Tire wear help!
 

Guys, wondering if you could help me diagnose the tire wear on my Focus (Mk1, 1.8tddi, 2000, 146k, hatchback - 5dr, 42psi, veg oil ftw).

I bought the car in January, at the MOT he said I nearly failed on my tire wear on the inside... so I looked at it, and it was bald inside - almost chamfered looking. (pics at end) You can hopefully see how the rest of the tire has decent tread remaining - at least 4mm all over, maybe 5 or 6. Gutting that this is basically a good tire with potentially lots of life, but the wear is lopsided and has knackered it.

I ordered new tires, but they are not here yet. Tonight I swapped them front to back for a few long journeys as they aren't healthy - one of the back tyres had the tell tale swapped-about chamfer look, the other was as good as new.

I wonder what causes such heavy inside edge tyre wear? Camber?

It is possible that those tyres were under pressure, but when I got the car I checked and the worst of them was 27psi which is OK for the car. A bit low for me; I run them at sidewall max for MPG anyway - there is no harm in this, but 27 isn't that low.

Would be so appreciative of your advice. I have a set of Uniroyal Rain Experts on the way - should be here in a week or 2 and I would really like to get decent miles out of them.

Thanks so much, here are the pics:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...d/IMG_0246.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...d/IMG_0247.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...d/IMG_0248.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...d/IMG_0249.jpg

Mike

tire rub?? was it the same on both rear tires? if it was only on one side i would guess something was rubbing. your camber would have to be way out of whack to cause that kind of uneven wear, but still possible. can you take a picture from behind the car to show any camber of the rear wheels?

I'm certainly no expert, but I would be looking at camber. My car has had inside edge wear since new and I'm certain it is from excessive neg. camber. If you just bought the car, the wear was probably there when you bought it and you didn't notice. You really have no way of knowing what went on before you got it. I suggest you get a wheel alignment and check the suspension before you install your new tires.

There is a TSB that covers this, seems a wrong upper control arm was installed from the factory.

TSB
03-13-5


SUSPENSION - REAR TIRE INNER EDGE WEAR
Publication Date: June 30, 2003

FORD:
2000-2004 FOCUS

ISSUE:

Some vehicles may exhibit rear tire inner edge wear.
ACTION:

If a vehicle exhibits rear inner edge tire wear, and the rear camber reading is beyond the negative end of the specification (max. -2.2 Wagon, -2.3 Sedan & ZX3/5), then install revised +1.0 degree rear Upper Control Arm(s). Refer to the following Service Procedure for details.
SERVICE PROCEDURE

Removal

Remove the rear wheel and tire. For additional information, refer to Workshop Manual Section 204-04.
Remove the outboard upper control arm bolt, and detach the upper control arm from the wheel knuckle.

NOTE: MAKE A NOTE OF THE POSITION OF THE UPPER CONTROL ARM TO AID IN INSTALLATION.

For Wagons only. Remove the lower shock bolt and position the shock aside.
Remove the inboard upper control arm bolt, and remove the arm.

Installation

NOTE: FINAL TORQUING OF THE REAR SUSPENSION COMPONENTS SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT AT OR NEAR THE CURB HEIGHT SETTING. TO ACHIEVE THIS LOAD THE SUSPENSION.

Install upper control arm and a new inboard upper control arm bolt.
For Wagons only. Reposition shock and reinstall the lower shock bolt.
Position the upper control arm in the wheel knuckle and install a new outboard upper control arm bolt.
Reinstall rear wheel and tire.
Recheck alignment to verify camber change, and set toe if necessary.

LABOR OPERATION CLAIMING CHART
Operation Labor Description Vehicle Time
031305A Check Alignment, Replace One Rear Upper Control Arm, And Recheck Alignment (Includes Time To Set Toe If Necessary) Sedan, ZX3/5 1.1 Hrs.
Wagon 1.1 Hrs.

031305B Check Alignment, Replace Both Rear Upper Control Arms, And Recheck Alignment (Includes Time To Set Toe If Necessary) Sedan, ZX3/5 1.4 Hrs.
Wagon 1.5 Hrs.



