Have you experienced uneven tire wear [Archive]

russ in VA

08-26-2003, 07:59 AM

I am headed to the dealer to address my uneven tire wear problems (I am at 10,500 miles). I know this has been discussed here many times, many people have offered plausable explainations and we do not have a definitive solution. What I am looking for now is simply some evidence to show the dealer and more importantly Ford and BFG to demonstrait that this is a common problem.

What I have experienced is premature wear of the INSIDE of the front tires and CENTER of the rears. This is with factory alignment settings and factory recommended inflation pressure (32psi).

I would appreciate it if anyone experiencing either of these problems would reply and include the mileage where it first became apparent.

Thanks!

BCKNBLK

08-26-2003, 08:06 AM

I'm at 8k miles with what I can best describe as cupping on the
inside of the front tires. Haven't tried any remedies yet, still trying to explain to dealer service that car has different size tires on front and rear.

Racerx88

08-26-2003, 08:54 AM

Just shy of 12,000 miles. Nothing unusual here.

cutt

08-26-2003, 09:13 AM

i have unusual wear on the inside of my back tires.let me know what happens.

Smokie

08-26-2003, 09:30 AM

At 8k I have uneven wear inside front tires, keep tire pressure in front at 32 psi.

GarageMahal

08-26-2003, 09:55 AM

Nearly 18k and no tire issues. 5k was on snow tires however.

jta

bryanknie

08-26-2003, 09:59 AM

At 12K fronts look good, a little center wear in the rears, might be my lead foot. I should be able to get 25K out of them which I would think is normal for this type of tire.

MMM2003

08-26-2003, 10:23 AM

23k. I have both wear on inside fronts and center on rear.
Noticed it about 4k miles ago.
Had the tires switched left to right and right to left at 15k service appointment.

Don't know if they were worn before or not. But the outside front is not worn (which should have been the case from the first 15k miles).

merc

08-26-2003, 10:29 AM

Russ, we share a similar problem that you described. I have about 11,000 miles on the car and was also wondering if anyone else had this issue. How can I help, I am only a couple of hours away.

:pimp:

MAD-3R

08-26-2003, 10:31 AM

I'll have to check mine tonight.

deerejoe

08-26-2003, 11:36 AM

Not enough miles on my car to see any signs to date.

However, I HAVE reduced the air pressure in the rear to 28 psi. per some others advice on here earlier.

The front remains at 32 psi.

I will keep CLOSE watch on this issue as time and mileage progress.

Note to those of you not keeping current...front end alignment is a very controversial subject with all sorts of data/specs., etc. being bantered about.
Try to get current and be sure to check out the different alignment settings that have been discussed to date.

Confusion reigns!!

dhawke98

08-26-2003, 12:22 PM

My Marauder has uneven tire wear on the front tires on the iside edge. Mine though has been alignment issues. At 3500 miles, it has had 6 alignments (no I don't live on a rough road or anything), it just won't hold an alignment. I saw on the NHTSA site, there are complaints there for the same thing....

Macon Marauder

08-26-2003, 12:37 PM

7000 miles and no tire wear issues.

Petrograde

08-26-2003, 01:12 PM

just passed 4000 miles, I have some slight wear on the outside of my front tires. I think that it's from cornering a little too aggressively. :D

LincMercLover

08-26-2003, 02:19 PM

To make this a little easier, how abouts we make it a real poll? ;)

Hemlock

08-26-2003, 02:57 PM

FIRST SET WENT 30,000 MILES BEFORE I CHANGED THEM . REPLACED WITH BFG LIKE FACTORY ORGINALS , EXCEPT ALL ARE NOW 245/55/18 (SAME AS REARS BEFORE) SURE LIKE THE RESULTS .!!! NOTHING ODD ABOUT WEAR .

austin-tatious

08-26-2003, 03:07 PM

now have almost 13k. No signs of any unusual wear.]

yes, make it a real poll.

O's Fan Rich

08-26-2003, 03:08 PM

Yep I started a thread here somewhere.:mad2:

Bigdogjim

08-26-2003, 03:11 PM

7,000 mile no problems with tires.................

