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very strange tire wear pattern

1K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  Tom's Brother 
#1 ·
i just had my summer tires, 225/45-17 DUNLOP DUN DIREZZA DZ101 95V switched out for my 16" winter tires. the dunlops had only 20k on them and most of the tread was good on all four except the inner edge that was worn bald and almost to the belts. the car has been aligned twice in those miles and found to be ok both times so the dealer claimed i didn't rotate them enough. that may be true but i say it would not help as all four had identical wear on insides and i cannot imagine how rotating would help that. my winter tires are 215/55/16 and do not seem to wear in the sam manner and in fact wear very well.

should i consider going to a more narrow tire or are the dunlpos crap or is there something i'm missing

i may seel my 17"aero wheels cheap and go to 16" year round

ty

f
 
#2 ·
Are all 4 wearing the inside at the same time or just front/back? Did you get alignment specs from dealer to post here so we can look at? Maybe opt for a second alignment check somewhere else, such as a tire shop. I know for a fact that dealers dont always have the best equipment. I worked at 3 dealers and they all cheaped out on what ever they could.
 
#3 ·
I'm curious about this as well. When I bought Freja, she had brand-new tires. I rotated them after 16k miles. Yeah, I know, should have done it sooner. My non-problem is that my tires don't wear funny. They have a considerable amount of road noise but they wear evenly. What bushings(?) do we need to keep an eye on to keep even wear? My car was taken care of by Saab until I bought her but I have no idea what all was replaced.

Not trying to jack your thread, Fuzzy. Hopefully we'll both get the answer we're looking for.

-Thanks
 
#4 ·
-weapon

all 4 at the same time almost identical pattern of wear. i am away this w/e but i may be able to post a pic when i get back. the dealer is a swede in delaware that lives, breathes, and repairs nothing but saabs. but i do not have the aling specs he used. i asked for the records over the phone and was told all was in alignment except for one corner out 1/10 degree.

the only other thing i can think of that may be involved is this swede started a wheel repair shop and i wonder if it could be the wheels? i still don't see how all 4 would wear the same

f
 
#5 · (Edited)
Here are two pics, front and rear suspension. In the front, the rear bushing on the control arm (the one that slides on) is very common for wearing out and getting soft. Although it may show good sitting still on the alignment machine, it may have excessive movement under load.

In the rear suspension the longitudinal link #3, has a large front bushing that wears out, gets very soft. There are also 2 smaller bushing (ball&socket)that wear out, but these are more noticeable as a worn balljoint and easy to detect.

You should really try and get a copy of the specs. If they won't I would go to another shop for an alignment check and have them give you a print out. Need to keep everyone honest.

side note: just because the alignment is "in spec" doesn't mean you're going to get good tire wear.
 
#9 ·
Here are two pics, front and rear suspension. In the front, the rear bushing on the control arm (the one that slides on) is very common for wearing out and getting soft. Although it may show good sitting still on the alignment machine, it may have excessive movement under load.

In the rear suspension the longitudinal link #3, has a large front bushing that wears out, gets very soft. There are also 2 smaller bushing (ball&socket)that wear out, but these are more noticeable as a worn balljoint and easy to detect.
Excellent info, thanks for that.

side note: just because the alignment is "in spec" doesn't mean you're going to get good tire wear.
Bingo!! The factory specs for most cars allow you to have a pretty crappy alignment, really. Most alignment shops will just give you the "green and go" alignment - if all the numbers are green on their screen (in the proper band), you're good to go.

I looked up my last alignment and here's how it turned out,

Front camber Left -0.7
Front camber right -0.9
Front toe (total) +.18 deg.

Rear camber left -0.5
Rear camber right -0.6
rear toe (total) +.20 deg
That's more toe (front and rear) than I would want to have - I typically aim for 0 +/- 0.03 (each side) on my MacP strut cars. What do people aim for with the Saabs?
 
#7 ·
Rear camber can be adjusted with shims, although shims can be a bit pricey.
iirc I bought them a while back $7.00 each. Well, it seems like a lot for the tiny piece of metal that you get.

I looked up my last alignment and here's how it turned out,

Front camber Left -0.7
Front camber right -0.9
Front toe (total) +.18 deg.

Rear camber left -0.5
Rear camber right -0.6
rear toe (total) +.20 deg

So far I have been getting good wear. Not every 9-5 will have the same alignment to get good wear, all depends on the car.
 
#8 ·
Rear camber can be adjusted with shims, although shims can be a bit pricey.
iirc I bought them a while back $7.00 each. Well, it seems like a lot for the tiny piece of metal that you get.


So far I have been getting good wear. Not every 9-5 will have the same alignment to get good wear, all depends on the car.
And the tires, some get wasted faster than others
 
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