PART NUMBER PART NAME
3S4Z-1A154-AA Kit - Rear Suspension Upper Arm - Contains Arm And 2 Bolts

OTHER APPLICABLE ARTICLES:

NONE
WARRANTY STATUS:

Eligible Under The Provisions Of Bumper To Bumper Warranty Coverage
DEALER CODING
BASIC PART NO. CONDITION CODE
5500 07

NOTE: The information in Technical Service Bulletins is intended for use by trained, professional technicians with the knowledge, tools, and equipment to do the job properly and safely. It informs these technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or provides information that could assist in proper vehicle service. The procedures should not be performed by "do-it-yourselfers". Do not assume that a condition described affects your car or truck. Contact a Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury dealership to determine whether the Bulletin applies to your vehicle.:thumbup:

Thanks for the replies guys!

Firstly - I was unclear - these are front tyres.

Thanks so much for the rear tyre article - if it happens on the back I will know why!!

Is there a similar reason for the front?

The track rod ends seem in reasonable condition, no appreciable play. The antiroll bar s at the front need replaced as they are knocking - I doubt that is the issue.

Maybe a symptom of old suspension - it has done 146k? I just replaced the rear shocks as back left was knocking. That made a big difference to ride quality!

Thanks guys, looking forward to your advice again :)

Mike

Just a note: this is the European hatchback diesel model. I know the saloon type is more prevalent in the us. (I think I know that) heh!

Also; I don't notice anything rubbing. I will have a good look when I go to check tire pressures today.

:eek:
Whenever I'm waiting for new tyres to be fitted, I tend to look over the stacks of used tyres at the tyre shop, but I can't say I've seen a worse wear pattern than this.

That tyre is totally shot, it's worn down to the inner layers - those white strands.

You're going to run this tyre for another 2 weeks ?
Gotta be nuts !

Go to the place where you ordered your new tyres and see if they have a used tyre in your size that you can have dirt cheap (or maybe even free).


Get the TSB checked out that moorecomp pointed out.
This isn't something you're gonna cure with adding more pressure.

If it isn't the problem from the TSB or massive rubbing , it's a very severe camber and / or toe issue.

Seeing how quickly the thickness of the rubber is reduced, I wonder if this misaligned couldn't be spotted with the naked eye with the tyre mounted.

Put some coloured blackboard chalk on the tyre surface and push or slowly drive it forward.
If it rubs, you'll see it on the chalk, and the chalk will go on whatever the tyre rubbed onto.

Then drive a bit around the block and see where most of the chalk remains - it should be gone or be reduced evenly.

Thanks for the advice - I will contact the tire shop.

I swapped them to the back to get me through the weekend - running a reasonably good set at the front now.

I am trying to find somewhere who will sort this properly - most places only seem to do a steering alignment, not a toe/camber deal.

I must say since buying the car I didn't even look at the inside edge of the tires as the outside was looking very well. Lessons learned eh??

no,you were clear, i was tired when i replied and didn't read the post well enough. So, can you get a picture of the front of your car showing the camber of the tires on both sides?

are the tires toed out? that, and some camber problems, could do this.

Can do mate! What profile will best show off the camber? Steering dead centre? Can post pics tomorrow!

I don't know if they are toed out to be honest. I don't really have a method of measuring this. I will eye them up later on, see if I notice anything wild!

you can measure toe yourself with the pin-in-the-tread method. Anyone know offhand where that thread is?

That's way too bad to be just camber. It'd have to look like the wheels were falling off for camber to have that big an effect. Most likely it's a combination of some negative camber and too much toe-out.

You can measure toe by measuring the distance between the fronts of the front tires and the distance between the back of the front tires and compare them. Just measure from the same point (like the tire's center rib) on the front as on the back so you're comparing apples to apples. Generally, front-wheel-drive cars should be about neutral (both tires pointing straight ahead) or slightly toed out. Maybe 1/16th of an inch toed out total. I'm guessing you'll find 1/4" (6mm) or more.

There are many DIYs on the interwebs. Toe is not so precise that you can't check (and set) it with a normal measuring tape.

Alignment is one of those things that once you figure out how to do it, you can't imagine paying someone else $100 to do it for you. (Some cars are easier than others.)