Mark McQuaide

08-26-2003, 03:26 PM

14,000 and insides of fronts and center of rears shot. I'm starting a separate thread as I've just been denied warranty coverage.

Jeff

08-26-2003, 03:54 PM

12,000 miles even tire wear @ 35psi

Jim

08-26-2003, 04:09 PM

Roughly 11k miles, and all is well.

Begin commentary:

Some wear on the insides of the fronts, but frankly I consider that normal with the "aggressive" alignment and suspension settings on the Marauder. Add to that the weight of this thing, and it's surprising this thing doesn't pop tires all day long.

If memory serves, I've never gotten so many miles from a set of tires...

You want to see wear, try keeping rubber on a 928 S4! I ran through a full set of 4 tires in 8k miles on my original SHO back in '93. Ah, the good old days. Both the Lightning trucks I had seemed to have a real problem with tire wear as well.. those rears seem to just turn to dust (and smoke!) and the fronts just scrubbed away on certain high speed parking maneuvers...

Without walking to the carport, anyone know what the treadwear figure is on the stock tires?

Aggressive performance means soft tires and a certain type of suspension setup...

-Jim

03MERCMARAUDER

08-26-2003, 04:18 PM

I have 15,600 and I have wear on the fronts on the outside edge and the centers of the rears are just about shot, have kept them at 32 psi since new and have never spun the rear tires, i think its BS, I got 23K out of the tires on my 02 Lightning and the ones on there still looked half way decent, had 4 alignments now on the Marauder and i am getting very frustrated.Does anyone offer a different set of tires for our cars?Let me know what happens with the dealer

Marauderman

08-26-2003, 04:34 PM

Well, just turned 7100 and no problem yet--but I spread it between 34 -36 psi all around..depending on temp and when I plan on using it--e.g. if going out on a very hot day --lower to about 31-cause it will pick up a few to about 35 anyway-- on cold days/evenings- put them at 34 -36- again depending on length of travel time and what not----so I guess you need to adapt to your surroundings and keep a keen watch/check on the pressure rountinely or pay the price .

Ms marauderman said to tell all of you that from my rountine tire checking she has gotten over 38K and 6 and 1/2 yrs off OEM tires on her T-bird ( '97) --and they are strill on the Bird ..( she doesn't use it much) but wear is wear -- so point made--keep a look out on your useage /w temp /and use time rountinely is my point......Tom

TripleTransAm

08-26-2003, 06:30 PM

I managed to squeeze 40000 miles out of my WS6's original Goodyear F1s, that's spread over exactly 5 years of use (no winter driving). That included only 1 rotation, many road course sessions, 1-2 drag racing events per year, a few hot street launches now and again, and otherwise normal not-aggressive street driving.

Considering the fact that 99% of the time that I am driving nowadays, there is a young boy in a baby seat in the back area of my cars... the Marauder's tires will be seeing a much easier time over the course of their lifetime. If I am to believe the specs given to me when my car was checked out prior to purchase, the alignment specs are very similar to what I've spec'ed on my WS6 (my MM was on the non-aggressive side of the tolerances on the camber specs).

Still, by 5000 miles, the front tires showed cupping and the rears showed center wear, exactly as is described in this thread.

So, if I was driving the car aggressively, or had the alignment set aggressively, I'd have no trouble coming to terms with the advanced tire wear. But not only do I take it easy, overall, but I am seeing UNEVEN and ODD tire wear.

This thread has made me decide to have my dealership keep track of the tread wear.

TripleTransAm

08-26-2003, 06:34 PM

Originally posted by marauderman
e.g. if going out on a very hot day --lower to about 31-cause it will pick up a few to about 35 anyway--

You might want to double check that with a reputed tire shop. I've been told by a few places that increased pressure is required on hot days or for long trips... otherwise, the sidewall will work more and the tire will heat up accordingly, jeopardizing safety. Personally, I think you're fine at 31 on hot days, but in case someone out there decides to grab sub-28 pressures off the start in order to hit 30 psi after hot... might not be such a good idea (see all those Firestone related SUV-tire failure reports for the pressure-temperature connection).

