Front Tyre Wear

PostPost by: worzel » Fri Sep 09, 2011 2:55 pm

I've just replaced 4 tyres that were around 7 years old with Pirelli 3000. Big difference in feel so I'm guessing the old set had sidewall problems as the ride is noticeably better. What was pointed out to me though was that one of the fronts had more wear to the inside shoulder. The other side was fine. Both were fitted originally together and were the same age/make etc. Since I'm always pretty careful with tyre pressures I'm assuming the odd wear pattern is due to faulty tracking (there are no issues with suspension bushes/dampers/springs/wheel bearings) and the car always runs true on astraight, flat road with no wander.

But- surely if the tracking was incorrect on one side wouldn't the forward push of the car tend to equalise this by causing the steering wheel to be slightly offset from the straight ahead position so that in effect both sides would be incorrectly tracked but to the same degree? Or am I thinking about this too much?. Going to lie down now!

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PostPost by: jfhowe1 » Fri Sep 09, 2011 8:14 pm

You are correct concerning toe in or toe out, it should not wear only one tire. It sounds like the camber is off on that one side. There is no adjustment for camber, as each front upper and lower arm is suppose to be exactly the correct length, and the mounting on the frame and upright is not adjustable. However, if something is slightly bent it is possible the camber is out enough to cause the problem. A loose wheel bearing could cause the same situation, but you stated there was no problem there. The uprights can become bent and would also give you more negative camber, causing the unusual wear.
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PostPost by: elansprint71 » Fri Sep 09, 2011 8:32 pm

Previous poster beat me to it. I suggest a laser alignment check; if you can find an operator who knows what he is doing and can interpret the results.

As the car does what you expect and the tyres have lasted 7 years, this is probably no big deal; unless all that wear appeared in the last three weeks. :wink:
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PostPost by: AHM » Fri Sep 09, 2011 9:54 pm

Maybe also check for worn trunion or ball joint
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