Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Wheels & Tires Inner tread wear on front tires

Have any of you guys experienced this on your Contour.
I was wondering if this is common on these cars. Mine has some inner wear, but the alignment guy said it was within specs.

my last set of tires, which were worn down to 3/32nds of tread were worn evenly across the tire... My new set which I have had for around 12000 miles is wearing evenly, except one tire, from the rim being bent... There are a number of things that would cause the inside to wear faster than the rest of the tire, check around, look at suspension, make sure rim isn't bent, check the tire itself...

Did he say the alignment was within specs???

Static alignment while he's checking it is one thing, but if anything at all is loose, the alignment goes out while you're driving.

What year???

How many miles???

Does the car go straight well or does it wander around???

Does it pull to the side when you hit the gas??? coasting???

Did you get that vibration problem taken care of???

And no, inner tread wear is only "common" on cars with lots of negative camber which you should'nt have unless the car is lowered or the springs are sagging.

Ball joints? Control Arm bushings? Two things that I know can kill your dynamic alignment and therefore the inside of your tires.

I just took my KDWs off and put winter tires on and I noticed the same thing-on all four tires. (I've only had the car for 10K miles, and I'm sure the previous owner rotated the tires--he was very aggressive on the maintenance.) I figured that just meant that I wasn't cornering hard often enough. I fully intend to rectify that situation!!

The car has about 89K miles, with at least 30k on the tires. I rotate about every 6 to 8K miles.
One of the tires, Goodyear Eagle HPs is severely worn and the belt is protruding on the inner edge. The rear two were changed under warranty about 12K ago and have plenty of life remaining.
I am going to Sears (sorry, they are the cheapest by far) to get two bad ones replaced tomorrow with the same model.
I never did cure the vibration problem; maybe these worn tires were the cause. I am also going to have the good two inspected and re-balanced. One that was replaced last year had a tread seperation that made a noise similar to the one I have now.
I am inclined to think that my vibration is either tire or wheel bearing related. The noise/vibration seems to get a little worse when making a left hand turn, indicating a possible bad right hand bearing.
I did an inspection of the of the suspension and steering components myself. Everything looks good and tight. Also, the right lower control arm and outer CV joints were replaced under warranty at about 50K, so they should be good.

Sounds like the classic too much negative camber, but how?

i believe that can happen if the tierods become worn and allow the alignment to have "tow out." if your car isnt lowered id check the tierods.

Tie rods misadjusted, worn control arm bushings/bent control arms, struts/springs sagging, toe out, all of these could be held in suspect, especially in conjunction with each other...

Get it to a suspension shop and see what they can do. Since you've got over 70K miles on the car, I'd definitely look at new struts/springs and control arms. Worn tires simply amplify the effects of a misaligned car, as they can cause vibrations and the steering wheel to jump all over the place when going over uneven surfaces.

Tie rods can do it to, as stated above, which then requires some adjustment at a suspension shop in the form of an alignment.

Best of luck!

I had the same problem with my last set of KDW's. I got an alignment when the new tires went on and found that the tow was out of whack. This causes the feathering of the tires which was in turn causing a vibration that started at about 70-80 mph. As the others have said, get the alignment looked at and then rotate the tires on a regular schedule and check the tire pressures regularly.