My car developed some steering wheel shakes lately. Took the car initially for regular balancing - helped a bit - but then a couple of weeks later, the shakes are coming back.

I took the car to a local shop that has Roadforce. They put the car on jacks and just before they start, we did a cursory check and found out that both front tires have cupping issue. I can really feel it running my hand on the inner edges.

I ended up not doing the Roadforce, not sure if that would help if cupping is the cause of the vibration. I am actually thinking that this is more of an alignment thing, where maybe camber or toe or both need some tweaks?

Will alignment help with the current tires? I'm thinking about doing a process of elimination first, before touching the lower control arm, bushings and struts.

I had a similar issue way back with the original Pirellis. Solved that one by replacing the Pirellis, but it was forced because of the tires getting shredded due to highway debris. I am not ready to do that yet.

 

I am sure that you will hear from some actual experts, and that is just one of the great things about this forum, but, even with my limited knowledge, I can tell you that your cupping is not from a balance problem, though it can accentuate the out of balance on the tires.

 

Alignment won't repair the damage already done but should prevent more.

Before doing the alignment though, it would be worth looking into how the alignment got out in the first place. Lower control arm bushings and upper shock mounts are common failures that can throw in extra camber and wear the inside of the front tires.