Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Tire Wear (Long)

I have a 2000 SVT contour with 40,000 miles on it. Itâ??s on its second set of tires, 205/55VR-16 Kumho ECSTA Supra 712's. I have about 17,000 miles on them. I have noticed that the right front tire is wearing much faster on the inside of the tire. The rear looks the same but since the tire was rotated from the front, I believe that wear came from when the tire was on the front. I thought the car was out of alignment and I took it to PEP Boy's and they told me that the car was not out of alignment.

Here are the current alignment specs from PEP Boys

Left Front Camber: -.7 Spec: -1.8 to 0.7
Left Front Caster: 2.0 Spec: 1.4 to 3.4
Left Front Toe: -.05 Spec: -.17 to 0.0
Right Front Camber: -1.0 Spec: -1.8 to 0.7
Right Front Caster: 2.1 Spec: 1.4 to 3.4
Right Front Toe: -.12 Spec: -.17 to 0.0
Cross Camber: 0.2 Spec: -.7 to 0.7
Cross Caster: -0.1 Spec: -1.0 to 1.0
Front Total Toe: -0.17 Spec: -.34 to 0.0
Set Back: 0.45 Spec: No Spec.
Left Rear Camber: -.06 Spec: -1.5 to 0.5
Left Rear Toe: 0.07 Spec: 0.04 to 0.24
Right Rear Camber: -.06 Spec: -1.5 to 0.5
Right Rear Toe: 0.08 Spec: 0.04 to 0.24
Total Rear Toe: 0.14 Spec: 0.08 to 0.48
Thrust Angle: 0.0 Spec: No Spec.

PEP boys also told me that the tie rods are fine. PEP boys told me that the wear came from worn struts and they needed to be replaced. Could this be true?

The Ford dealer did replace the front sway bar links under warrantee but the above alignment check was done after the front sway bar links were installed. My suspension is stock, the car has never been in a wreck, and I bought the car new. What could be causing the left front tire wear?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

So what wheel location is wearing the inside of the tire? Right front or left front, you said both in your post. Thanks.

Hey,
I had tire troubles on my 99 Contour SE Sport. I only got 17,000 miles on the Firestone tires that came with the car. I don't drive aggressively, tires were never below 33 psi once, always had rotate/balance/alignment, and they wore unevenly on the edges. It got so bad that when I had brake work done they warned me the radial belts had shifted and the tire could come apart on me. They couldn't figure out what had caused it, but the guy told me they were underinflated, which was NOT the case EVER. I use a digital gauge and check pressures once every 2 weeks. I take it too Big Ten Tires, and we know the manager there. They always do quality work there so I don't think they screwed up the alignment, and I never hit anything with my wheels to knock them out of alignment either. Got smart and put some premium Michilans (not spelled right) and I haven't seen any problems yet, but its only been 4000 miles. Do you think the Firestones were bad or is something out of whack that could ruin my new tires? ($110 a piece) Has anybody else had similar problems? Any comments or insights are appreciated. Thanks to all who reply.

I only got around 16K miles on my BFG KDW's on my 1999 SVT, never raced the car or "burned rubber." The dealer suggested that the torque causes the tires to wear faster on the inside. I had the vehicle aligned on my 2nd set of KDW's, they seem to be OK so far (12K miles), but they are definatley wearing faster on the inside.

I've got a '99 Mystique LS, V-6, auto. Yeah, I admit that I drive like a grandma, and I commute 100 miles daily to work on the Interstate. My first set of tires, the Goodyear Eagles that came on the car, lasted 40,000 miles. When the steel belts started showing in one of them, I replaced them with Michelin Rain Force tires, and so far, I have 60,000 miles on them and recently the dealer measured 5 mm of tread left. Since I'm not an aggressive driver, ultra-handling isn't a real concern, so I'll probably replace these Michlins with another set of the same.

Originally posted by TLaven:

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I have a 2000 SVT contour with 40,000 miles <snip>
Left Front Toe: -.05 Spec: -.17 to 0.0
<snip>
Right Front Toe: -.12 Spec: -.17 to 0.0

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Mmm-hmm. Try and take it to a shop that'll get those numbers a wee bit closer - like dead even. I had that done for my old Miata (custom setup) and it made a huge difference.

You have a bit of extra negative toe on the R/F. I know what the mechanic said, but I don't buy it. Being "within spec" doesn't mean it's right. I always insist that the toe in/out be the same on both sides, or at least much closer than you currently have. You'd be surprised the difference a turn of the screw can make.

Don't buy new struts, I've never seen the wear pattern from bad struts as an even pattern around one edge of the tire, it's usually a choppy pattern on both edges or the whole tire. The guys at Pep Boys are in business to sell you new sturts*/tires/whatever. And putting in struts means you need an alignment, too, right?

Good luck!

*(edit) Struts, even