Uneven wear - alignment cost? New tires front or back?

[Zypher]

2012 LT Sedan 1.8L ~85k miles, original owner

Front right tire wore prematurely, was going to fail state inspection, so I needed new tires and I need an alignment. My mechanic is great and prices usually seem reasonable, but he said $250 for alignment. Does that sound right? From what I’m reading online it should be more like $150-175. I’m in a big city in Texas.

He also said to put new tires on the front, and that’s what long haul truckers are required to do, but yet tire shops always put them on the back due to traction. But he said the front wear faster. Should I have him move the new ones to the front?

He said if we rotate them to the front, it would make the alignment more like $300 with that rotation added. I dropped $400 on two Michelin tires yesterday at Costco, so that kinda hurts the bank. Just want to be sure I’m making the right choice here. He doesn’t sell tires.

I replaced (the factory tires) 2 tires in 2015 and 2 in 2016. I haven’t had an alignment in a long time, maybe ever, and hadn’t rotated or balanced since 5/2021, but I have only put 7k miles on it since 12/2021. So I’m not driving a whole lot, but I definitely waited way too long. I do my own oil changes and should’ve thought of that sooner. Going to keep up with it now for sure. Got tires at Costco and I’m there a lot, so that’ll make it easy. Don’t know much about tires and alignment so wanted to ask you all about it. Thanks!

 

[orangeltz13]

2012 LT Sedan 1.8L ~85k miles, original owner

Front right tire wore prematurely, was going to fail state inspection, so I needed new tires and I need an alignment. My mechanic is great and prices usually seem reasonable, but he said $250 for alignment. Does that sound right? From what I’m reading online it should be more like $150-175. I’m in a big city in Texas.

He also said to put new tires on the front, and that’s what long haul truckers are required to do, but yet tire shops always put them on the back due to traction. But he said the front wear faster. Should I have him move the new ones to the front?

He said if we rotate them to the front, it would make the alignment more like $300 with that rotation added. I dropped $400 on two Michelin tires yesterday at Costco, so that kinda hurts the bank. Just want to be sure I’m making the right choice here. He doesn’t sell tires.

I replaced (the factory tires) 2 tires in 2015 and 2 in 2016. I haven’t had an alignment in a long time, maybe ever, and hadn’t rotated or balanced since 5/2021, but I have only put 7k miles on it since 12/2021. So I’m not driving a whole lot, but I definitely waited way too long. I do my own oil changes and should’ve thought of that sooner. Going to keep up with it now for sure. Got tires at Costco and I’m there a lot, so that’ll make it easy. Don’t know much about tires and alignment so wanted to ask you all about it. Thanks!

If I were you, I would take the care to a reputable tire store like Goodyear or Belle Tire. They should be able to point you in the right direction. If it were my car, I would replace the 2 front tires with new ones. It is more important to have the best tires on the front because the car is front-wheel drive and that is where the vehicles' traction is. A 4-wheel alignment should be next. If you can't afford a 4-wheel alignment, go with the front wheel alignment. A wheel alignment should cost less when you purchase tires. In the future, rotate your tires every 6 months. They will last longer and wear more evenly. I have had the same tires on my car since 2015 and the tread is still pretty good.

 

[Zypher]

If I were you, I would take the care to a reputable tire store like Goodyear or Belle Tire. They should be able to point you in the right direction. If it were my car, I would replace the 2 front tires with new ones. It is more important to have the best tires on the front because the car is front-wheel drive and that is where the vehicles' traction is. A 4-wheel alignment should be next. If you can't afford a 4-wheel alignment, go with the front wheel alignment. A wheel alignment should cost less when you purchase tires. In the future, rotate your tires every 6 months. They will last longer and wear more evenly. I have had the same tires on my car since 2015 and the tread is still pretty good.

So I already have my 2 new tires from Costco. Here we have Discount Tire, Costco, Sam’s Club (Lamb’s Automotive but I will never go there again). None of those places do alignments (I asked and researched - they just rotate and balance). I recognized Belle Tire though - I used to live in Michigan and haven’t seen one of those for years!

My mechanic can do alignments, and the $250 was for a 4 wheel alignment. I don’t think I’ve had an alignment done since I got the car.

I will have my mechanic move the 2 new tires to the front. Thank you!

Costco will rotate and balance for free, so I’ll just have them rotate every 6 months from now on.

My front right tire was the one that was worn. Front left still had life, so definitely an alignment or balance issue. The front were from 2015. Back tires are the newer ones from 2016 and they’re just fine. And then currently the brand new ones from yesterday are on the back. Which I couldn’t convince Costco to put them in the front, so that’s annoying but my mechanic said all tire shops around here require you put them on the back.

I appreciate the help!