Front tire wear on outside edges?

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spagthorpe

Member
I looked on here a bit at ball joint problems, and saw a lot of mention about tire wear on the inside edges. I have the opposite thing going on. I hadn't noticed it till a friend mentioned that I needed to check my alignment. The outer edges on BOTH tires was bald.

As a temp fix, I swapped the tires from side to side so that the outsides are on fresh tread, but it's obvious I have to replace the tires. I just would like to fix the problem so that the new all too expensive tires will at least last a while.... The tread on the current fronts is great...sucks to have to replace them early.

So can ball joints do this the other way?
 
Hit The Road Jack

Hit The Road Jack

2006 Roadhouse Sprinter
spagthorpe said:
I looked on here a bit at ball joint problems, and saw a lot of mention about tire wear on the inside edges. I have the opposite thing going on. I hadn't noticed it till a friend mentioned that I needed to check my alignment. The outer edges on BOTH tires was bald.

As a temp fix, I swapped the tires from side to side so that the outsides are on fresh tread, but it's obvious I have to replace the tires. I just would like to fix the problem so that the new all too expensive tires will at least last a while.... The tread on the current fronts is great...sucks to have to replace them early.

So can ball joints do this the other way?
Click to expand...
Had the same problem with our 2006 (factory original Mich's). I was told: "Gotta rotate"...:bash:
 
Mike Horton

Mike Horton

New member
Our 02 does this and I employed your fix of having the tire broken off the rim and put back on reversed. The only fix I found was to put about 4500 pounds on the van and the tires plumbed up nicely. I noticed the rear tires were doing great (dually 3500) so I decided not to rotate, keep my wheels nice and clean ( every time you rotate a dually it looks like Fido's ass) and just replace the fronts when needed. The rears last over 100,000 miles doing this. I think they run this severe camber to accommodate for the weight when fully loaded. Kind of like when you lift the back of an old VW Bug... the wheels camber inward.
 
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Robtarus

New member
I had the same problem.. I found it was due to not enough weight on the front axles.. My cure was to put camber shims on the front struts.. 36K miles and no uneven wear.
 
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fratis

New member
ive got a similar problem. 26000 miles on a 3500 dually and the front tires are really worn on the edges. the rears are fine. i put allot of weight in the van and the front rides just at the bumpstops.
 
Oldfartt

Oldfartt

Active member
Wear on the outside edges of the front tires is a classic sign of excessive toe in. This needs to be corrected by a wheel alignment specialist. Shims in the shock absorber mounting point will change camber and castor.
Cheers
Ross
 
Hit The Road Jack

Hit The Road Jack

2006 Roadhouse Sprinter
Mike Horton said:
Our 02 does this and I employed your fix of having the tire broken off the rim and put back on reversed. The only fix I found was to put about 4500 pounds on the van and the tires plumbed up nicely. I noticed the rear tires were doing great (dually 3500) so I decided not to rotate, keep my wheels nice and clean ( every time you rotate a dually it looks like Fido's ass) and just replace the fronts when needed. The rears last over 100,000 miles doing this. I think they run this severe camber to accommodate for the weight when fully loaded. Kind of like when you lift the back of an old VW Bug... the wheels camber inward.
Click to expand...
Exactly what my tire guy recommended and I did, when my rears reach retirement age (2006 originals) I'll pop the front tires onto the rears and purchase new fronts...:thumbup:
 
Jsloane

Jsloane

and his elephants
Oldfartt said:
Wear on the outside edges of the front tires is a classic sign of excessive toe in.
Cheers
Ross
Click to expand...
Toe should be the #1 suspect of the problem as stated, assuming inflation pressures are correct. Remember too that as camber changes toe usually changes also. If the van is loaded to the point of causing camber to go out of spec the toe may change enough from its static setting to be a problem.
Alignment should be set with the van loaded as it normally runs.
 
glasseye

glasseye

Well-known member
I experienced severe outside front wear on both sides after 10K unladen freeway miles. (the Shuttle Launch Road Trip) I had the alignment checked and toe-in was on spec. The idea that camber is preset for loaded conditions makes sense. Since my 04 will run mostly empty for most of its life, I think I'll put in camber shims as suggested.
 
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Robtarus

New member
I wanted to use the 2% shims, but was talked out of it by the salesman. He said the 1% is what is used by most people..
1% has worked just fine.. WARNING front end feel will change.. It takes getting used to.
 
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spagthorpe

Member
I had wondered if not having enough weight in the van could be the problem. Seemed like if there was a lot of weight in the van, then the fronts would flatten out.

I guess the shims would be a good idea since I rarely have run at max weight. Where would you get something like that?
 
mike_mcginn

mike_mcginn

Member
scubanw3 said:
We have them available. You can learn more about them at; http://sprinterstore.com/sprinter_suspension.htm Hope this helps. If you have any questions, let us know and we ill be happy to help.

Thank you, John
Sprinter Store
http://sprinterstore.com/
A division of Upscale Automotive, Inc.
19460 SW 89th Ave.
Tualatin, OR 97062
503-692-0846
Click to expand...
John, I just replaced the tires on my 06 Pleasure-Way. I was told
the passenger front tire had uneven wear. I had it rotated to be
rear and had a blow out.
My question is:
how do I determine the correct shim to order? I have 80K miles and it has never been
aligned. Do I find an alignment shop first and then order the shim
or should I take the shim(s) with me. My expert said the front
springs change over time and use and that is the reason for the
need for a shim??

Any help is appreciated.
/mike/
 
glasseye

glasseye

Well-known member
Robtarus said:
I wanted to use the 2% shims, but was talked out of it by the salesman. He said the 1% is what is used by most people..
1% has worked just fine.. WARNING front end feel will change.. It takes getting used to.
Click to expand...
What are the effects on handling? How is it different?
 
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Robtarus

New member
More of the tire is on the road. The front steering feels softer.. That said, I only have 65 lbs of air in all my tires. I average 150k per year.. My alignment was dead on before I installed the shims, and need only minor adj after.. Great forum........
 
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