General Lee

Changed tire & wheel size to the C6 sizes does that require a wheel align?

Paul Wood

I think anytime you change tires an alignment is a good thing to do. A requirement? I doubt it but do you really want your high dollar investment in tires to be ruined by a slightly off alignment? A four wheel job would be best, IMHO. Good Luck.

EMDExpress

When you lower, you must, when you change tires, you should.

fendermender

The specs don't change if that's the question. As mentioned it would be a good idea if it hasn't been done for a while given the price of the tires.

Just had mine done because it was a wreck I rebuilt. I installed C6 wheels with stock C6 size tires. No change in the alighnment procedure. My guy did appologize for having to charge a little more because it took a good bit of time. Lots of adjusments on these front and rear.

jrose7004

I don't think that you would have to. I would probably have it checked. As expensive as tires are checking it would be a good idea.

Bill Curlee

All the answers above are 100% on the mark!

AU N EGL

when was your last4 wheel alignment?

if it was more then 6 months ago or your chaining wheels or tires, YES get a new alignment

General Lee

It's probably been a couple years and more importantly 15,000
miles + or -.(i have to dig up my receipt)
I guess i should have it checked.

QCVette

Why does everyone say it needs an alignment?

I agree that for the cost of tires it is cheap insurance, but just thinking about it there isn't anything about the wheel tire that should affect the alignment. Just changing wheels/tire shouldn't mess with the alignment, so if it was good before, does it really need a new alignment?

Is there any basis for recommending an alignment other than cheap insurance for the new tires?

fendermender

No.

AU N EGL

Bolts DO loosen Up.

so the alignment does change

Plasticman

Really depends on the condition of the old tires, and how the Vette handled.

If tire wear on the old tires was "even" across each tread, and it handled fine, then no need whatsoever.

Plasticman

Paul Wood

Amazingly, wheel alignment, and especially 4 wheel alignment is a game of very,very small adjustments. Because the naked eye does not see any issue with tire wear or that we do not perceive any issue with the car tracking straight does NOT mean that any or all of the adjustments are correct. The ONLY way you will know for sure is with a properly calibrated machine and a skilled technician. With tires going for hundreds of dollars each it seems that it would be plain common sense to spend $120 for a 4 wheel alignment. Just sayin. Good Luck.

Plasticman

I did not say measure with the eye. It should be done with a vernier caliper for "depth of tread" measurment at each groove.

And if you like wasting money and time, having an alignment done (that is not needed), be my guest.

Plasticman

Paul Wood

So measuring the depth of the tire tread will tell you what? What is your measuring technique measuring depth on a sphere? What is the tolerance allowed on a new tire right from the mold? How many measurements are you taking around the tire and in the groove? And you are referencing the theoretic center of what? The wheel? The tire? Can you determine the rotational center with a vernier? Let's say you took 10,000 measurements and plotted them what would that tell you? At the end of this exercise you still have to determine if the camber, toe, and angle adjustments are within specification. When the rotational center of the tire equals the physical center of the tire it is balanced. Balance is independent of alignment but if you have poor balance you will have wear issues and ride issues. How that tire sits on the ground relative to the suspension, the frame, and the direction of the car determines how it will produce the intended dynamic function.
But if you want to spend your day taking measurements around a tire to determine the need for alingment, BE MY GUEST. There are modern machines that will get you close enough to enjoy driving your car. Good Luck.

stevedun

Way too deep just to decide if you want or need an alignment. I look at the tires that are taken off and can tell if the car is out of alignment enough to warrant spending the money for having one done. You guys must be rocket scientist or something if you need your car that perfect to drive.

Paul Wood

My only point was that if you buy a set of high performance tires regardless of how the other tires were wearing it was a good idea to have the 4 wheel alignment. Some want to argue that it is a waste of money. The OP asked if it was required to have an alignment and clearly it is not just a suggestion that would be prudent given the high cost of high performance tires. Someone wanted to get technical with me and made a rediculous suggestion that measuring tread depth would tell you about wheel alignment A very slight amount of misalignment can cause a lot of damage over time that you may or may not notice, especially with the wide tires and low profiles we run on our cars. Good Luck.

stevedun

Np. I understand the option given the high cost of our tires these days. I have to buy too often, but not from uneven wear. I did have to take some of the toe and camber out to keep from eating up the inside of the fronts though. Brutal on the fronts from factory if not racing or driving curves all the time.