Marauderman

08-26-2003, 07:32 PM

Originally posted by TripleTransAm
[ but in case someone out there decides to grab sub-28 pressures off the start in order to hit 30 psi after hot... might not be such a good idea (see all those Firestone related SUV-tire failure reports for the pressure-temperature connection). [/B]

Well- I guess not--Was not attempting to analysis anyones or everyones attitude toward their attempt to be air pressure smart--just what I do with my own and why--if taken that you can substract 3-4 pounds from whatever you run --well NOT--because I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU RUN!..I realize any post can get picked over--but the senerio is that by reducing a litte on hot days should pick up air so as not to over-inflate..---somehow I feel any further on this will only get ridiculous with explanation....-
I agree that if one wants to disregard and do what they want or without checking with one who knows--then no one can help them..

03SILVERSTREAK

08-26-2003, 07:37 PM

4,365 and I noticed no unusual tread wear . I check the tire
Pressure 1 to 2 times a week @ 32P.S.I. all around since I have
to drive it to work . Hoping the misses buy her new ride so as
I can use her 99 taurus to comute with and leave the MM Home.

russ in VA

08-27-2003, 08:16 PM

Just posting to keep this at the top so everyone gets a chance to respond.

Thanks for everyone's input so far!

tvdone

09-02-2003, 04:46 PM

At 18,000 I noticed the inside of both fronts wearing and the center of both rears. Actually the right rear has worn visibly more than the left but both are near the wear indicators. At 24,000 the rears are basically worn out completely so I'm going to keep them going until I get the winter package that I ordered. Its been difficult in the rain, got to go real slow. I'll buy new tires in the spring. 24,000 miles for rear tires is pretty pathetic. Had similar pathetic milage with my '91 mustang using the same BFG tires. I'll look for a harder rubber that will last.

MMM2003

09-02-2003, 04:56 PM

Going in on Thursday to talk to the Service Director (that's what he called himself), to see about a new set of wheels, due to the premature front inside tire wear (@23k). Will see what they say, can't hurt to ask.

On the subject of other wheels. I have been looking at different tires as well. At this point, there is no other manufacturer out there, who makes our rear tire size (245/55ZR18 ). If you want to stay OEM, you are stuck with the BFG's. Some have tried 235/55ZR18 on all four corners, but the speedo will be off.

There is also the Pirelli set up for the KB-MM'S - check this thread for more info. This has been discussed many times before. If anyone finds a reasonable, suitable setup, please let me know!

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3597&highlight=pirelli+tire+size

Ray Snyder

09-03-2003, 07:23 AM

Originally posted by russ in VA
Just posting to keep this at the top so everyone gets a chance to respond.

Thanks for everyone's input so far!

What timeing just got back from NTB, I have a nail in one of the rear tyres. They looked at the tyre and said the could not fix it as the center was below the legal limit for tread depth, (Both rears are really shot in the center). 14,000 miles. On the bright side they quoted me $109 each for the new tyres, shocked!, my Impala was twice that.

MMM2003

09-05-2003, 05:38 AM

I reported earlier, that I had made an appointment with the Service Manager, to have my worn front tires looked at.

Basically they said, that after 23500 miles there is no warranty available on the tires or the alignment. That's just the way high-performance tires wear. Tire manufacturer's generally don't give warranties on hi-po tires.

They recommend an alignment and switch left to right & right to left every 12k, to extend the live of your tires.

I'm getting the snow tire package in a month. Once I have them mounted, I'll get an alignment.

DHULK

09-05-2003, 08:12 PM

JUST ABOUT TO HIT 15K AND I HAVE THE INSIDE WORN ON THE FRONT AND THE CENTER ON THE REAR. I NOTICED A CAMBER PROBLEM ( BOTH WHEELS LEAN IN AT THE TOP) . GOES IN TO THE DEALER MONDAY.

russ in VA

09-08-2003, 02:11 PM

Update: I went to the dealer today. They checked my alignment (actually sent it out to and independant shop who had the right equipement to do the job without damaging the wheels) and found it to be in spec. I did have them change it to the most toed-in end of the spec range since I believe this is the key to the problem. ANYHOW, the service rep told me he would submit my tire claim to Ford and it would take a week or two for them to get back to him. Does this sound resonable to everyone else? I think he may just be hoping I go away. We'll see.

gohogs

09-08-2003, 02:55 PM

Just over 10K and I've got the same cupping on the inside of the fronts, and wear on centerline of rears. I'm a nut about checking pressures (to recommended specification) and swapping side-to-side. Do it myself as I don't like anybody touching my MM. I just ordered the winter tire package, so maybe then I'll let someone check the alignment!

