After searching about this I found a million threads bout peoples tires wearing but it was always a lowering issue. My cars suspension is stock. My tires have been on there since before I owned the car, which is over 2 yrs. But a few days ago I noticed that the inside edge of my front two tires were worn down smooth. Is this a common dsm thing? I know the Lexus my friend has wears through the inside of tires like nothin, but his alignment is fine. Its just how it is with Lexus I guess. I called Mitsu today about that mass balljoint recall and they said mine had been done in April of 04. So I really doubt they are out again, not saying it isnt possible. Is there a way to adjust camber on our cars? Im planning on bringing it to a shop to have the alignment checked. Gotta get a new tire on it first(one wore to the belts on the inside). Any help much appreciated.

What is your current toe?

Have you lifted each front and yanked on it?

- Jtoby

I havent checked anything yet. Broke my jack not to long ago and havent replaced it yet. I thought toe didnt effect that part of the tire?

Toe was the first thing that came into my head.

blk 2gnt said:

Toe was the first thing that came into my head.

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But isn't camber usually associated with inside tire wear?


http://www.ozebiz.com.au/racetech/theory/align.html

I can only tell you from my own experience. When I noticed the insides of my tires wearing I had my alignment done. My camber was not too far out of spec but my toe was out an unbelievable amount. If I can dig up my print-out, I'll post up what my numbers were.

*edit* I did a little investigating just to make sure that I was remembering my suspension stuff correctly. Check out this link:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=4

The section on toe starts about 3/4 of the way down the page

Camber will affect where the tire's contact patch wears, but toe will erase the tread faster than a dyslexic's Eberhard-Faber.

Defiant said:

Camber will affect where the tire's contact patch wears, but toe will erase the tread faster than a dyslexic's Eberhard-Faber.

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Lol well put, would inner tire rods effect the toe or just the outer?

Yes, as would bad bushings or ball-joints. That's why question #1 concerned toe and question #2 was whether anything is loose.

- Jtoby

I got ya, well last time I had it on the rack the inners were loose. Nothin else. But since I havent checked the toe yet I couldnt tell you what it is.

Are the tires really worn down smooth or are they either scalloped or feathered? This is something you can check now and would provide relevant information.

- Jtoby

Yeah, I didnt know if that would help. They are smooooth smooooth, inner edge is GONE .

Interesting. By eyeball, what do you think the camber is? What is your typical pressure?

- Jtoby

Camber looks fine, from the naked eye my tires are straight. Tire pressure is regularly checked and set at around 32.

Ah. 32 is a tad low for a car that weighs around 900# per corner up front (unless you are drag racing). But that still doesn't explain it. Totally smooth inside edges are usually caused by camber plus some toe-out. Mere low pressure would wear the outer edge, too. Lots of toe-out would feather the inside edge. Loose suspension parts would cause scalloping.

I'm worthless.

- Jtoby

So your thinkin its my camber? What are my options if it is? I know we dont have adjustment bolts, but I've heard of shimming them to correct the problem. What can I do if it is a camber issue?


It doesnt feel like my ball joints are going bad when I drive it.

importboost said:

I got ya, well last time I had it on the rack the inners were loose.

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Alright, stop. Replace those and have it aligned, step one.