Inside Tire wear

[Mr. Longhorn]

We've got a 2007 Tahoe with already 20k miles. Just recently noticed that the inside of the front tires are wearing. I've never had the inside wear out first.
Not familiar with this...is this an allignment that I need Chevy to fix?

 

[Franco]

You probably have too much toe-in. Get your alignment checked.

 

[Lat22]

You've got a negative camber issue. Good if you're at Talladega, not so good for tire life.

 

[Franco]

Not necessarily a camber issue. If you have a narrow band (couple of inches or so) worn on the inside, it's probably too much toe-in. If it's a wide band that it's worn out, it's probably too much negative camber.

 

[Doughbroz]

And tires don't wear worth a damn any more, whether it's due to GM's suspension or just sorry tires. I used to get 60,000 miles on a new set with maybe 3 rotations, now I'm lucky to get 50K rotating every 5,000. By all means have the alignment checked, and rotate every 5,000 miles.

 

[texashorne]

I had the same thing on my Rodeo. Check the alignment and you may need to replace the lower ball joints.

 

[DieUCLA98]

When you are on a flat road, does your steering wheel sit at 12:00 or does it favor one way or the other? If its not at 12:00, you have a toe issue. If its at 12:00, your camber is too negative.

If your steering wheel doesn't rest at 12:00, then it might be that you have both a toe problem and a camber problem.

Bottom line, get your car aligned. If you are in Austin, the Firestone up in the Fry's parking lot has a great alignment guy and they do lifetime alignments for like $120 (every alignment from here on out is free at a firestone).

 

[accuratehorn]

Some new cars have alignment problems, get it checked by someone who will do it right. Also, a frequent cause of premature tire wear is underinflation. Check regularly.

 

[CaboWabo]

In reply to:

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[Mr. Longhorn]

The steering wheel sits at 12, with no pull either way. We bought it last June and I am trying to get the dealer to take care of it.

 

[DieUCLA98]

If they are going to charge you for the alignment, I'd suggest the firestone route (or wherever you feel comfortable that offers a lifetime alignment). I've paid mine off 2x by now.

 

[accuratehorn]

Get a before and after print out from whomever does the alignment. This is science-there has to be a reason why the tire wore on the inside. Most alignment machines will give a computer printout of the before specs, the correct range your model should fall into, and the after specs.
There is acceptable specs, and "preferred" or perfect specs. Most places just leave it if it is within the acceptable range, but don't try for the preferred adjustments.

 

[madscientist]

some places say they do alignment, but all they do is make sure the wheels are straight in relation to the steering wheel. make sure they do caster/camber and toe in/out as well before you pay for an alignment.

 

[BoogityBoy]

You should really change the bump-stop for a spring coil setup. Go for a tighter spring, 3 rounds of trackbar and take out a wedge. Finallly, drop the tire pressure by 1 lb.

 

[accuratehorn]

So is it pushing, or is it loose in the turns? Better or worse after a restart, and what about after a long run?

 

[Lat22]

[LarryMac] That's right spot on. [/LarryMac]