Strange Tire Wear on 94Q-t

[Kiven422]

I checked out the maintainence record for my tires and it states that the front tires had major wear along the inside edges of the tires at 124k miles. It was replaced with 40,000 mile H-rated tires (all 4).

I bought the car at 153k miles late Sept 07 and it now has 165k miles. The inside edges of the current front tires are completely worn but the flat surface of the tires looks virtually new. These tires lasted just that 40k miles but it seems like the rest of the tire could have been good for another 15,000+ miles.

What could be the cause of this? ... I really hate to have to fork out $$ for another set of tires, is there anything I could do to avoid this in the future?

Oh BTW they are the Stock 15" BBS wheels.

[oldmako]

40K miles ain't too shabby for a set of tires, but if you're scrubbing the inside edges that unevenly then you need an alignment (at the very least). Check out the paragraphs regarding camber.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...hid=4

[goody90q45]

.......What could be the cause of this? ... I really hate to have to fork out $$ for another set of tires, is there anything I could do to avoid this in the future.

Are you feeling some vibration in the gas pedal but not the steering wheel? The upper links are worn out. A common replacement item recommended every 30k miles by some. I did mine two weeks ago at 155k miles after prematurely wearing out a $700 set of tires.

54525-66U20 Link, LH $133/$10054524-66U20 Link, RH $133/$100

You can save about $60 by using IOS and no sales tax, but add $17 for shipping. This was an easy install, even for me (first time), with no special tools required other than a breaker bar. It took about an hour total for both.

[maxnix]

Please detail your front suspension maintenance history. Upper links? Tension rod bushings? Anything else? Alignment specifications?

I believe you will have your answer when you do.
Modified by maxnix at 6:02 AM 1/28/2008

[elwesso]

Its not so much the camber that does it, its the toe that the camber gives... Id get an alignment and see at least where you stand.

[goody90q45]

Its not so much the camber that does it, its the toe that the camber gives... Id get an alignment and see at least where you stand.

It's my understanding that tension rods affect the toe (outer tire wear) and are adjustable, and, upper links affect the camber (inner tire wear) and are not adjustable. Isn't an alignment on a Q45 nothing more than a toe adjustment and a measurement of whether the camber is still in spec?

[elwesso]

actually tension rods affect directly caster... Which is the tilt of the strut assembly in the wheel well... This can effect camber gain.

bottom line is, when you change toe you change caster and camber. They are all 3 indirectly related.. I run a little more camber than most people and i have no odd wear patterns BUT my toe is spot on... Why they make toe adjustable since its most of what causes iffy tire wear.

[Kiven422]

Sorry for the late response but looking at the maintainence I realize the tension rods and upper links were replaced at 85,000 miles. This was due to the clunking noise the original owner had as he descibes in a printed email.

Thanks for the price list on the upper links. I might as well replace the tension rods while I'm at it. Looking at the diagram I'm guessing 54480(RH) and 54481(LH) are the part numbers for the tension rods... am I right?

What can I do about the "play" in the steering wheel? It seems loose about half an inch but it still does slightly steer the car. My 93 Q is spot on compared to this. Is it because of the HICAS?

[maxnix]

Joe can sell you the tension rod bushings by themselves.

Still no alignment data.

Steering box can be adjusted by technician per the FSM. If botched, rapid wear of steering gear and failure will shortly ensue.

[elwesso]

Come on brian, we know that you cant adjust the steering box but you can adjust the STEERING RACK PRE-TENSION. Apples and oranges, but in essence its trying to do the same thing.

I would not mess with the pretension IMO! I would lean more toward the rack bushings being bad or something else being worn out. Rack pretension is more of a perfectionist sort of thing, and doesnt really compensate for a worn out steering gear..

[maxnix]

Come on brian, we know that you cant adjust the steering box but you can adjust the STEERING RACK PRE-TENSION.

I would not mess with the pretension IMO! I would lean more toward the rack bushings being bad or something else being worn out. Rack pretension is more of a perfectionist sort of thing, and doesnt really compensate for a worn out steering gear..

The adjustment is made at the steering gear box, per FSM.

[Kiven422]

Still no alignment data.

Steering box can be adjusted by technician per the FSM.

Unfortunately the situation has changed.

Well someone other than me drove the vehicle while I was in the process of fixing the brake hose. TOO %$%#$%#$ stupid to even question why there were blocks behind the wheels or why the brakes BARELY worked. Wheels weren't on tight. The "person" drove it to the dentist and the front left wheel fell off while it was parked. Luckily there was no real damage. Turning right (body roll to the left) makes the left suspension dip LOW compared to a left turn(body roll to the right).

So I finished working on it today... replaced another 5 lug screws gone bad, no real pains doing it this time thankfully!! I put some 16" rims on it with 225/60 tires. Alignment is totally screwed up and pulls to the right. I'm not going to do anything about it until i install an aftermarket suspension. The car will just sit on my driveway for now.

I have adjusted the steering rack pre-tension my lexus es300 before and it worked out perfect! But I'll leave this one up to the professionals.

For now I'll have the pleasure of relaxing in the 93 Q.

Does it cost a lot to check out the alignment specs? No point in throwing away $$ unless im going to get it fixed.

[maxnix]

Hide the effing keys.

Rehabilitate the front suspension then obtain an alignment before you drive it again.

Read the installer reviews on tire rack and call the top three in your area. They should have Hunter alignment machines.