MMM2003

09-08-2003, 03:21 PM

It seems the recommended tire pressure of 32 psi is too high.

Otherwise the center would not wear so quickly. I have been very good about checking the tire pressure as well. It has always been 32-33 psi and the centers are wearing.

Other members have been reporting the same symptoms with factory spec. pressure.

Next set I will try to keep at 28-30 psi.
Has anyone been running lower pressure, who could report on this? Can anyone verify my theory?

Thanks,

Peter

rct

09-09-2003, 11:50 AM

I have dealer set pressure and go from there. They keep them at 30psi all the way around, so I leave it. Just turned 11K on mine, nothing spectacular up with the shoes. Dealer will not go side to side on these, says can cause <something> when that kind of tire spun other way on tread. Anyone?

Dealer also agrees with 15K being about it for those kinds of tires, be glad anything more than that. 400 bucks mounted/balanced/aligned every year is the cost of owning it. Not bad I guess.

TAF

09-09-2003, 11:58 AM

rct,

Your dealer is right on not wanting to swap them. I have over 18K on mine and have had terrific wear. Never swapped them, kept 32lbs in them. Just now seeing some slight wear on the insides of the fronts...but I think that is mostly due to the Eibach springs and the MUCH faster "cornering fun" I've been having over the last couple of months.

duhtroll

09-09-2003, 12:16 PM

I am down to 28 PSI on the rear and as low as 27 PSI in the front after noticing center wear. It seems to be working -- need a few more miles and then I will check again.

I think my fronts will need to go up to 30 or so but right now I am playing around trying to find the right pressure - probably something everyone will eventually have to do with their own.

Of course I am still learning about this - never had a car where I had to adjust it before. All my tires on all my other cars lasted beyond their mileage rating with service set pressure. Not used to having these performance balloons on.

Who here has swithed to a different (harder) tire and what were the results? I would consider doing that if the ratios could be kept similar.

Edit: forgot to add that I am about 6200 miles right now.

Thanks,
-A

Dave Compson

09-09-2003, 02:51 PM

OK, i need to change my vote. At first, i voted and stated i did not have any problems. Now, i just got back from my dealership and they showed me what i didnt notice before. My fronts are worn on the inside, and the rears are worn on the center. Does anybody know the alingment tool needed? You know the one the dealer dosent have? The one that lets the dealer do the alignment without damaging the rims? Thanks..

Also, is there anybody that got replacement tires for free due to excessive premature wear? I have 19k on my car. What does the warranty say about that?

DHULK

09-09-2003, 04:58 PM

GOT THE CAR DONE YESTERDAY , CAMBER WAS WAY OUT OF SPEC . NO REASON WAS GIVIN OTHER THAN " EVERYTHING HAS SETTLED IN " . TO DO THE ALINEMENT THEY USED A SET OF WHEELS FROM A C.V. ON THE CAR SO THEY DIDN`T SCRATCH THE RIMS. THE CAR FEEL LIKE ITS ON RAILS NOW.

russ in VA

11-19-2003, 07:24 PM

Resolution: Ford paid half as a "good will" jesture. Lets talk about "jestures" I'd like to make :). Half was half of full retail, or about $340 from me for four new tires mounted, but not balanced. Not that they were not supposed to be balanced. After I had the dealer try a second time, I went to the tire place near my house (dealer is 30 mins away) and they got it right the first time. I had them spin them as-is first to see how far out the dealer was. One wheel would have needed and additional 3.5 oz of weight to fix the 3.0 oz the dealer had on there. After taking them all off it only need 3/4 oz to zero out. Scary. Why do we trust these dealers with our cars? I'll be attempting to get the dealer to reimburse me for the tire shop's work doing what the dealer apparently could not... not that I expect them to. Anyhow, the car finally rides smoth and my wife has new tires to get her through the winter.

cruzer

11-19-2003, 09:24 PM

15,000 miles--good wear on fronts---center tread wear on rt rear twice that on left rear---32 psi for 11, 000 , then 28 psi in rears--replacing rears for winter for $ 90 each OEM Goodrich--plan to reinstall worn tires in Spring--no alignment or switching

MMM2003

11-20-2003, 04:16 PM

Had my alignment done.

