Smug Monkey

I am about to have my 2010 Mustang V6 aligned that I purchased used. The dealership is replacing my OE BF Goodrich Traction T/A's with Hankook Optimo H727's. OE size 215/60/R17.

The BF's were cupped as a result of a camber issue. With that issue now resolved I am going to be getting an alignment from the dealership when they mount and balance my new tires. I will be requesting an alignment spec sheet when all is done and wondered if there are any special settings I should make to the car while it was being aligned?

I know the camber cannot be adjusted but I believe the toe and caster can be, correct? What special settings would the experts here recommend if any? I tend to drive conservatively and am really looking for good treadwear and a smooth ride. If anyone has any suggestions it would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
Mark

Norm Peterson

Only toe is adjustable without either swapping in strut mounts with camber adjustability or caster-camber plates or modifying the strut to knuckle attachment.

How do you know that the cause is camber rather than toe? Or out-of-balance wheels? I wouldn't expect a 2010 strut to be dead already, but I suppose it's at least possible and that could lead to cupping wear. Is there any evidence that something has been bent due to the previous owner hitting something like a curb or pothole? Is the steering wheel centered when you're driving straight on a flat (not crowned) road?

If the camber does in fact need to be adjusted, I'd suggest sticking with the OE preferred setting (which I suspect is still -0.75° just like the 2005 - 2008 that I know of directly). And I'd request that the "cross-camber" (difference between left side and right side cambers) be minimized. If you're a really mild driver, you might prefer something between -0.5° and -0.75° as opposed to something closer to -1°.


Norm

Smug Monkey

Thanks for the info, Norm! I was hoping you would respond as you seem to have a wealth of information.

What happened was when I purchased the car I noticed that the passenger side front tire was leaning at a very substantial negative camber angle. Much more than the driver side. When I took the car back to the dealership it was measured approximately -2 degrees! Don't know what happened as it was previously a Hertz rental car. They fixed it with a camber bolt (I know, not the preferred method) and everything seemed to be fine until I discovered that the front tires were extremely worn on the inside.

I pitched a fit as this car was CPO by the dealership and they obviously didn't do their job! So, now I am getting the aforementioned 4 new tires and an alignment along with free gas and oil changes. Obviously a bribe to keep my mouth shut from calling Ford and complaining about their shoddy CPO practices.

When they fixed the camber with the bolt and did the original alignment before I discovered the cupped tires I believe it was measured at -.9 degrees on both sides. I will be requesting a spec sheet of this alignment and will post it here when I get the work done on Saturday. The car tracks fine and there was nothing that appeared to be bent when looked at by an impartial mechanic friend of mine.

Mark

Norm Peterson

Once a bad tire wear pattern has been established, it can continue to get worse even after the root cause of it happening in the first place gets fixed.

But keep an eye on it.


Norm