And for the love of god can we get some before and after measurements!?SamirD wrote:And let us know how it turns out!murcod wrote:That's exactly the place you need. Take the alignment specs in and talk to them about the problems you've got.
TSB SI-0007 WHEEL ALIGNMENT SPECS
I spoke with Steve at Ray Suzuki (Chevrolet) about this earlier today. In his words, "every Kizashi will need an alignment. I've not seen one without the tire wear issue." And an alignment was free within the first year/12k to people that pointed it out. Otherwise, tires wear between 17-22k miles.
And he mentioned that even when you align them, they will need alignment again soon. "While the independent suspension is great, it does get off alignment quite often."
And he mentioned that even when you align them, they will need alignment again soon. "While the independent suspension is great, it does get off alignment quite often."
Roads torn up by snow, ice, and plowing this winter really does not help the situation. Sigh.SamirD wrote:I spoke with Steve at Ray Suzuki (Chevrolet) about this earlier today. In his words, "every Kizashi will need an alignment. I've not seen one without the tire wear issue." And an alignment was free within the first year/12k to people that pointed it out. Otherwise, tires wear between 17-22k miles.
And he mentioned that even when you align them, they will need alignment again soon. "While the independent suspension is great, it does get off alignment quite often."
- road-rant-west-139th-pothole-f5bda5f33453cb38.jpg (334.29 KiB) Viewed 6297 times
2025 Mazda CX-50 Preferred Hybrid
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Sold)
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Sold)
lol...just as I switched back to a car as a DD after decades of trucks and SUVs, the PA roads are looking this bad and worse again much like the late 70s in through the early 90s. This is due to, supposedly, a 'lack of funds' for repairs (of the done correctly kind).
Ron
2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded
)
1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top (
sold)
2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded
) 1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top (
sold)An update on my situation:
So I went to the alignment shop that I mentioned earlier...the one where they measure alignments the old-school way. I told them about how I had the car aligned over a year ago and how it hasn't driven the same way since...that it's very sensitive to road irregularities. I also mentioned that the car pulls to the left slightly.
Well, after about an hour they came back and told me that it's basically my tires that are the problem. They claimed that the tires were significantly more worn on one side of the car and that's why the car pulled to the left slightly. They also insinuated it being the reason for my steering sensitivity, although didn't outright say so. Otherwise they said that the alignment checked out fine.
In the end, all they did was criss-cross the tires and let some air out of them because they said I didn't need that much air in the tires--that they were like basketballs... which is strange because I had the recommended 38psi in all of the tires, which is what the car lists as the appropriate tire pressure on the driver's door jamb. I don't know why they think I need less air... in fact, they let out so much air from the tires that the next day when I rolled out of my garage the TPMS system kicked in and told me I had low tire pressure
.
In the end I don't know what to believe...it doesn't seem like anyone can give me a straight answer for why my steering feels different. Maybe everyone thinks it's just my imagination, but I swear it's different. It's not like it was a gradual change...it literally changed "overnight"...right after having that alignment done at the dealer over a year ago. Prior to, the car was a dream to drive--nice weighty steering with plenty of response and a glued-to-the-road feeling. But now it feels uncertain and disconnected, yet very sensitive to every road undulation. Even when braking or making a turn the steering wheel "shifts" if the wheels encounter a small bump on the road.
That being said, so far the tire explanation seems like the most reasonable at this point, so I think I'll take the alignment shop's recommendation and just replace the tires soon, in order to eliminate the possibility that they're the culprit. After all, they are fairly worn at this point, so they're probably due to be replaced.
All in all though, I will say that customer-service wise, the alignment shop I went to was miles ahead in customer service compared to the other places I've been. Both the guy at the counter and the alignment tech took their time to explain what they thought and to answer my questions, so at least I didn't feel like I was being given the run-around.
So I went to the alignment shop that I mentioned earlier...the one where they measure alignments the old-school way. I told them about how I had the car aligned over a year ago and how it hasn't driven the same way since...that it's very sensitive to road irregularities. I also mentioned that the car pulls to the left slightly.
