How much will a bad alignment shorten tire life?
The extent of tire life loss depends on the actual angles that are mis-adjusted and by how much. For instance, improper caster will cause the vehicle to pull one way or the other. As long as all other angles are properly set the effect on tire life will not be drastic. Toe on the other hand will drastically shorten tire life. As an example, for every 1/8 inch of toe a tire will be dragged sideways forty-feet for every mile driven. One-half inch of toe mis-alignment may destroy a set of tires in a few hundred miles. Camber will also wear the tires, but not as drastically as toe. For even more information on wheel alignment, see our Detailed Topics article, Wheel Alignment Myths.