Toe was off by -0.5 degrees. Caster and Camber looked good.

Values for toe before alignment were:
(in degrees - Left / Right)
Toe -.42 / -0.62

Values for toe after alignment are:
(in degrees - Left / Right)
Toe -.02 / -0.07

How often should I get an alignment done?

Could the -.5 degree caused that excessive front inside tire wear?

Should I have had them take the toe into the positive range of our allowed tolerance?

TIA,

Peter aka MMM2003

schuvwj

11-20-2003, 05:27 PM

I have 20,000 miles on my MM with minor cupping on both inside fronts and both center treads on the rear are bald!
Will need new tires real soon!
Only 20,000 miles? BFG is not very high on my list!

Paul T. Casey

11-20-2003, 06:25 PM

My first set was shot after about 20-25K. Dealership re-aligned the front, and I upped the rears to 34 psi cold. This was on advice from this site. Lo and behold, after many gripes from us here, the new ('04) models reccomend the higher pressures for the rear. ( If I remember correctly, it stiffens the sidewalls during highway driving preventing the same type of inward growth you see when a dragster leaves the line.) I have no clue as to why the front end went out of align. I have 15ishK on my new ones, been to the track once, still drive somewhat "nutty" at times, and so far so good. I've also noticed that most of the complaints are from '03 MM's. Has anyone with an '04 had these troubles? If not, maybe the pressure increase is in fact the solution.

russ in VA

11-20-2003, 06:36 PM

Wish I had gotten 20k, my rears were at the wear bars and front inside edges bald at 12k! I'll have to say that for a high performance tire like our BFG G-Force TA KDWS's, 20k miles is a normal amount of tread life. Any tire that lasts longer than that in a normal mix including stop and go and curvy roads with an enthusiast driver will be a lower performing tire, period.

I'll be happy just to get the darn things to wear out evenly. Despite all responses from my dealer to the contrary, there is nothing NORMAL about the tires wearing unevenly, even though they can't be rotated. If one part of the tire wears out before the rest, there is something wrong.

Responding to Peter's alignment question, toe OUT (or lack of toe in ... more on that in a moment) is what I think causes the inside edge wear. To much toe in would cause wear on the OUTSIDE edge. I had them set my car to the maximum toe in possible without going out of spec.

IMHO, the cars all need to be set at the max toe-in acceptable within spec (or maybe more) to fix the inside edge wear problem. My reason is this: toe measured with the car sitting on the alignment rack is slightly different then what it is when rolling down the road due to give in the bushings and any other flex/slack in the suspension. When a front driver goes down the road, the front wheels are pulling the car along therefore the toe in tends to increase as the wheels pull themselves forward realative to the car. When a rear driver like ours goes down the road, the front wheels are just along for the ride but there is always some drag (and with our heavy metal rides, it is not insignificant) therefore the wheels are pushed back, increasing toe out. In fact, for some mercedes the factory specified alignment proceedure includes this goofy setup that actually preloads the front suspension by setting the parking brake and pushing the front wheels back with a significant force (some Mercedes techs dont like to do alignments because it can be dangerous with the amont of pressure there is on the suspension) in order to get an accurate setting. I expect a similar proceedure would find our cars toed out compared to their normal static toe setting. Just my 2 cents.

Russ

russ in VA

11-20-2003, 06:44 PM

BTW, just for clarification, toe in is a negative setting and toe out is a positive setting.

