Eharrison

Ok,
I noticed the rear wheels were looking rough, left rear in particular. There was a noticible vibration from the rear and I suspected it was crappy tires (Which turned out to be true) .Then I spotted the chords so I ordered two new rears. Since this was the first pair of tires since I purchased the car I wanted to check the alignment especially since the left rear was worn to the chords while the right had a fair amount left. The check showed a difference in the cambers on the rear and they adjusted them back to "specs".
Afterwards I drove home on the highway (65-90mph for testing....)to feel the difference in handling and I don't know if it was wind, or just that I was paying attention to the inputs in steering, but the car felt lighter, or more jumpy on the highway. Before I felt that the car was planted on the road, now I do not. Is there anything that jumps out at anyone about the alignment results? I probably will need to get more seat time in the car but for the 5 minutes on the road it just seemed different(duh)... Below are the results of the alignment check:

LF Actual/Before RF Actual/Before
-0.08/-0.14 Camber -0.05/-0.04
7.41/7.41 Caster 7.59/7.59
0.03/0.09 Toe 0.04/0.16

Actual/Before
Cross Camber -0.04/-0.10
Cross Caster -0.18/-0.18
Total Toe 0.07/0.25


LR Actual/Before RR Actual/Before
-1.17/-1.4 Camber -1.24/-1.17
0.13/0.06 Caster 0.15/0.21

Actual/Before
Total Toe 0.28/0.27
Thrust angle -0.01/0.07


Any input would be appreciated. And that was a pain to write, easier than plugging in the scanner though.

Gnome

Could it be the new tires? Some tires are more susceptible to variations in the road and tramlining.

Eharrison

RE050A's Before I felt solid changing lanes from one lane to the next, in one smooth motion and that's it. Now it's change lane and slightly shift back again once I go into the other lane, similar to what you feel when you pass a semi, that little push....I never got the little push before...

PJorgen

Brand new tires always feel a little squirrely, IMO. Mold release compound on the tires or something like that. I'd give it a few days and/or a few hundred miles before passing final judgement.

FWIW, I have RE050As on my '02 C4S and am quite happy with them.

AudiOn19s

You've got less toe both front and rear than you had before. This will let the car more easily change direction and inputs will result in quicker reaction from the rest of the car. This could be what you're feeling. Less toe will result in less tire wear and quicker responses but a bit less straight line stability.

Eharrison

Thanks for the input. I'll update after a few hundred miles for final results.
I appreciate the explanations. Makes good sense, which, according to my wife, is not something I see or have very often.