000 miles on the car. My best guess is that I will have to replace my tire by 30,000 miles. Enjoy the car...
I just came back from a trip into Chicago, a total of about 90 miles by expressway (not freeway; I wish!). I didn't notice any problems or tendency for the car to wander out of the lane. My husband in the passenger seat said he couldn't tell by road feel or sound that the new Bridgestones were any different, and neither could I except that they certainly have better traction. I'll continue to monitor the tread depths and leave well enough alone about the alignment. If I notice signes of uneven wear, I'll . . . well, I don't know what I'll do, since the rear alignment isn't adjustable by other than homemade-looking shims. And didn't someone o Priuschat say that letting the dealer replace their rear end was a big mistake? Thanks all. I feel much better about letting things be for a while. Barbara
Don't forget about the possibility of premature failure of wheel bearings because of misalignment. Just a thought.