If static toe seems ok, it might be control arm bushings or other suspension parts allowing the suspension to shift under load. They will often settle in the right position when it's not moving, but when you hit the brakes, the wheels can shift back and toe out. Sometimes it's so bad that you can see it. Have someone drive the vehicle slowly, hit the gas, then hit the brakes while you're watching from the side. If the wheels shift back and forth, check the suspension bushings, ball joints, and strut mounts, probably in that order.

Or you could just have the tire shop flip the tires around and run the other side bald...:p

You bought the car in January, I would bet the previous owner rotated the tires front to back and the problem is in the rear as said in the TSB.

Good catch. :thumbup:

That could be the case but looking at the back tyres my impression is that the front is where the damage is done. The back left is in great condition after 6k that I have done from jan. Both fronts put that chamfered wear on and it went from minimal tread to threadbare in a month.

My guess is that he put the fronts on the back as I have done and replaced the front tyres. I reckon the back left is fresh as he had to replace it due to wear.

I am not rejecting your theory - it maybe correct, but I am not sure that is the case.

I have found an ex formula ford mechanic in the area; I am going to see if he can help!

Cheers guys. She did near 300 miles yesterday.... Eeepp... 150 today. Good thing they are on the back! Wish me luck :)

Mike

An update; I have found a local place that do laser wheel alignment. A mechanic friend says it is bad toe out most likely.

New tires this week - I think I owe it that much!

Do any of you replace all the bushes on the car with stiffer bushes? I hear that is a good thing to do. Should I bother?

Do you mean replace the rubber bushings with stiffer polyurethanes? Go ahead, they last longer and improves the handling so you don't have to brake when tackling corners so you can maintain your speed.

Exalta - that is exactly what I meant. I am considering it for sure!

Brilliant. Worth watching out for. Easy to test with chalk or white shoe polish across the tread on the fronts and rears.

Check to see if you need an alingment done That wear patter looks verry familure as my parents 98 Astro had the same problem dose the car pull to one side slightly? You may not notice but if it dose your correcting the stearing to make the car drive strait and speeding up the tire whear.

Negative camber on its own is not a bad thing; it helps grip in cornering. It will not cause the kind of wear you are seeing, except if the tires are something like 20 degrees off vertical. Usually that sort of wear is seen when a reasonable amount of negative camber is combined with a bunch of toe out.

Toe-out makes the car somewhat twitchy; it will want to change directions very rapidly.

I would not necessarily recommend replacing rubber bushings with hard polyurethane unless you don't mind squeaking and a rougher ride. The squeaking can be fought with lubrication, but that only works for so long.

Also, some cars (like late-80s Civics and their derivatives) require more compliance in some bushings than the poly can give. I don't know your car well enough to say if there are any, but if there are bushings on joints that move in more than one axis those probably should stay rubber.

A good alignment shop should be able to tell you what is going on, including any bad bushings or worn tie rods.

-soD

Back from getting new front tyres and an alignment.

My wheels should be toed in by 1.5mm according to the shop guy (+\-1mm) and they were at 0mm and 2mm toe out. I had that fixed - both are around 1mm toe in now. It could be me, but the car seems less twitchy and doesn't pull at all!

I saw a reasonable camber on the wheel. I am not sure what to expect to see - I know there should be some. Any way I can measure it? I will be back in the shop so I can maybe ask them when I get the uniroyals in. I should have taken a picture for you folks!

Is front camber tricky to adjust? Will I offset the alignment of the wheels if I have a go at it? Shims or something? Back wheels look straighter.

Cheers for all the help so far!
Mike

I don't know how the Focus adjusts the camber. It may not be possible without replacing parts; a lot of modern cars are set up like that. There may be "crash bolts" that are intended to give some adjustment for cars that have been in a collision and are slightly tweaked. Or it may be as simple as loosening the bolts that hold the top of the strut onto the chassis of the car and pushing the strut into its new position. (Some older cars work that way.) Or shims being added or removed, as you say.

