hey all, my passenger front tire has been having some hard wear on its right side of the tire and not so much on the left (side inside the fender). The wear is only on the passenger side tire not the driver as it the wear on the driver side is normal. Does my passenger front tire need to rotated? (since its only one tire not both) or is it most likely an allignment issue?

 

that or a bad ball joint

 

yikes that never even occured to me... i hope its not that, i guess il have to go bring it into a tire shop to see

 

Wait...wait... the toe-in is off. If you have a bad ball joint you'd hear it popping when you turn. Check the tie rod ends first. Either way, it's all about alignment.

Also, though, if you hear any clunking when you hit bumps, look at your idler arm. It's on the same side.

Is there any slop in your steering?

 

well the steering has never been tight, its always been no sensitive at all especially on the highway ever since i got the truck. Crap now that I think of it, there is a pinning sound when i go over small bumps or speed bumps at a little faster than i should. There isnt any clunks or popping when i turn though. If it is an idler arm, are those pricey? im kind of on a tight budget and wasnt expecting any major repairs.. thanks

 

Ah ha! You can rebuild the idler arm....cheap....$15! There's a link to an article at 4x4wire posted on the forum. Search idler arm. And still, check your tie rod ends.

 

sweet man, il get that checked out.. i hope its that lol

 

It could be both. But, good tie rods can be had at local auto stores. Good used ones can too, though. Check ebay, if you happen to need one or more.

Drain a quart or so of oil....see if it has shiny, copper like particles floating. Make sure you didn't spin a bearing or two.

 

your idler arm might be toast but thats irrelevant.. it sounds like a toe issue. take it to a shop get an alignment done and if they tell you your idler arm is toast as well then do that yourself.

 

How's that? How is the steering relay rod going to hold anything steady if the idler arm is toast? It will not hold the toe angle steady as you drive.

Read 'em article...

http://toyota.off-road.com/toyota/ar....jsp?id=300937

 

A toe issue would show up on BOTH front tires. I'm going to vote worn steering linkage

Any competent alignment shop will do a pre-alignment inspection and help you figure out the cause of your tire wear.

 

Yes and no. Each tire is aligned to it's corresponding rear tire. The toe could be off on one side only. It may show on both sides, but could be much more dramatic only on one.

 

get the alignment checked, jack 'er up and check for play, and rotate those tires!

 

Actually the toe can be off and wear one tire much faster than the other and would affect steering and holding the road alot too

 

the steering besides being not too sensitive drives straight and everything, it doesnt pull to one side at all or anything it rides normal. Only thing is the tire wear on one side of the outer side of the front passenger tire and the wierd pinning sound comming from the front suspension when i hitt small bumps.

 

i had that exact problem and i got about half the life i should have on my tires.

got it aligned at a place that is used to lifted trucks and i've seen no problems.

(got new tires too, that also helps)

but in case you were wondering my alignment was off. pretty far off actually

 

I'm trying to think through the toe question... how can the toe be off on either side and affect one tire more dramatically than the other? All else being equal (camber and what-not), then won't your tires find some sort of equilibrium and ride funny to the same extent on both sides? And as a result, this would make your steering wheel rotated off-normal by some degree when tracking a straight line, right? I've probably missed something, so this is why I'm asking.

 

its the camber that would be off.

supposedly this can be affected by just driving the california freeways. (i thought it took huge obstacles hit hard to that stuff up)

 

how much do allignments go for? would i also need to rotate my tires?

 

my alignment cost $89. i'm not sure if it was expensive or not but i was already at the place i buy my tires from and i really needed it.

if you criss cross rotated them (like front right to back left etc.) then you would help them wear evenly. you can do that yourself easily but if you aren't sure then you can have them do it.