Well, after about an hour they came back and told me that it's basically my tires that are the problem. They claimed that the tires were significantly more worn on one side of the car and that's why the car pulled to the left slightly. They also insinuated it being the reason for my steering sensitivity, although didn't outright say so. Otherwise they said that the alignment checked out fine.
In the end, all they did was criss-cross the tires and let some air out of them because they said I didn't need that much air in the tires--that they were like basketballs... which is strange because I had the recommended 38psi in all of the tires, which is what the car lists as the appropriate tire pressure on the driver's door jamb. I don't know why they think I need less air... in fact, they let out so much air from the tires that the next day when I rolled out of my garage the TPMS system kicked in and told me I had low tire pressure
.In the end I don't know what to believe...it doesn't seem like anyone can give me a straight answer for why my steering feels different. Maybe everyone thinks it's just my imagination, but I swear it's different. It's not like it was a gradual change...it literally changed "overnight"...right after having that alignment done at the dealer over a year ago. Prior to, the car was a dream to drive--nice weighty steering with plenty of response and a glued-to-the-road feeling. But now it feels uncertain and disconnected, yet very sensitive to every road undulation. Even when braking or making a turn the steering wheel "shifts" if the wheels encounter a small bump on the road.
That being said, so far the tire explanation seems like the most reasonable at this point, so I think I'll take the alignment shop's recommendation and just replace the tires soon, in order to eliminate the possibility that they're the culprit. After all, they are fairly worn at this point, so they're probably due to be replaced.
All in all though, I will say that customer-service wise, the alignment shop I went to was miles ahead in customer service compared to the other places I've been. Both the guy at the counter and the alignment tech took their time to explain what they thought and to answer my questions, so at least I didn't feel like I was being given the run-around.
worn tires on these cars (or any other car for that matter) can be the cause of many of the issues you've just described above. The key will be keeping a close eye on the tire condition after you put the new ones on. Anything starts looking, or feeling, funny then take it back to your old school guys and see what they have to say. I hammer my car (not as thoroughly as WESHOOT does) especially in the twisties, and since the new tires and the dialed in alignment I had done,well, all I can say is I'm a happy camper in the grip and handling department. Tire wear was off right away, feathering right front outter tread, after the alignment done when the new tirs were put on. Went to another shop after about 3-4k (guys I've known forever) and they got it dialed in really well, perfect actually. No more funny wear on my new(er) tires
Ron
2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded )
1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top ( sold)
2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded
) 1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top (
sold)I took my car to my friend's garage / car center and he told me that my 2011 Suzuki Kizashi (purchased in January 2011) needed new tires due to wear. I told him that my car only has 22,500 miles on it (yes, I didn't drive it that much.) He showed me the wear on the tires as the car was up on the hydraulic jack.
All four tires had severe wear on the inside shoulder of the tire down to the wear indicator on the first inside tread gap.
Thanks for posting the Suzuki Bulletin at the post. I'll show it it my friend to get the correct alignment.
All four tires had severe wear on the inside shoulder of the tire down to the wear indicator on the first inside tread gap.
Thanks for posting the Suzuki Bulletin at the post. I'll show it it my friend to get the correct alignment.
Welcome to the headache that is the Kizashi's factory alignment. I have very similar wear on my tires (though not as bad) and my mileage is similar to yours.moojin wrote:I took my car to my friend's garage / car center and he told me that my 2011 Suzuki Kizashi (purchased in January 2011) needed new tires due to wear. I told him that my car only has 22,500 miles on it (yes, I didn't drive it that much.) He showed me the wear on the tires as the car was up on the hydraulic jack.
All four tires had severe wear on the inside shoulder of the tire down to the wear indicator on the first inside tread gap.
Thanks for posting the Suzuki Bulletin at the post. I'll show it it my friend to get the correct alignment.
2025 Mazda CX-50 Preferred Hybrid
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Sold)
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Sold)