Tire Wear

[bware]

I commute in the mountains on windy, hilly, roads. I've noticed uneven wear on the front tires. Both my FourTwo's are wearing heavy from the inside of the front tires.

Is this an alignment problem? Is this a terrain issue? As it stands, I don't expect more that 20K miles unless I reverse the front tires on the rims.

Anyone else see this?

Bryan

[NCC1701]

I'm not qualified to answer you. But, I saw from your introduction that you're driving 450s. That might be relevant, or not. But, I think you should mention that fact when you're asking members for information.

[sunnyokanagan]

Originally Posted by bware

I commute in the mountains on windy, hilly, roads. I've noticed uneven wear on the front tires. Both my FourTwo's are wearing heavy from the inside of the front tires.

Is this an alignment problem? Is this a terrain issue? As it stands, I don't expect more that 20K miles unless I reverse the front tires on the rims.

Anyone else see this?

Bryan

Get your alignment checked. This is not normal.

[eqwalker]

Originally Posted by bware

I commute in the mountains on windy, hilly, roads. I've noticed uneven wear on the front tires. Both my FourTwo's are wearing heavy from the inside of the front tires.

Is this an alignment problem? Is this a terrain issue? As it stands, I don't expect more that 20K miles unless I reverse the front tires on the rims.

Anyone else see this?

Bryan

I fully understand what you are saying. I have 24k miles on mine and the front tires are wearing very noticeably on the insides of the tires. I plan to have the alignment checked when I replace the tires within a couple of thousand miles (if they will last that long). They must be out of alignment.

[jetfuel]

...don't wait too long to check it....if indeed is a toe or camber issue the extra stress put on the steering system will damage bearings, rod ends and ball joints...my 1c

jetfuel...join SCOA...you'll be glad you did

[a2jack]

Tire damage is just now starting to pop up on a few 08 451's ours included... Read this thread. A2jack.
Almost Too Late at 20k !

[ExonicJay]

Talked to a guy last week that has two Smarts.
Both were having uneven tire were at 6,000 miles.
He had an alignment shop check the alignment.
The shop told Him there is no way to adjust the camber on His Smarts.
The camber is fixed at the factory.
Toe-in is the only adjustable that can be made.
Can anyone confirm this?

BTW: The toe-in was way out of alignment causing the uneven tire wear on both cars.

[Old smart]

Correct - toe only, not camber. Mis-adjusted toe can cause wear; camber has no effect on wear.

[Padawan]

Originally Posted by Old smart

Correct - toe only, not camber. Mis-adjusted toe can cause wear; camber has no effect on wear.

I wouldn't go so far as to say camber has NO effect on wear, but toe is certainly a much more direct influence.

[Padawan]

By the way, I definitely encourage everyone to have their alignment checked. I had been experiencing a slight wandering on the highway and a steering wheel that was a bit off centre ever since I took delivery of All Ball. Expecting it to be a simple issue, I took it in to the dealer and this was the result.

Some surprising (and upsetting) news today...