Camber is easy to measure if you have a level or a plumb bob and a measuring tape, an angle finder, or (best yet!) a digital angle finder. It is simply the angle that the top of the tire leans inward (negative camber) or outward (positive camber). The stock specs are probably very close to 0 degrees (straight up and down), or possibly up to a half-degree of negative camber (top of tire leaning inward). It is very unusual to see any car spec'ed for positive camber, BTW.

There are cars where changing the camber angle on one corner will change the toe angle enough to worry about. It really depends a lot on how the toe and camber are adjusted on your particular car, though. (E.g., on the wife's 911 there are eccentrics on the spring plate and changing one angle changes the other to some extent; on my 914 you change the rear camber by adding/removing shims on the outboard end of the trailing arm pivot, but when you remove the bolts that hold them in you lose the toe angle. But the front of both of those cars just has a tie-rod you adjust to set the toe, and a camber change has just about zero effect on the front toe angle.)

I have about -1.5 camber on the rear of my 914, and find that the tire wear is a little more on the edge but I consider it to be acceptable because of the improved cornering grip.

-soD

Dad obviously thought it was a competition...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...peed/photo.jpg

Eyeing up dad's Doblo's front camber it seems about the same - he too gets inside wear issues, though as with mine he may have toe out.

Just to let you know - new tyres are being fitted tomorrow to that beyond thread bare one... sharing my car for now :)

Focus Rear Tire Inside edge wear SOLUTION
 

Solution to rear tire inside edge wear on Ford Focus all models, all years:
If you are being told the rear tires are aligned within spec, but still wearing inside edge of rear tires, this can be the answer.

The primary reason is too much negative camber for too little weight. This causes the rear tires to travel on the inside edges rather than on the tread surface. The most typical “solution” offered by Ford and Tire Retailers is to “rotate more frequently”, but this just wears 4 edges rather than 2 when alignment is within spec. Ford did not make rear camber setting adjustable, so you have to modify a suspension component, the upper control arm to hub connection point. Ford will not do this for you.

Purchase an aftermarket “camber bolt” set; <$35. I used the Specialty Products Company part number 81310. I think this is the most common and found at local auto parts retailers, and on the internet. The following instructions are for this bolt, to remove “negative camber”; i.e. make the wheel perpendicular to the ground (or almost).

The kit comes with 2 bolts, each with 2 “washers”, and nuts. The bolt is installed in the upper control arm where it joins with the hub, one on each side of the car. The installation is as follows:
1. Set the parking brake. Break the lug nuts free on rear wheels. Block (chock) the front wheels.
2. Jack up the rear of the car, and support with floor jack stands. I placed stands under lower control arm bracket.
3. Remove the rear wheels
4. Remove the bolt from the upper control arm at the hub. (Repeat these steps on the other side of the car)
5. The weld nut is still on the hub frame, and must be removed. This is the only tricky part, so take your time. I used a “Dremel tool” with a cut-off wheel. I had a 90 degree drive on the dremel tool as it improved control, and allowed easier access. Wear safety glasses. The weld nuts have 3 points where they are welded, as seen by imprints on the collar of the nut. The object is to cut only 1 weld free. Cut where the weld nut joins the hub, in effect, sliding the cut-off wheel between the hub frame and the weld nut edge. After making as deep a groove as possible without getting close to the brake line (be careful); use a hacksaw. Remove the blade from the hacksaw and reassemble in place with the blade below the brake line and hacksaw frame above the brake line. Take your time and saw carefully between the weld nut and hub frame. Eliminating 1 weld spot and making a grove is the objective. When you have sawn as much as possible, remove the hacksaw. Take a small cold chisel that fits down into the grove, and give it a whack. The cold chisel acts as a wedge to separate the parts (objective is side-ways pressure). The other 2 weld spots will pop loose. Weld nut gone, “hard part” done.
6. With the dremel tool cut a notch on the top edge of bolt head, aligned with the high-cam lobe on the bolt shaft, so you know where high-cam is after installation (Also, in the future ,to make sure it has’nt moved for some reason).
7. Coat the bolt shaft and cam with anti-seize lubricant. Leaving the “washer” on the bolt, with the big tab pointing out, install the bolt. Make sure the little tab on the washer fits into the hole on the hub frame (this is the adjustment mechanism). The cam on the bolt now sits inside the upper control arm bolt hole.
8. Install the other washer (big tab out, little tab in hub frame bolt hole) and nut. Thread on the nut until the little tabs cannot escape from the hub bolt holes (snug but not tight). Positioning adjustments are ready to be made to reduce negative camber.
9. Rotate the bolt head until the notch you made (high-cam) points to the center of the car (away from you). Keep it in this position while doing the next 2 steps.
10. Rotate both washers’ big tabs by tapping with a pin-punch and hammer. Take your time. The little tab has to stay inside the hub frame bolt hole. Be careful of brake line and brake bleeder valve. If the big tabs are toward the center of the car (away from you on the back side of the bolt), the hub frame hole has been extended to its maximum outward position (via the little tab). In effect the control arm has been “lengthened”, making the hub more vertical.
11. Tighten the bolt. Hold the bolt head, so cam position does not change, and tighten nut. You’re done.

