POLL = How often would you need a wheel alignment?

[Faheyk1981]

With the roads where i live its every 6-11months. Pothole heaven....
It makes you feel all better paying taxes.

[JRL]

In the Northeast with our poor roads, every 6 months or 5-7K miles.
If you're VERY lucky and good at missing potholes... maybe once a year

[boosted5cyl]

once the snow/ice starts to melts the roads get big-ass potholes up here, once a year for sure.

[rspi]

We don't really have bad roads here but if your suspension is in good shape you shouldn't need one. You get them when you replace suspension parts or hit something very very hard to bend something.

[alschnertz]

I guess I've been lucky in that I've never needed an alignment just for the sake of an alignment on any of my cars...yet.
Tires all wear even and the car doesn't pull.
I agree that if something is bent or a suspension member is changed, it may be necessary.

[Matty Moo]

Once a year usually for all of my cars but my Jeep. My s70 will have two this year, I drilled a monster pothole the other day and couldn't swerve because of traffic. I'll pay $40 for an alignment, I just don't like paying for bent wheels.

Because of the constant freezing/thawing temps this winter our roads are way worse than they usually are at this time. The potholes usually don't pop up until spring but they're all over the place right now. Plus they won't fix them because it's still winter and the patch won't hold.

[c70_lindsay]

I could be very misinformed about this, but If my tires are wearing evenly and the car tracks straight (I can take my hands of the wheel for 4-5 seconds doing a 100mph and almost indefinatly depending on the road at 65mph) than should I be worried about an alignment?

[erikv11]

Sounds like your car is in good shape.

I can only remember once in 14 years and 3 Volvos, that I needed to align one just out of the blue. Otherwise I have done it when replacing steering components or struts, that's it. Only time I've ever seen unequal tire wear issues was when control arms were really bad.

[alschnertz]

I can take my hands of the wheel for 4-5 seconds doing a 100mph

I hope this is an exaggeration.
If not, it is a dangerous way to diagnose an alignment issue.

[micah861]

I check my alignment when I put new tires on the car. Even then their are usually no adjustments to make. (not that without bending parts much can go wrong, nothing is adjustable in the rear, and only a toe adjustment in the front unless you buy a camber kit). All that to say, these cars have good, tough, and simple front ends.