Unusual tire wear

[ty423]

I was wondering if anyone has the same problem as me. On my P11 my drivers side front tire is wearing awefully quick. It's wearing on the out side of the rim. Comparing with the passenger side front, it's totally noticeable. Alighnment seems fine. What could this be?

[T4 Primera]

Either toe adjustment or suspension bushes could cause this.

[ty423]

so you mean like my tire is wobbling alittle when spinning cuz of worn bushings?

[T4 Primera]

Originally posted by ty423
so you mean like my tire is wobbling alittle when spinning cuz of worn bushings?

No, I mean either your wheel is not pointing straight ahead when it should be, or else you have excess +ve camber due to bad suspension bushes. You need to get a wheel alignment checkup and/or look for damaged suspension bushes on the side that's wearing.

[P10DET]

Could also be due to under inflation.

[ty423]

icic....I will get an alighnment check...don't think its tire pressure...I check it every other week or so.

[AznVirus]

you might want to check tire rotation or balancing the wheel, not sure if it will increase tire wear (someone correct me if this is wrong), but if the wheel is way off balanced, the tire could actually "bounce" up and down or left and right on the rim while its rolling.

[xterrasesc]

AznVirus, yes that's right, the tire would bounce up and down at excessive speeds and you'll find 'spots' on the tire were there is more tread that other.

Coincidence?? I had a '99 G20t, same problem i noticed as well w/ the front drivers-side tire outer wear. Wasn't an alignment or tire pressure issue.... Don't know what gives....

xterrasesc

[ty423]

Yeah another friend of mine that I know has the same problem...I noticed a year back and got an alighnment....but found out I didn't need an alighnment they said...but still tire wear

[Cue-Ball]

Has your car ever been wrecked? Perhaps by a previous owner? Sometimes cars that have been wrecked are put back together without being completely straight. If the alignment is correct, but the car is not straight, it could cause what you describe (a four-wheel alignment rack would pick up on this). If i were you, i'd take the car in for an alignment at a reputable shop. Ask around, maybe find some SCCA guys in your area. They should be able to make some recommendations.

-Grant

[ty423]

Thats odd....I am original owner and my friend is also original owner of his...kinda weird

[Kenny-G]

Haven't post anything for a long time....here is my opinion.

I think the reason the left front tire wear quicker on shoulder is because of driving habit. Most of the people make right turn at a higher speed than left turn, because usually when you make left turn, you stop, and make sure there is no on coming traffic then turn. When turn right, people just turn because there is no need to stop unless there is walking people or traffic light.......agree?
Ok, on our car, the front wheel camber set-up is almost at dead 0 degree, not much negetive camber what so ever. Even you lowered it, you may still get around -0.3 degree of negetive camber because of the multi-link design. So when you take a fast right turn ( fast enough to create any body lean ), the left front outer shoulder of the tire will take a lot of load, and make it wear out quicker.
This is also the reason why correct amount of negetive camber is good for cornering because when body lean, the wheel will be more straight up and down on the ground, and helps grip better.

[pche059]

I agree with Kenny G with this one
I believe it's the driving habit too....
we have right hand drives here in New Zealand..
and my left front tyre wears out twice as quick as my front right tyre (driver side)... this is mainly becoz of my driving style...
i take right turns a lot quicker than left turns
this is becoz the turn in angles of left turns are usually sharper than right turns and therefore i have to take it at a lower speed...

i have had my sets of 215/40/17 for a year now...
my left front tyre is pretty worn...but my right front tyre is still in acceptable condition

[ty423]

Let me get this straight....NZ drives on left side of road. US drive right side of road...and we both have left front tire wear?

[pche059]

i knew you were gonna ask this...
ok...i do some street racing on open roads every so often .... finding the apex of a right turn is a lot easier than a left turn ...i can turn from the left lane(my lane would be the outer lane) to the right lane(the opposite lane)...than slowing back to the left lane again...this is done more often than...travelling on the right lane (opposite lane) cut in the left lane and back out the right lane again.... coz you can't expect the road to be clear at all times.. also i get better visuability on right turns rather than left turns

when i go for the occational runs,
a right turn i would normally utilise all the road space available (including opposite lanes), but a left turn i normally won't

this is why i said that i usually take right turns at a much higher speed than left turns...therefore my left front tyre wears out more quickly

this is just MY driving habit