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How important is it that I get my tracking done on my Golf. Every single time I go to get some new tyres at the garage they tell me I should have my tracking done to save on fuel consumption. I`ve heard conflicting reports on whether tracking does owe anything to mass fuel consumption. Am I paying £17 for absolutely nothing?
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If your tyres are wearing evenly no signs of scuffing ,no vibration and are reaching a good mileage leave well alone .If you have new track rod ends fitted or some other steering parts fitted then you will have to have it retracked
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Hi stuart,
your tracking can be knocked out of true by a pothole in the road, or by accidently hitting a curb while parking. My last Polo chewed its front tyres like a good 'un, so i got the four wheels checked out. The fronts were two degrees out and the rears were okay. I asked if a small amount would effect the tyre wear and was told yes it could. For a small fee it's a good idea to have it checked, but like Andy said, only if you have good reason to. After having mine done it cured the excessive wear, even though my car was well known to be heavy on front tyres ( thanks hj for the car by car breakdown ).
Regards,
Ash.
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An incorrect toe setting front or rear will indeed have an effect on fuel consumption. More drag caused by scrubbing tyres will have a negative effect on fuel consumption, therefore regular tracking checks will save you money both in terms of tyres and fuel costs.
Rgds
David
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I don't know what the currently favoured methods for setting front track are, but they are only as good as the operator (and the condition of the apparatus). Really bad tracking may cause front tyre squeal when cornering (gently) and poor tracking obviously leads to shoulder wear over a few K miles. I recall having the track on a Maxi (shows how long ago) reset so that it was twice as bad as when it went in. Their light-beam equipment was faulty, and the scuff plates didn't work either. In the end the (Leyland) dealer got it right with basic kit - a bl**dy great set of calipers!
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A good way to test is to run your hand over the tyre tread from left to right and then from right to left. The surface should feel as rough in each direction. If your tracking is out you'll feel the edges of the blocks more in one direction than the other; the difference will be very noticeable if they are out - I don't know the science of this, but it works.
What I do as well as this is after tyres have been on for about half their lifetime, I pop the car into Micheldever tyres, who do a full four wheel alignment check for around 18 quid.
Alternatively, before I started using Micheldever, I haggled with my local ATS who said they would check my tracking at each visit and charge me once for every two times they had to adjust them.
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