Sweed269
Member
You 100% need an alignment. The toe will be way off.
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Plaid 21” rear tire woes - factory defect?
- Thread starter KOL2000
- Start date
canasion35
Active Member
Agreed…why go through the install to fix the camber and then forget about the toe correction from the camber change…don’t cheap out at the last 10% of the fix!
AMPd
Well-Known Member
I understand what you’re saying but according to the manufacturer, the shims are just thick enough to not cause over correction.
I’ll take the risk and listen to them. If I’m wrong I’ll definitely report back as well as let the manufacturer know so that they don’t false advertise.
Any time you touch anything on the suspension, even unbolting it and bolting the same part back in, you should ALWAYS get an alignment.
An alignment is always necessary for any suspension geometry changes. Heck, it's even needed if you swap identical suspension parts.
AMPd
Well-Known Member
Well then it’s settled I’ll do the alignment.
Sweed269
Member
As a side note, I would get it aligned in the setting you use most.
lbowroom
Plaid, white on black, CF, 8/27/21, Track Pack
I know you’ve read this a dozen times…. if you set the toe slightly positive it will counteract the suspension’s tendency to toe out drastically on launch which, combined with negative camber is what stresses the tire.Wow, a sample size of "ONE" with an unknown wheel/tire combination (BUT NOT AN OEM combination), and there are literally tens of thousands of Plaids since 2021 with 19" wheels with next to zero issues.
So "absolutely positively not a Michelin issue" is a pretty huge jump, no?
Not much scientific method there folks . . . .
It remains very likely a "Michelin issue" since it's so prevalent among the 21" Michelin fleet, and so far beyond rare in the 19" Pirelli fleet.
For those with the 21" Michelins, be SURE to file a formal complaint via their website and you'll get a new set of tires from them, AND create another data point to help get these janky tires off the road, hopefully BEFORE someone gets hurt.
Michelin Warranty Information | Michelin
We want you to be 100% satisfied with your Michelin tires. If you have questions, then view our Michelin Warranty Information and the Michelin Promise Plan.www.michelinman.com
Yes, the Michelins are more sensitive to this, doesn’t mean they are defective…
Awiner
Member
Get it aligned after. No reason to go through all the work and not know if your alignment was even off to begin with. I’ve seen factory fresh cars thrown on the rack with absolutely horrible alignments totally out of spec.
Look at Macsboots instructions. He says to turn the toe turnbuckle 3/4 of a turn clockwise to get the toe back to it's original position assuming it was correct prior to adding the spacer.
Probably not enough miles to form a definitive conclusion yet, but at about 1500-2000 miles I installed the N2itive components. I'm now at 16,000 miles spread across my original 21" wheel/tire setup and my 20" Signature Wheels summer setup, both on Michelin tires. I had the N2itive lowering links installed yesterday, did my annual alignment to as close to N2itive's recommended specs as the shop felt comfortable doing, and swapped my wheels to my summers and so far no signs of abnormal wear on either set of tires. I probably have about 8-10k miles on the factory 21s and the rest of the 20s.
AMPd
Well-Known Member
Swapped out the stock 21in wheels for the 20in Martian wheels
Looks way better than I expected.
I also decided not to install the Macsboost shims yet, when I got the stock wheels off, there’s was absolutely no irregular wear on the edges. The tires look perfect after 4.3k miles
Looks way better than I expected.
I also decided not to install the Macsboost shims yet, when I got the stock wheels off, there’s was absolutely no irregular wear on the edges. The tires look perfect after 4.3k miles
That is to be expected, from what I have seen the damage isn't visible until right before they fail.
AMPd
Well-Known Member
From post #67
You can see the edges severely worn, I don’t think that happens overnight.
I have multiple suspension upgrades and 3 different sets of 19" and 2 different sets of 21" ... My issue is that I like to watch the tires evaporate in clouds of smoke as it's sliding around. These are the current 19" on there, about 1.5 pounds lighter than the OEM 19 with the aero cover removed
Changes 2 sets of 21". Both times, tires failed apart around 11k miles. Checked each week, but visible signs appears after 8k miles.
PS I also installed shims first, then throw away them and installed adj arms + 20". 6k miles since then - still flying.
AMPd
Well-Known Member
I'd say for a factory height vehicle, you can get away with shims + proper alignment. However, with lowered ride height vehicles, I strongly suggest adjustable rear camber arms. This will allow for the range of adjustments to counter naturally induced camber from lowered suspension geometry.
Danny - [email protected]
Danny - [email protected]
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