Now would you like to know what the new camber setting is? If yes, here’s a “shade-tree mechanic’s” way of checking. If done properly I bet it’s more accurate than a 4 wheel alignment for $80.
1. Take the car around the block to allow everything to “settle in”.
2. Park the car on level ground. (My garage cement floor is perfect)
3. Take a 2-foot carpenter’s level (plumb-bob string?) . Stand it on-end next to the wheel. Make sure the bubble, perpendicular to wheel, shows it is absolutely vertical. Holding in vertical position, on the center-line of the wheel, measure the distance to the bottom edge of the wheel; measure the distance to the top edge of the wheel. The wheel edge may have some surface contours so position the car so the same contour on top and bottom align vertically through the center-line of the wheel. There should be some measurable difference. In my case, the top distance measured 1/8” greater than the bottom on each rear wheel. I have 16” wheels, so multiplying each by 8 gave a ratio of 1:128. The question is what degree of negative camber does this represent?
4. I’m terrible at math, so I went to the web… this stupid site will not let me include the link but search for "Gradient calculation", "Rise Over Run Ratio Calculator" Select “RATIO”.
Enter “Input rise” = 1; Input run = 128. Select “Calculate”. My car now has a negative camber of .447 degree. For the 2009 Focus the range is 0.0 – 2.0 according to local alignment shop.

If the results are “not enough negative camber”, loosen the bolts and tap the washers around until correct degree is achieved. To my knowledge it is not required both rear wheels have exactly the same camber (shops only seem to care that each is within range). If you would like to know how successful this process is, you could perform this same measurement before starting the job; allowing comparison of before and after.

There are many considerations for the desired amount of negative camber including weight typically carried in the rear, aggressiveness of driving, etc. The internet is full of good articles.

If the inside edge of the tire is not only wearing but also “cupping” (also called “feathering”); then worn suspension parts may be the cause. Most common is the shock absorber. My opinion is, with an entry level vehicle, Ford did not spend too much on the rear shocks. These are easily changed to an aftermarket product with more responsive characteristics. But, removing negative camber will always help as the entire tread surface is now in contact with the road, not just the inside edge.

If this method did not provide enough correction, there is a more expensive alternative. Moog offers an adjustable upper control arm replacement; approximately $275 for the pair. These are usually used when the car is “lowered”. I have not tried these, as it was not necessary in my case. Frankly, I think maybe this is used to shorten the control arm, not lengthen it, so I’m not sure if this is a solution for a “stock” Focus.

It takes a long time to describe, but I can do the entire job in < 2 hours. The first time it took >4 hours because I was figuring out all the stuff I just described. In my case, visually from the rear, confirms the tires are now vertical, compared to “before” when they looked slanted to the inside… like this / \ (well, not quite THAT bad).

Hmmm…I wonder if I turned the washers so big tabs were in opposite directions (1 in, 1 out), could toe-in be changed? Not that I would, but interesting thought. Seems knowledge just raises more questions.:)
Good Luck,

Toe-out is generally a larger contributor to inside-edge wear than camber is, though. The ones in the photo above were almost certainly due to toe-out on those wheels. The tires on my first 914 looked remarkably like that after a few thousand miles, and it was due almost exclusively to toe-out.

Toe-out is worst when combined with negative camber--the two together will chew through tires in a hurry.

-soD