I had the front end aligned on my 2001 2WD at aprox. 25k miles. I am at about 51k miles now and from the looks of tire wear I may need another alignment.
Is there anything unique about 4Runner alignment that cannot be trusted to a regular tire/wheel shop e.g. Les Schwab ?
Thanks

 

What type of tire wear do you have? If your alignment is out there are very unique wear patterns that should show up on your tires. Irregular wear could come from lack of rotation or your driving habits.

The reason I ask is an alignment every 25k seems a bit excessive to me.

 

they need a 6 bolt lug centric tire balancer for one thing. if they don't have that your tires can't be balanced 100%

also there is something fishy about the camber or caster I am not sure which, on the 4runner and taco it is adjusted differently than most other trucks. an alignment shop must simply be -toyota aware- to make the correct adjustment.


some tires will develop a funky wear pattern on a perfectly aligned vehicle. it's about how the knobs approach the ground and whatnot...braking forces, turning.

 

Thanks,
This or something similar is what I thought I remember hearing/reading.

 

is there a brand of machine that does this well?

 

I used to do alignments at a local Sears Auto Center. For 4runners and Tacomas, the front end is fully adjustable...camber, caster and toe. Camber and toe are significant factors when it comes to tire wear. Each vehicle has certain specs from the factory that these measurements should be in, as I'm sure you're aware. What type of tire wear are you experiencing and did you get a print out of the final alignment readings? I'm curious to see it...