Rollin'Thunder

01-13-2004, 11:28 PM

Rat

01-14-2004, 02:40 PM

17,000 Inside front real narrow wear(Worn Out) rear still pretty good started wearing about 12,000 still waiting on dealer to get adaptor for his machine. Had rears put on the front today and new installed on rear. Mine is a 300A. Friend who is front end Tech says he thinks that he can align ok using 17" X 8" Mustang wheels. I'm going to give it a try sure as hell don't have anything to lose. I try to keep from 30 to 32 all the way around. The front wear has nothing to do with pressure it's just another good idea from Ford. You can visually see the problem on mine it is a Camber problem. Mine seems to drive ok with the same size all the way around.

woaface

01-14-2004, 02:51 PM

Yeah, my rear tires end up leaving so much quicker than the fronts. When this happens I pick an open parking lot with lots of light polls, and just tear around them. Then everything is even!

jgc61sr2002

01-14-2004, 06:14 PM

Yeah, my rear tires end up leaving so much quicker than the fronts. When this happens I pick an open parking lot with lots of light polls, and just tear around them. Then everything is even!
Pedal to the metal and neutral drops will definitely burn them up. :D

woaface

01-14-2004, 09:37 PM

Pedal to the metal and neutral drops will definitely burn them up. :D

I know, I hope you kids are good and don't perform these sorts of stunts. Remeber, NEVER try them at home.

jgc61sr2002

01-15-2004, 08:25 AM

I know, I hope you kids are good and don't perform these sorts of stunts. Remeber, NEVER try them at home. Three sons are Police Officers and my Daughter is a teacher. :D

Heavy351

02-16-2004, 06:05 PM

Rollin'Thunder

02-16-2004, 06:56 PM

Inside fronts nearly gone at 7000 miles.

Dealer said camber was off and replaced at N/C.
Rears are worn in the middle but I credit that to my driving habits:banana2:

I will be watching the wear on the fronts very carefully for the next few thousand miles....
My guess is....It isn't your driving habits on the rear tires. There are a bunch of us that have the center of the rear tires wearing out early. I have now dropped the tire pressure to 28# on the rear.

Marauderjack

02-17-2004, 04:57 AM

Well Guys & Gals....

I started another tire thread here and TTA responded to it and may have the answer!!?? :(

I have over 7K miles and centers on the back are worn badly!! :depress: I lowered the pressure to 28 psi and on down to 24 psi while the centers continue to wear fast!!?? :fire:

TTA states that the front tires are slightly small for our rims (naturally wear outside edges) while rears are a little large (naturally wear the centers) and perhaps upping the pressure to 38 psi might straighten the rear sidewalls and slow the center wear....I'm gonna try it since all conventional pressure wisdom may actually be backwards because of the "compromise" Mercury has made in the rim dimensions and using different size tires.......Make sense?? :up:

Also.....Higher pressure in the rears will reduce the "footprint" soooooo SPINNING PROBABILITY will increase!!!! :)

Marauderjack :pimp:

rkk

02-18-2004, 07:58 PM

I just passed 15,000 miles and the front tires look very good while the center rears are fading fast. I too lowered the pressure in the rears to 28. Then I noticed the following statement:
TTA states that the front tires are slightly small for our rims (naturally wear outside edges) while rears are a little large (naturally wear the centers) and perhaps upping the pressure to 38 psi might straighten the rear sidewalls and slow the center wear....I'm gonna try it since all conventional pressure wisdom may actually be backwards because of the "compromise" Mercury has made in the rim dimensions and using different size tires.......Make sense??

Is this really accurate? Does anyone out there that has good rear tires inflate them to 38 psi or higher? If this is correct, I would never have guessed it?
I was hoping not to replace tires until 30,000 but that might only be possible in the front.

Marauder57

02-22-2004, 09:58 AM

My car is in the shop now for alignment and balancing....fronts have some uneven wear....but one front has tread seperation....and it being replaced.....was not happy to hear that.....hoping they do not mess up the rims....

TripleTransAm

02-22-2004, 01:59 PM

TTA states that the front tires are slightly small for our rims (naturally wear outside edges) while rears are a little large (naturally wear the centers)

No, TTA states that he thinks that this might be the case, and that this *may* explain our wear patterns. This is something I'd LOVE to bring up if I ever have the chance to talk with someone involved in the car's development...

spotbearsd

02-22-2004, 04:35 PM

I took my MM 2 days after I got it to my favorite alignment shop (they do the local hotrods and specialty cars). They told me it had 3/8 toe out! He told me camber,caster and balance where perfect. Toe in is now set at 1/8.

