Do all 4wd cars need regular suspension realignment ?

For nearly 4 decades, firstly on Fords then Vauxhalls, none of my 2wd cars needed regular suspension realignment - most got the front toe setting done accurately just after purchase but never touched after that - all tyres wore evenly indicating no issues - if it makes a difference, all the Fords had live rear axles and the Vauxhalls all had torsion beam rear axles.

Both the 4wd cars I've owned, a Subaru Outback and Hyundai Santa Fe, have shown uneven tyre wear at around 15,000 miles but put onto regular full suspension realignments to ensure new tyres aren't wrecked prematurely - and every other 4wd car I research, right up to Range Rover, seems to get the same issue.

I'm not talking about live axled Defenders going up mountains but 4wd SUVs with full independent suspension used for no more than light off-roading or in many cases no off-roading at all.

Is it simply a fact of life that proper rear independent suspension (not torsion beam) always need regular full axis suspension realignments and that my link with 4wd is co-incidental - or is there something about 4wd that makes it more likely/necessary ?

Edited by RT on 17/04/2013 at 10:09