Explain this rear tire wear
#1
Launching!
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 262
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Explain this rear tire wear
The outside of the rear tires on both sides (worse on pass side) is getting much more wear than the rest of the tire, even the inside edge, so it shouldn't be an inflation issue (32lb).
Any ideas? Everything in the rear is tight. After driving for a while each day, the suspension gets stiff and it starts to sound and feel like it's dragging a rear tire (not tracking straight). I literally come home from work every day and loosen up the chassis components bith front and back to free the suspension back up so I can drive to work the next day.
I'm hoping maybe this wear pattern will give someone a clue to give me an idea what I should be looking at.
The pic isn't the best, but it tells the tale. The right side of the pic is the outside of the tire. The rear tires ARE old, and kinda hard, I just cant afford new ones at the moment.
Any ideas? Everything in the rear is tight. After driving for a while each day, the suspension gets stiff and it starts to sound and feel like it's dragging a rear tire (not tracking straight). I literally come home from work every day and loosen up the chassis components bith front and back to free the suspension back up so I can drive to work the next day.
I'm hoping maybe this wear pattern will give someone a clue to give me an idea what I should be looking at.
The pic isn't the best, but it tells the tale. The right side of the pic is the outside of the tire. The rear tires ARE old, and kinda hard, I just cant afford new ones at the moment.
#2
Teching In
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Kansas City, MO
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
3 things I can think of: wheel alignment, worn suspension component(s), and, to a lesser possible degree, wheel balance. I'd start with taking it to a shop for wheel alignment check (NOT Walmart!). I think my Jeep cost ~$100 for full (4 wheel) alignment at Goodyear.
#3
Launching!
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 262
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just got one not long ago from the dealership. I found the thrust angle a bit hard to believe. I'm definitely onboard with the worn components, but I can't tell which ones it could be. All the bushings look good, shocks are 4 yrs old but are konis and travel nice and smooth, springs are the same height. The rearend makes a little noise, but I had it apart a few weeks ago, barely anything at all on the magnet and everything looked real clean. I ran a few times w/o the sway bar and it still stiffened up, so I'm at a loss.
I almost wonder if it's not the tires themselves causing the bind.
I almost wonder if it's not the tires themselves causing the bind.
#6
Launching!
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 262
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I actually had to wait a week to get the spec sheet. I assumed the specs were going to be on the paperwork they gave me and didn't realize until the next day that it wasn't.
They were rotated back, and were slightly worn when they came off the front, but in the past 3 weeks or so they've gotten significantly worse. Someone mentioned a "slipped belt" or something like that. That sounds like something I'd notice.
They were rotated back, and were slightly worn when they came off the front, but in the past 3 weeks or so they've gotten significantly worse. Someone mentioned a "slipped belt" or something like that. That sounds like something I'd notice.
Trending Topics
#8
Launching!
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 262
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Any thoughts on why the suspension literally locks up? It was like driving a brick home tonight and the noises were unbelievable. I got home, nothing was hot or smoking or rubbing. NOTHING. Something must be putting some sort of pressure on the rearend to make it make noise, but all 4 corners had zero travel in them; I had to take curves on the freeway at 25.
I'm about to go out now and do my daily tear down and build back up so i can drive to work tomorrow.
I'm about to go out now and do my daily tear down and build back up so i can drive to work tomorrow.
#10
Launching!
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 262
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The way I "tested" the shocks was to compress them all the way and let them rebound. The action was nice and smooth on both. I've thought about putting the stock ones back in to see if there's a difference, but I think i mangled one of the posts when I took it out. The stock ones are definitely much softer than the konis.
#11
Launching!
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 262
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm going to put the stock shocks back in, gotta fix the threads on one first. What's the expected lifetime of Konis on the rear of a DD? Like I said, they feel fine; but I know that's not a valid test. The stock ones do rebound a little faster.
#12
Launching!
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 262
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
So I put the old stock shocks back on the rear and drove to work this morning. The binding problem seems to be solved, which has me puzzled because the Konis seemed to be fine.
I'm not ready to point at them as the problem, maybe their additional stiffness was amplifying a problem in the suspension and causing the bind or maybe they really are the culprit and there are no other problems. I've taken a number of measurements on the chassis and everything seem to be straight.
I'm not ready to point at them as the problem, maybe their additional stiffness was amplifying a problem in the suspension and causing the bind or maybe they really are the culprit and there are no other problems. I've taken a number of measurements on the chassis and everything seem to be straight.
#14
Launching!
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 262
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I had intended to close out the original one as the wandering issues were pretty much solved with the bushings, front shocks, etc.
The sway bar thread was about the sway bar geometry and install (my bar is too wide for the mounts and when it sits "comfortably" it has a gap under the axle), which I didn't believe was related to the tire wear in this thread. There are specific questions about swaybar install there as well as a bunch of info I was hoping someone would point out if it was inaccurate.
Various posts from others caused them to morph together a bit.
The sway bar thread was about the sway bar geometry and install (my bar is too wide for the mounts and when it sits "comfortably" it has a gap under the axle), which I didn't believe was related to the tire wear in this thread. There are specific questions about swaybar install there as well as a bunch of info I was hoping someone would point out if it was inaccurate.
Various posts from others caused them to morph together a bit.
#15
The outside of the rear tires on both sides (worse on pass side) is getting much more wear than the rest of the tire, even the inside edge, so it shouldn't be an inflation issue (32lb).
Any ideas? Everything in the rear is tight. After driving for a while each day, the suspension gets stiff and it starts to sound and feel like it's dragging a rear tire (not tracking straight). I literally come home from work every day and loosen up the chassis components bith front and back to free the suspension back up so I can drive to work the next day.
I'm hoping maybe this wear pattern will give someone a clue to give me an idea what I should be looking at.
The pic isn't the best, but it tells the tale. The right side of the pic is the outside of the tire. The rear tires ARE old, and kinda hard, I just cant afford new ones at the moment.
Any ideas? Everything in the rear is tight. After driving for a while each day, the suspension gets stiff and it starts to sound and feel like it's dragging a rear tire (not tracking straight). I literally come home from work every day and loosen up the chassis components bith front and back to free the suspension back up so I can drive to work the next day.
I'm hoping maybe this wear pattern will give someone a clue to give me an idea what I should be looking at.
The pic isn't the best, but it tells the tale. The right side of the pic is the outside of the tire. The rear tires ARE old, and kinda hard, I just cant afford new ones at the moment.
#16
Save the manuals!
iTrader: (5)
The real issue is that these are directional tires and we can't rotate them left to right. If you have them re-mounted so you can change sides, you'll get more life out of them.
#17
This is normal and has happened on every set of tires I've had in the past 13 years on this car. As the tire wears evenly on the back of the car, it makes the sides (the issue was created when they were up front) look worse.
The real issue is that these are directional tires and we can't rotate them left to right. If you have them re-mounted so you can change sides, you'll get more life out of them.
The real issue is that these are directional tires and we can't rotate them left to right. If you have them re-mounted so you can change sides, you'll get more life out of them.