I have yet (except for a Saab) to recieve a new car that wasnt off to some degree or have a ****-eyed steering wheel at least. Its worth it to spend 30 bucks and have it checked right out of the gate.

Well see how things wear from here....

TripleTransAm

02-22-2004, 04:45 PM

I totally agree... my WS6 tracked straight from the factory (heck I *saw* the machine that did the factory alignments just hours after it did my own car, during assembly). But after 2 years I decided to get it checked nonetheless.

I was shocked. Camber, caster AND toe were off... but in ways that would counteract each other. So due to sheer luck, the car tracked straight because one side's bad alignment was cancelling the other side's. With some good and even values, the car felt TOTALLY changed, for the better!!!!

Marauderjack

02-23-2004, 04:43 AM

Welll Folks....

I have run the pressure up on the rears......Mercury calls for 35 psi but I am trying 38?? :confused: It really didn't make the ride as harsh as I expected!! :cool4:

TTA's theory may be exactly right as the belt that runs around the tire won't allow the center to bulge under high inflation but will allow the sidewalls to collapse with under inflation.....effectively "Bulging" the center!!?? :down: :down:

I'll keep you posted!! :help:

BTW......Why are the front tires so much more expensive than the rears from Tire Rack??? :confused:

Marauderjack :D

sailsmen

02-23-2004, 01:16 PM

18.5K miles and rear centers worn. Very inside edge of fronts showing some additional wear.

Tire pressure checked every week.

Reduced rears to 28#.

drobin

02-23-2004, 08:32 PM

12.6K and carrying 35psi all around = no unusual tire wear whatsoever. Boy am I lucky.

Donald
"drobin" :D

TripleTransAm

09-06-2004, 10:08 AM

I am also interested in knowing how this worked out. In another thread, someone quoted a BFG person saying something about inflating the rears to a higher pressure than called for by Ford... this also seemed to jive with the tire surface temperatures I read during my testing.

drgnrdr33

09-28-2004, 01:14 AM

Welll Folks....

I have run the pressure up on the rears......Mercury calls for 35 psi but I am trying 38?? :confused: It really didn't make the ride as harsh as I expected!! :cool4:

TTA's theory may be exactly right as the belt that runs around the tire won't allow the center to bulge under high inflation but will allow the sidewalls to collapse with under inflation.....effectively "Bulging" the center!!?? :down: :down:

I'll keep you posted!! :help:

Marauderjack :D

Marauderjack,
It's been a few months since your last update. Do you have any more info on the effects of 38PSI in the rears?

Marc

09-28-2004, 06:50 AM

TripleTransAm

09-28-2004, 07:30 AM

Just changed my tires about 8 weeks ago. The OEMs lasted about 15,000 miles, if that. Fronts were down to the cord on the inside only and the rears wore down to 2/32 in the center, with the outside and inside at 7/32. Have always kept at the recommended psi and when I had it aligned with the new tire purchase, the alignment was not so out of whack that it would have caused that extensive of a wear problem.

Exactly my same situation, almost down to the exact mileage too.

I am going to contact my dealer to see what can be done... alignment was always at recommended specs and tire pressures were always closely monitored.

Marauderjack

09-28-2004, 09:54 AM

Well.....with 38-40 PSI in the rears they seem to be wearing evenly!! I have about 6K on them now and guess they might go 30K....Maybe??

The strange thing is the fronts don't show much wear at all and will go 50K.....BTW...I don't spin the rears...car won't do it when the road is dry!!! :run:

Marauderjack :D

PAPAJOHN

09-28-2004, 10:00 AM

To make this a little easier, how abouts we make it a real poll? ;)
12,500 miles --- wear is even ----- but my book says 35 lbs, not 32

Forenzic

09-28-2004, 10:14 AM

yup, my car can't spin the tires either .... I was a little disapointed in that at first, but in hindsight its better that way (my foot .... eeeet tooo heeeeavy ...... cant lift foot ) but on the tire wear issue, I just noticed day before yesterday that my inside fronts were wearing badly, I had an allignment done and the tech said that it was a very minor adjustment. Center rears are almost bald now with close to 30k on the car (mind you I have winters as well).

anyway, that's my 2 cents

Landman

09-28-2004, 11:41 AM

To make this a little easier, how abouts we make it a real poll? ;)5000 Miles-No problems yet.

