Tires: tire cupping, michelin mxv4 s8, alignment settings

Question
QUESTION: dear sir,I recently purchased 4 new tires,michelin mxv4 s-8's for 2009 avalon. after 2,000 miles. terrible noise which turned out to be cupping. dealer had not performed alignment. are the tires salvagable after alignment?. they rotated and balanced. bad ones are on front now. now the ones on the rear are cupping!! what should i do? thanks

ANSWER: Dear Mr. Blackwell,
Thank you for using AllExperts!
First, it is difficult for me to judge from your note how severely your tires are cupped, but I am surprised that they did so in such a short period (2000 miles).  Continuous rotation according to your tire warranty (as opposed to your vehicle owner's manual) may help. Now back to your alignment situation.  Your alignment shop should first have assured that your tire inflation settings were set according to the vehicle manufacturer's specifications.  These days, alignment settings are less suitable for optimum tire wear and more suitable for vehicle handling characteristics, consequently "toe," "camber," and "caster" settings may exceed what tire manufacturer's would really like to see; camber and toe in particular.  I have several recommendations:
1. Make sure the tire inflation is set to the vehicle manufacturer's specifications according to the door placard.
2. If another alignment is in order, go to an independent shop, not the car dealer, and have toe and camber set to the MINIMUM allowable specifications (not mid-range for example).
3. Get a print-out of the alignment done from the shop as proof.
4. As you have been conscientious in conducting an alignment, and your tire wear continues to deteriorate, I would contact Michelin consumer relations (after you have proof of alignment), and then discuss it with the Toyota dealer.  
I note that the Michelin MXV4 S8 is a highly regarded tire, with high marks for "quiet ride," so I don't believe the tire is at fault here.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: could the problem be related to the shocks or struts.the dealer has not mentioned these areas. however 3 tire companys indicated that possibility? total mileage of the avalon was 22,000 when tires was replced due to wear.thanks again. your service is great air pressure is chkd often and set at recomended psi.

Answer
Dear Mr. Blackwell,
Although my expertise does not extend to mechanical issues (you may want to consult another expert), it is my experience that modern-day shocks and struts should last longer than that. Your car dealer can certainly check these out if you are still under warranty (or even if you are not under warrant).    
DT