Hey guys. I am getting new tires put on and I was wondering if an allignment is neccessary. There isnt any problem now so I dont see why I would need one, but I know its common practice. Also, if I do need one is there anything special with a land rover as compared to any other 4wd. I am getting the tires from Sears so I dont exactly trust their expertise. Thanks alot

 

If you don't have any indicationb of wear on the tires and the truck isn't pulling, then don't worry about an alignment.
eqIf after you install your tires, you notice some pulling then find a good alignment shop, all that is required is a toe setting and whatever you do, don't let Sears touch the alignment. Also, make sure they use the correct lug wrench, 1 1/16" 6 point only or they will ruin your lug nuts.
Have them hand torque the lugs only to 105 ft/pounds of torque.

 

Call the dealer for a alignment, mine was $100.

 

Do Not take the truck to the dealer, until you have new tires and it feels like it needs it, other wise save the $100 for gas.

 

What Mike said +1. 77,000 on my truck andthe alignment is still fine. You'll want to make sure you keep proper air pressure in your tires though and rotate them for even wear. The fronts seem to wear a little faster than the rears.

 

The "Rule of Thumb" is alignment when you get new tires.

The reason is that how often do you buy tires?

Most people buy tires every 3 to 4 years, in that time the
alignment can be out just a little and you will never know.
The front tires will wear on the inside on both or have the same pattern just keep a eye on it.

But if you do get a alignment go to the dealer it was cheaper
there than any other place I found.

 

I had an alignment done at NTB (big in the south, they may be a national chain). Anyway they are one of those tire and break places where customers are allowed in the work area and I like to jawbone with the guys and sort of double check what they are doing. Glad I did! A trainee was working with the more experienced guy; the first thing he tried to do was drive my Disco into the garage without fully opening the garage rollup door as it was cold and windy. If I hadn't of warned him he would have torn off my roof rack! Then he put the LR up on the lift platform and proceeded to get the initial set up done for the alignment guy who was eating lunch. When the senior guy finally took over and started to interpret the results on the computer screen he said my alignment looked so bad he could not figure out how I drove in. Then he realized the error. The trainee had entered my make of car into the initial set up as a Lada (some little Russian coupe model), not as a Land Rover.

It turned out that I needed a small adjustment and when I went to pay I told the manager what had happened. He ended up charging me only half the price, I think it was $50 for a 3 year warrenteed alignment.

 

Has anybody ever tried doing the alignment themselves? It sounds like it should be fairly easy on a Disco. I've seen simple gauges go for about $15 and actual turnplates that you can put the wheels on gofor about $100. If either of those worked, it might be worth buying.

 

It is good to see that everyone is so eager to spend money on alignments that Rovers hardily ever need. After nearly 6 really hard years, playing on the trails, the only alignment I ever had done was when I bought my truck cause the former owner kept curbing the r/f wheel.
Don't waste your money, if it was a passenger car, you might want to get it checked once in awhile, but not a Rover.

 

I agree with Mike on this one. I replaced my bent drag link and all 4 ball joints. I measured and marked everything before I replaced, and it was still just barely out when I had it aligned. The guy said that Rovers are never out much. I am sure I got lucky putting everything back together, but unless you mess with the ball joints, don't worry about it.