OK, so heres my predicament. I've got a 97 4runner thats lifted 2" running 32" BFG A/Ts. The problem is that somehow my front tires wear down on the outside more than on the inside and i don't know why. (they sit flat when the wheel is straight, it just seems like when i turn they tilt out) I've rotated them as much as i can to try and preserve them, but regardless they need to be changed soon, and i mean real soon.

So i guess my question is: Before i get new tires, is there any camber adjustment or something that i can do to prevent this from happening to my next set? (these tires are nearly bald on the outside and have about 1/2" of tread left on the inside) They've probably only lasted me a year and a half, which i think is horrible.

Thanks guys,

Rob

 

nobody?

 

have you had it aligned??

 

yup, multiple times. and it doesn't seem to help

 

Same shop or different shops? Might try to find a small "mom and pop" type of alignment shop or a place that specializes in lifted trucks and tell them what the problem is and have them take a look at things. I think many of the alignment shops just set things to what the book or computer says and if you have the alignment set the exact same way 10 times and the problem is still there, then you are not getting anywhere.

 

I had the same problem and mine was alignment. The first place i took it to messed it up and didn't fix the problem, so i took it else wear and have had no problems since. Maybe have another shop look at the alignment just to be safe, but once the tire starts to wear that way the tire is no longer going to wear proper.

 

What sort of lift do you have? That may help in reaching a diagnosis or at least providing suggestions.

 

its only been aligned at one shop, and he's a family friend, BUT its definitely a good idea to get it aligned somewhere else too. he seems to be just like 4crawler described, setting it "to the book".

i think i'll try a different guy who i've heard is pretty good, i just want to get it fixed before i get new tires. speaking of which, any suggestions? I'm not too impressed with the short life of my BFG A/Ts, but i like the way they handle and look.

 

Jack up your truck by the A-arm, and lock the steering wheel. Use a prybar, or simply your hands and attempt to move the wheel up and down. This will test your ball joints.

Wear on one edge of your tire is the result of incorect camber. If it has been aligned several times, and the camber is still out then you could have bad ball joints, which would render the alignment useless.

You could also look for some tell tale signs on your tires. Feel the tire with your hand across its surface (across the tread not with it) do this in both directions. If one direction doesnt feel smooth yoou would have a toe issue.
A toe issue wouldnt typically cause abnormal wear of that type, but if your toe is off on one tire and not the other it can alter the angle of the wheels when you turn, which could definately cause that (steering knuckes are designed to have the outside wheel always turn around 2 degrees more, otherwise your vehicle would skip through corners)

 

thanks, i'll try testing the ball joints tomorrow. if it does turn out to be that, is it an easy/inexpensive fix?