My 2000 SVT Contour is very sensitive to tire wear on the inside edges. My factory set of BFG KDW tires lasted approx 30K highway miles but I could have gotten an easy 10K more if the inside edges weren�??t cupped so badly. Outside edge had plenty of tread left.

My current set of BFG KDWS tires have about 12K miles on them, and have already developed wear on the inside edges. I�??ve rotated them from front to rear at around 8K. The original fronts are worn the thinnest, but not cupped as badly as the original rear.

Obviously, something is wrong. For an alignment, only Toe is adjustable. I�??m currently at a loss of explanations, other than Toe was found out slightly beyond spec.

Left FRONT
Before > After
-0.9 deg CAMBER -0.8 deg
2.1 deg CASTER 2.1 deg
-0.08 in TOE -0.03 in

Right FRONT
Before > After
-1.1 deg CAMBER -1.1 deg
1.8 deg CASTER 1.8 deg
-0.11 in TOE -0.04 in

Total TOE was -0.20 in and now set to within -0.07 in.

Ford�??s specified FRONT range
CAMBER -1.8 deg to 0.7 deg
CASTER 1.4 deg to 3.4 deg
TOE -0.09in to 0.00 in


Left REAR
Before > After
-0.6 deg -0.6 deg CAMBER
0.06 in 0.07 in TOE

Right REAR
Before > After
-0.8 deg CAMBER -0.8 deg
0.05 in TOE 0.02 in

Ford�??s specified REAR range
CAMBER -1.5 deg to 0.5 deg
TOE 0.02in to 0.12 in


I already know people will say "rotate, rotate and rotate", but my other cars have had more agressive alignments and never wore so unevenly this fast.My tire pressure is generally around 35-36psi cold and I'm considering lowering that to 32-24psi.

I question whether the "slight" Toe-Out is fully responsible for the front tire wear and have any effect on cupping in the rear? Any suggestions or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,

Tom,

I have got exactly the same problem and I am on my second set of KDWs and the same thing is occuring. I too could of easily gotten more mileage out of my first set if it hadn't been for the inside wear.

My question to you is did you find out any more information? Did anyone post a reply on what to do? I couldn't find any threads to your post.

Sincerely,
Tom

1998 Contour SVT

Why not flip the tire on the wheel and rotate to the opposite side of the car? Directional tread pattern would be appropriate and wear life would be extended.

I haven't made any major findings yet. I've called SVT and BFGoodrich, but they both blame it on something mechanical. If I could just narrow down the problem, perhaps I can solve it once can for all.

I've considered dismounting the tires and letting it wear the other edges. My current KDWS tires are asymmetrical so I hope the shift to the different shoulder pattern isn't negative.

The biggest problem I face is that even with perfect alignment specs and brand new tires, there's no guarantee they will wear evenly. Lowering the pressure is my next step. I�??ve been reading that cupping can be caused by out of balance and bouncing of the tire. The combination of stiff sidewalls and stiff suspension might be the culprit.

Thanks,
I am to going to do some investigating myself. If I come up with anything I will let you know. Also, if anyone out there has any thoughts please post a message!

-Tom

It could be a number of things, out of alignment, out of balance, bad struts, and lack of rotation... If it is only cupping on the inside edge than it is most likely do to the Toe being out of spec...

Yes, Toe is more responsible for wear then camber. If your Toe was off that much I'm guessing that is your problem.

These cars are VERY sensitive to differences in toe. Get it set dead-on (or as close as possible) with NO play between the left or right settings.

If you've racked up a lot of miles or have beat on the car in terms of handling, the A-arm bushings could be on their way out, contributing to your issues...

Check them for wear and keep taking it back to the shop until they do the job right, or find another shop. I seriously doubt its the tires.

The toe setting is very critical. I think that the BFG tires may be a little more sensitive as well.

It may help to reduce the negative camber. Doing so may hurt your handling when cornering, but I don't think it would be significant. You can adjust the camber by installing adjusters like BAT sells. The front struts must be removed to install them. I have not done this yet, but I intend to do so when it is time to replace the front struts. I would like to see the front camber at about -.5 to -.25 instead of the -.8 and -1.1 that you now have. BAT is not the only source. I found them locally for about $45.00 each.

In the mean time, check the alignment frequently and keep the toe near 0.

Wow.. haveing same problem on my 97 ztech with 17 inch wheels and kuhmo 712's 215 40 17..

http://www.contour.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=trouble&Number=192003&fpart=&PHPSESSID=

Mystang...

I have had the same problem with my CSVT. My allignment was also a little out of spec. I am currently on my third set of fronts & I'm at about 45,000 miles on my CSVT. I will be getting my tires rotated soon so I might be able to find out some info when I do. I have about 3,000 miles on the fronts. I am sad to hear that others have had the same problem, but I'm glad I'm not alone.

I appreciate all those who took some time to contribute to this thread.

I wish I did a closer visual inspection last November, when I rotated my tires from front to rear for the first time. I believe the front has a different wear pattern than the rear. Once the wear pattern starts, rotating seems to accelerate their destruction.

The Front tires had about 8K highway miles before rotating. Looking at the inside shoulder, they seem to have worn away more rubber than the rear. The extra 1/8�?� toe-out is most likely responsible. Given this is a front wheel drive vehicle; I would think the toe-out spec would be reduced, as under acceleration the wheels tend to pull inward. Hind sight is 20/20 and I guess I should have first rotated after 3K-5K miles.

The Rear tires seem have slightly less wear then the front, but have developed a saw toothed edge on this inside shoulder. They now have about 3K miles up front and have started to generate noise as the wear increased more rapidly. This is what alerted me the problem has returned. Rear alignment was within spec, so why these are getting chewed up is anyones guess.

After the rotation from left to right (my KDWS aren�??t directional) the reverse spinning has seemed to quiet it up a bit. I hope the saw toothed blocks will wear the other direction to return the profile closer to normal. Once I get another thousand miles, I�??ll return to the tire shop for another inspection and alignment. I paid for a one year alignment program, so getting it checked again won�??t be a problem. Eventually I may get the tires dismounted and swapped to start some wear on the untouched shoulders.

On a side note, someone up above must have been watching me! I happened to find a super deal on a brand new set of 215/50R16 KDWs on EBay. I won the auction and the guy was local so shipping wasn�??t necessary. Perhaps now I�??ll look for another set of rims to make summer/winter combinations. P.S. I think that guy still has a set on there!

Quote:

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The extra 1/8�?� toe-out is most likely responsible.

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Correction for above,I meant... The extra 1/16�?� toe-out is most likely responsible.