Odd wear patterns

[badcamelot]

Ive gone through 2 sets of tires on the front of my DD and the rear barely wear at all. Some of this may be due to the brand brand/model etc, but the odd thing is how the front tires wear. I have driven the car (since it was purchased almost 2 years ago) and frequently checked air pressure in tires. I maintain 32-34 lbs. The elevation here is about 4500 ft above sea level (if that matters) but both sets of tires Ive used have worn the same odd way...both the outside and inside (especially inside) wear much faster than the middle. Ive never seen a tire seemingly wear that way. Sure the inside OR outside can wear unevenly, but Ive not had a car wear both even though tire pressure is maintained. I suspected that the first was due to the brand of tires (yokohama - which I hate) but I now have Hanooks are they have worn exactly the same. Can alignment be out to cause this kind of tire wear?

 

[SHOspazz92]

Feathering

Feathering is a condition when the edge of each tread rib develops a slightly rounded edge on one side and a sharp edge on the other. By running your hand over the tire, you can usually feel the sharper edges before you'll be able to see them. The most common cause of feathering is incorrect toe-in setting, which can be cured by having It set correctly. Occasionally toe-in will be set correctly and this wear pattern still occurs. This is usually due to deteriorated bushings in the front suspension, causing the wheel alignment to shift as the car moves down the road

One Side Wear

When an inner or outer rib wears faster than than the rest of the tire, the need for wheel alignment is indicated. There is excessive camber in the front suspension, causing the wheel to lean too much to the inside or outside and putting too much load on one side of the tire. The car may simply need the wheels aligned, but misalignment could be due to sagging springs, worn ball joints, or worn control arm bushings. Because load has a great affect on alignment, be sure the car is loaded the way it's normally driven when you have the wheels aligned; this is particularly important with independent rear suspension cars.

Now combine the two...

This is all I can think of, considering you said that you check your tires pressure constantly for underinflation.

The only thing to do, is get the car on a alignment rack and check. It's somthing I ALWAYS do after purchasing new tires.

-Sam

 

[badcamelot]

Thanks for going through the effort and psoting an answer. I agree that an alignment is likely necessary, but since I havent the first clue about alingment how to, and one can never see anything actually done, Ive no idea if these guys ever do anything and you simply hand over $100+ and feel as though youre being laughed at driving away. I just find it odd that both inside AND outside wear out before center. There is no feathering just 'BOTH side wear'. I figured if toe in or camber or.... were that bad, Id feel it in the steering wheel or the car would drift or..., but to have none of these AND the tires wear out pretty quick both inside and out, that someone might know or have exprienced it before, so that I can find an alignment shop I can trust and go in armed with some knowledge.

 

[SHOspazz92]

Well the only thing I could think of is underinlation at that point. I know you said you check it often, but you never know.

I would also check for loose wheel bearings, that will play havoc on your tires wear.


-Sam

 

[badcamelot]

Will do, thanks.

 

[jedhead]

Tires wear fast and uneven if they are not rotated.

Bob

 

[Bob Gervais]

I'm with Sam, and Bob. Check for loose components in the front end, fix whatever may be wrong, and get yourself a good alignment from a reputable shop. Rotating every 5k will help as well, keep in mind the front is heavier, and does more work, causing more wear.

 

[K-Dawg]

Try more air pressure.

 

[rubydist]

when the front tires wear on both the inside and outside edges, that means the tires are not inflated to a high enough pressure for how you drive the car.

fyi, 32-34 psi is not enough for most tires at 4500' elevation - I run at least 35 in mine (at 5000+'), and I don't corner particularly hard since its my daily driver. also, you may need a new gauge - most cheap gauges 'wear out' quickly and don't report the correct pressure.

you need to watch the tire wear and put enough air in them to keep the wear even across the tread of the tire. if you drive crazy, it may take 40 psi to get them to wear evenly. and, if you drive it hard, you need to rotate them every 5k miles, maybe sooner if they are high performance tires.

 

[badcamelot]

Drive crazy in stock 93 SHO with 170K = disaster! Nah, I drive pretty calm, and Ive used 3 different pguages at home plus a couple at fuel stations and they all say the same. So I will try more psi. Thanks.

 

[SHOtimer]

Ive no idea if these guys ever do anything and you simply hand over $100+ and feel as though youre being laughed at driving away.

They should give you a print out of what your alignment specs were when you drove in, what adjustments they made, and what the settings are at when you drive out.

That way you know exactly what they did....or didn't do.

Doug

 

[93rev2sev]

I'm experiencing the same issue. I need struts, mounts and bearings up front. With the worn mounts, the top of the strut is allowed to wander around, causing extra wear on both the outside and inside corners.

Also, your alignment can be correct and if the mounts are worn, once the car is in motion, all bets are off.