do I have to have two of the same front tires to align it?
Yes
If the alignment is good and the front end parts are not worn (some people will align the front end with worn parts) it only leaves the tires. Rotate the two front tires and if they are bad you will notice the difference right away
It depends on how old your tires are and how warn they are. The front tires will wear out first, so if they replace your tires regularly then you can get away with only replacing the front two. If you rotate your tires when you change your oil or don't replace your tires often enough then you will probably want to replace all four at the same time.
Take the break off. ======================================================== I was looking at the ( 1998 ) Mercury Tracer Owner Guide and it shows : Move the rear tires to the front of the vehicle ( staying on the same side ) and take the two front tires and put them on the opposite sides of the rear
While it is good to use tires with the same tread and sizes, it is possible to use tires with different tread patterns, though you should be careful as the performance of the two tires may be different, causing your car to be unbalanced, endangering your passengers.
Yes, as long as both are the same on each axle. Additionally: they have to be the same "type" of tire. You can not mix Radial Tires (example; P255 65 R17) with Bias ply or Diagonal tires (example P255 65 D17) on the same vehicle.
Not unless they are all worn out. You can replace just two tires. I recommend you replace both front or both rear tires at the same time. Also make sure that all 4 tires are the exact same size. If the tires are fairly new and not worn you can replace just one tire if one was damaged as long as the size is the same.
The front and rear sight
Tires or wheels out of balance?
The best two tires should always be mounted on the rear of the vehicle.
I was looking at the ( 1998 ) Mercury Tracer Owner Guide and it shows to : Move the back tires to the front ( staying on the same side of the vehicle ) and then take the two front tires and put them on the back ( crossing over to the opposite side of the vehicle )
between your two front tires.
There are two approved towing methods. One, all four tires on a trailer or tow truck. Two, front tires on a tow dolly or wheel lift.