Uneven tire wear

[TexasGuy]

I had like 1 month ago change of the following bars on the both front wheels, see pic #1. Then today I found that my uber Michelin 80K mile tires are basically bold (within 1.5 months). The wear is most extreme on the side that faces the engine (on front both tires, see pic #2). In the pic #3 you can see the rear are in great shape as they should be, I don't even have 20K miles on the tires, 13K or so.

Could it be that after changing the rods and having the tire aliment they somehow positioned the tires at incorrect angle that killed my front tires?

Pics:

[dazey]

did you have it aligned after you replaced the tie rods?

if not, thats why...

[TexasGuy]

Yeap, right after they did alignment.

[dazey]

did they give you a printout showing what they adjusted? if they did, make sure they have the correct vehicle noted on it...ive seen that happen many of times. if no print out, id go back and have it checked again but hang around so you can see the results. it should be under some kind of warranty if it was done only a month ago. they should have also taken some sort of tread depths on the tires so that they can see what kind of wear their alignment has done...you may be able to argue with them to replace the tires.

[mobil_12]

Is there anything else loose in your front end? (e.g. ball joints, wheel bearings) Loose parts can cause tire wear.

Your tire wear looks like it could be from inproper camber angle. Did the shop do caster/camber alignment or just a toe set?

I agree with taking it back to the shop and having them put it back up on the alignment machine. If your camber is out and they did a camber/caster align then they are partially responsible for your tires. The reason I say parially is because there are lots of factors that they cant answer for. Like pot holes, curbs, or down right abuse. Im not implying anything, just getting you ready for their side of it.

[Jonn]

Originally Posted by mobil_12

Is there anything else loose in your front end? (e.g. ball joints, wheel bearings) Loose parts can cause tire wear.

Your tire wear looks like it could be from inproper camber angle. Did the shop do caster/camber alignment or just a toe set?

I agree with taking it back to the shop and having them put it back up on the alignment machine. If your camber is out and they did a camber/caster align then they are partially responsible for your tires. The reason I say parially is because there are lots of factors that they cant answer for. Like pot holes, curbs, or down right abuse. Im not implying anything, just getting you ready for their side of it.

That sucks, something on car isnt right, my 91 was aligned after a new rack, and i ran pure winter tires over a year now on the front and even those have worn very even all the way down. Sounds like complaint time to me, a good shop will not do a alignment if anything else is loose, and they also check for anything else loose before aligning

[TexasGuy]

Well, came to the shop today, they started telling me that I need to change the struts and springs because they are old and don't hold the car well. I don't know, I was rocking my front up and down, it seemed that they all work well... Anyway, they want $600 or so to try to fix it...

So, I came home took the tires off and took a peek.
My first question, I found a "rotten" mount, could it be the problem?





Also, look at this "toe" rod, one is straight and another is not, does it make a difference? I mean, is it a bad install or within accepted parameters?

[TexasGuy]

This was the print out when they tested the state of alignment.

[Jonn]

that "rotten mount" is the sway bar, mine doesnt look a bit better and my car does not wear the tires.
As for the tie rod ends being straight, that doesnt make any difference either, the "cup" part just pivots on a round ball.
As for front struts, my front struts are worn out in as far as dampining goes, NO unusual tire wear at all.
I feel they are trying to take you for all the work they can get, I have been to many a shop and everyone checked struts, tie rods (inner and outer) ball joints for wear and WILL NOT do a alignment if ANYTHING is loose.Also they should have used a camber adj. bolt that is avaliable IF needed for the struts.
Either they want you back for more money, or they have no clue what they are doing..
My car has almost 220K on all original parts except for the rack and pinion (which includes the inner/outer tie rods) everything else original. My shop did a 4 whl alignment in feburary this year and the only thing out was the tie rod adjustment (front toe) nothing else even loose!
And for those stuts on the front, putting new carts. in will not change alignment either. All it takes a couple of wrenches and a special socket, which you can buy as well.
I dont claim to know everything about this subject, someone with alignment spec knowlege may clue in to the spec sheet better than i.
All i know is it isnt that hard.. that costly. And comparing to my experiences is all i am doing

[dazey]

bad struts wont cause that kind of wear. they will cause irregular cupping. bad coil springs can give a vehicle negative camber though, which thats what it looks like from the print out. negative camber will cause the inside of the tire to wear, but it doesnt look like its out far enough to cause the tires to wear so fast

[Jonn]

Originally Posted by dazey

bad struts wont cause that kind of wear. they will cause irregular cupping. bad coil springs can give a vehicle negative camber though, which thats what it looks like from the print out. negative camber will cause the inside of the tire to wear, but it doesnt look like its out far enough to cause the tires to wear so fast

I dont disagree with you, but in general, as a example, my 91 with 196k on it, only thing ever replaced is the rack a year ago, car not babied, used 500 miles a week, run a section of very rough dirt road for last 5 years about 3 miles long every day of the week. Struts so weak it keeps on bouncing, all my shop found was toe out needed adjusted. And it does not wear the tires at all, and steers stright as a arrow. So i still say they (the shop) knows not what they do, or trying to take his money.
Again any "good" alignment shop will check for anything loose before aligning, and not align it if they do. So now they say he needs springs and struts? reeks of ripoff to me. And 600.00 for 2-35.00 struts and a set off 100.00 springs? Maybe 400.00 approx. labor ? sheesh