Well put. Seriously one of the best summer performance tires out right now.

 

Thanks for all the input - I got the Pilot Super Sports installed today for $950 out the door. They look great, but I haven't had a chance to test them yet.

For alignment, does it make a big difference if I get the $150 job from the dealer or the $65 job from one of the local shops?

 

To be honest, I think it comes down to a combination between the skill of the tech who performs the job (don't assume dealers rate higher), and how recently their equipment was calibrated. That being said, the only time I ever let a dealer do an alignment was on BMW that was still under warranty so I didn't pay for it.

 

Depends on the equipment they're using and the technician's experience to be honest. I would trust a suspension shop that has years of experience dealing specifically with alignments over a chain that just happens to offer alignments.

If you can find that combo, it will likely still be less money and you should still come out with a good alignment.

 

I ended up getting the alignment at the dealership, but I got a terrible explanation of the results.

Everything was in spec except the caster was borderline. The left caster was 3.9 and the spec is 3.9 to 5.4 (the right was 4.0).

Do I need to worry about this?

 

Do you have the alignment sheet?

In any case, caster is non-adjustable and you're well within the spec-range, so don't worry about it. My right is at 5.3 and doesn't really affect much of anything. (Technically, it will affect turn-handling, but hardly noticeable.)

 

If it's within spec I wouldn't worry too much about it.