Worst case scenario from bad alignment?

[Earendil]

First off, I know the correct answer is "Get it aligned!". But let's toss that out for a second ;)

I just changed the control arms, bushing, and tierods on my E46. When putting the new tie rods on I nailed the exact measurement of the old ones, so it actually handles better than it did before with shot-to-shit CABs. But I can tell that it isn't aligned quite right.

The question is, what gets destroyed over long miles with a bad alignment? Just the ties? When I take it in for an alignment I intend on getting new tires as well, as the ones that are on there are shot. What I don't want to do is hurt my new suspension/steering pieces. I took it up to 70mph without issue though. In fact the most odd behavior has been going fast-ish in reverse while taking a sharp turn.

I'm supposed to put 400 miles on the E46 this weekend so that I can help my gf move and go on a late valentines date. Not going is not an option, and all the shops in town are booked through the weekend.

Thoughts? Do I just stop every 100 miles and make sure my front tires aren't down to the wire and ready to pop? I can always do an impromptu roadside tire rotation if need be. My alternative is to take the stripped out E30 with a leaking heater core. I'd be driving with the windows down so I don't die :down:

Thanks for any tips :)

[erik325i]

Worst case scenario if your alignment is bad? You can get bad/uneven tire wear, car can be unresponsive, car can feel darty, etc. With the combination of these factors, you can end up blowing up a tire, swerving off the road, flipping your car, and get trapped in your upsidedown burning car in a ditch on some remote road with nobody to rescue you.

Just get it aligned.

[FunfGan]

Mine was quite bad for a while, hardly drove it because of the danger, still wore my tires like cray. Get an alignment hahah.

[Earendil]

Worst case scenario if your alignment is bad? You can get bad/uneven tire wear, car can be unresponsive, car can feel darty, etc. With the combination of these factors, you can end up blowing up a tire, swerving off the road, flipping your car, and get trapped in your upsidedown burning car in a ditch on some remote road with nobody to rescue you.

Just get it aligned.

But if I'm reading this correctly, the bad outcome stem from
1. The current state of the alignment
2. The tires getting worse over time/miles

I've already determined that #1 isn't an issue. My hope is that I can keep an eye on #2, but I haven't a clue how fast a tire will fade in a "slightly off alignment" situation.

And as I said, I can't get an alignment, everyone is booked around here (and "around here" is a small town). I could drive 70 miles into Portland, but at that point if all is still looking fine, I'm likely to keep driving the next 150 to Seattle :)

Or I breath coolant...

[Earendil]

One of the shops called me back because they had a cancellation, so I'm getting it aligned right now. Thank goodness :)

[frolf]

In fact the most odd behavior has been going fast-ish in reverse while taking a sharp turn.

How does one dial this in.

Alignment shop dude: What can I address with this alignment?
R3v member: well, everything is pretty good accept my j-hooking seems off...