inner part of tire getting bald

[stangslayer98]

i just bought some weld pro stars but decided to return them,but before i invest in new tires i have this problem. here is my problem the inside part of the front tires wears out before the rest. the car is lowered 2 inches up front, and have taken the car to get alligned, im thinking it maybe the camber thats off do you guys know of a fix to this problem maybe a spindle to accomodate for the height reduction thanks

[INMY01TA]

You have too much air in them.

[camarojunky74]

You have too much air in them.

nah, if it was too much air it would be the center that wears out quicker, the edges is too low and the inner is toe.

what ever shop is doing the alighnment is not doing it properly, and or you need new shocks and ball joints. maybe tie rod ends as well

[INMY01TA]

Well I thought "inside" meant middle. Sorry.

[doozjamann]

Well I thought "inside" meant middle. Sorry.

I was thinking the same thing.

Junky74 may be more right if that is the actual problem.

[RacerBob]

If the center of the tire is wearing, it is prob due to too much psi. It sounds like you have a prob with neg camber. Camber is the measurement in degrees that the upper ball joint is at in relation to the lower ball joint. If the upper is out more thatn the lower, that is positive camber. It sounds like when you lowered the car, the lower control arm rotated up from the pivot point on the frame (from the shorter spring) and created a neg. camber situation.

[Vudu2000]

Two inches lower is a lot, you may not be able to align it back to factory specs.

[camarojunky74]

Well I thought "inside" meant middle. Sorry.

no need for a sorry, we are all in here to help each other out, and learn along the way.

[camarojunky74]

and yeah you guys are right, it is probably more camber then toe

[mrr23]

it could be both camber and toe. what were the final alignment specs after you lowered it? an acceptable alignment specs are these and not cause wear.

camber -0.50*
total toe 0.06*

[mrr23]

Camber is the measurement in degrees that the upper ball joint is at in relation to the lower ball joint. If the upper is out more thatn the lower, that is positive camber.

incorrect. from the factory, the upper ball joint is in further than the lower. here's how to explain angles

[RacerBob]

Excessive toe out would also cause feathering on the tire...very noticeable. When there is feathering in this case, run your hand along the width of the tread. It would feel like fish scales. Smooth going to the outside of the tire and ruff going to the inside of the tire.

I still think he has a neg camber issue due to the new front suspension geometry.

[RacerBob]

incorrect. from the factory, the upper ball joint is in further than the lower. here's how to explain angles

OK, were going to get technical. 0 camber is when the wheel & tire assy is completely perpendicular to the ground (assuming it is on a level surface). Moving the upper ball joint inward (or the lower bj outward) will cause the camber to be negative. The center of the bearing plate is used to substitute the upper bj in some situations (when there is no upper bj).

This is getting too technical for the "average Joe" trying to figure out why his tire is wearing abnormally.

[mrr23]

i will, as it's what i do for a living. because the ball joint doesn't have to be past the lower ball joint to be positive camber. i would rather know the correct description of what i need to know versus what the average joe description is. imagine he goes back to the place that aligns it and he tells them to put the upper ball joint outward of the lower ball joint, so he'll have positive camber. after all, that's what the internet guys told him.

[intheclouds1977]

Stock setting is for negative camber. GM wanted these cars to have understeer...STUPID!! They wanted the front end to start sliding before the rear end broke loose...supposedly safer for a high powered RWD sports car. When I get my alignments, I specify zero degrees of camber. The car grips the road fantastically for me with that setup and gets rid of the inside tire wear as well.

You can gain even more steering control by going to +.5° camber, but that'll just transfer your extra tire wear to the outside of the tire.

[mrr23]

Stock setting is for negative camber. GM wanted these cars to have understeer...STUPID!! They wanted the front end to start sliding before the rear end broke loose...supposedly safer for a high powered RWD sports car. When I get my alignments, I specify zero degrees of camber. The car grips the road fantastically for me with that setup and gets rid of the inside tire wear as well.

You can gain even more steering control by going to +.5° camber, but that'll just transfer your extra tire wear to the outside of the tire.

incorrect. the factory specs are +0.40* camber. i run an alignment shop and have hunter equipment. read the sticky. i pulled all those specs out of the database. http://www.ls1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24065

[intheclouds1977]

Got it backwards then. Would +.4° be set up for understeer? I'm not an alignment guy. Just going off what I was told...stock camber is set for understeer. I do know I'm set at 0° and like the handling and tire wear.

[mrr23]

how manufacturers determine alignment settings is this way:

they drive it around the test track and monitor the tire temperatures. once the temps are even all the way across the tire, that's what they use. if the tire is hotter on the outside, they give it less camber. if it's hotter on the inside, they give it more positive camber.

[stangslayer98]

so im screwed

[z28punk]

no u just need to find the alignment spec that will work for the car. make sure u tell the shop that it is lowered and tell them how much. if the shop is experienced they should be able to stop the bad tire wear, or at least make it better