Track Setup- Alignment/Tire Conundrum

[MonacoMurphy]

Hi all. So I'm headed to Watkins Glen at the end of April and I'll be getting an alignment. I have a bit of a situation though and want to hear your thoughts.

F80 has 5k miles on it currently. About 1k miles into ownership I hit a nasty metal plate which ripped into my left front tire. It was Memorial Day weekend and I didn't want to be stranded so I went to a small tire shop ordered a new tire and went to the park while they fixed it. When I got back it was the wrong, non-star spec, MPSS. As I was with my wife and infant I said oh well and left it as is- we're 4 hours into the debacle by now.

So my question is, I'm going to get an alignment and I'm wondering if it's going to work. Currently it pulls to the right and if I turn the wheel to the left it bounces back to center.

The options are to just align it- which I prefer cost wise. Or to replace the tire, but that creates an issue where one front has 5k miles and the other is new. So then should I replace both fronts, to which I would want to put on the new MP4S and that screws up the front to rear equation both grip and mileage wise.

What would you guys do?

[Billj747]

I'm confused about the "wrong, non-star spec, MPSS" comment.

Did they replace the tire with a different size MPSS? If the diameter or tire is different, it could cause the pulling. If it's an OEM sized, proper replacement, your issue could be more than the tire.

[MonacoMurphy]

Originally Posted by Billj747

I'm confused about the "wrong, non-star spec, MPSS" comment.

Did they replace the tire with a different size MPSS? If the diameter or tire is different, it could cause the pulling. If it's an OEM sized, proper replacement, your issue could be more than the tire.

It's exact same size as stock but non star spec. The sidewall looks noticeably different: star spec is like this / and non star is like this | so...

[Billj747]

I'm not sure if it's just me misunderstanding...

Do you have Dunlop Star Spec tires on your car and they put a Michelin Super Sport replacement tire on the left front?

[elmerzasty]

Bottom line is you have different tires on one axle. The * spec has a different tread width and different weight vs the generic PSS, in short - you should have identical spec tires on the left and right corners. Getting an alignment is just wasting money at this point. Whereas to replace one or two tires, that would depend on current wear. If the car was driven very moderately, chances are that you could go away with buying just one, however since you stated that the car pulls to one side, current tires may be worn unevenly and thus both require replacing.

[CanAutM3]

The generic and star spec 255/35R19 tires are very different. The generic one has a wider contact patch, a squarer contact patch imprint and sits squarer on the road. IMO, it could certainly explain the odd steering behavior. I would NOT head to the track with two different front tires on each side and would definitely recommend replacing.