Marauder386

09-28-2004, 12:02 PM

Well, here is my 2 cents...I have owned many FOMOCO products and have observed this with all the vehicles that are RWD. This runs the gamit of all the RWD Blue Oval products and to me, only native to RWD. IE : My Tempo GL, GLS and Taurus GL and SHO did not have this tire problem. All FWD...could this be due to the "negative camber/caster" ?? I really dont know...Now my F150's, LTC's and ThunderChickens all did. My current F150 is a '91 with an unimaginable mileage on it. Have been told before that these are extremely hard on front tire as well as rears with load...I eventually went to Bridgestone tires on these vehicles because of the required 44psi in those ... The wear does still happen, instead of every 2 years getting new shoes, I can go to three.

TripleTransAm

09-28-2004, 12:58 PM

The strange thing is the fronts don't show much wear at all and will go 50K.....BTW...I don't spin the rears...car won't do it when the road is dry!!!

Unless there is a magic pressure point at 35 psi to prevent premature front wear OR your alignment is far less aggressive than what the specs call for, I can't see how you can't be experiencing premature front wear (although 6K is kind of young to be looking for extreme wear just yet).

Raise the car and have a look at the innermost tread block. At 6K you'll probably have some tread depth there, and unless you know exactly how the tire looked brand new you might not catch the initial stages of the excessive wear. At less than 6K miles, all I detected was the presence of slight cupping on the inside.

At 20000 miles, that inside tread block was pretty much GONE. Flat. Bye bye. Razed flush. The rest of the tire looked brand new! So unless the car is off the ground, or at the very least sitting on a platform-type lift (such as an alignment rack), you're not going to notice this excessive wear.

I thought I had flat-spotted the tires somehow, due to the excessive noise up front (womp womp womp womp) that I always associated with excessively worn treads. However, visual inspection showed PLENTY of tread left, until the car was in the air and I could see the very THIN line of wear that obliterated that innermost block from the inside of the tire outward. Looking at this, one gets the feeling the damned car rides on its inner sidewall most of the time... yet, regular alignment verification throughout the car's life shows it centered within Ford's specs at all times (with only a recent deviation being in the form of a slight toe-out, which I understand would actually slow down inside tire wear... I feel so good knowing I'm back to the stock tire munching toe spec now :( ).

So, for those claiming no problems with the fronts so far... keep an eye on alignment and on the very innermost edges of the front tires.

As for the rear tires... well, they're almost finished right down the middle, with the outsides looking half-decent. No incredible amounts of spin, lots of highway cruising though. I thought I'd get much more life out of these tires with the way I drive... even with countless drag strip passes and several lapping day sessions + long distance trips + all around commutes, I still managed to wring 40000 miles out of my Goodyear F1s on the WS6 with possibly another 10000 miles obtainable had I not gotten paranoid over shuttling my son every day in that car and gotten new tires.

I will definitely be discussing this with my dealer.

427435

09-28-2004, 05:54 PM

I posted on my experience with tire wear and pressure a week or so ago when I had reached the 3 month and 8440 mile marks. Repeating that:

"Due to previous posts about rapid tire wear, I've been watching and checking them with a depth gauge. At 3500 miles (with the delivered 34 psi), the centers were about 1/64 thinner than the shoulders on all 4 tires. The shoulders were all about the same (the alignment must be pretty good). I dropped the air pressure to 28 psi at all corners (at 3500 miles) and tonight (5000 miles later) the centers on the back are still about 1/64 thinner than the shoulders---indicating that 28 should be about right. The fronts are close to even all the way across---which means they've worn a little faster in the middle than on the shoulders the last 5000 miles. I raised their pressure to 30 psi. The actual tread depth is at 8/32 on the fronts and on the shoulders of the rears. The rear centers are at between 7/32 and 8/32. The original depth should have been 10/32 (I didn't measure them new), so I will need new tires at 30,000 to 35,000 miles if the wear rate continues the same way it has been going."

I will continue to track and report, but reduced pressure in the rears (28 psi) appears to be better than 34 or 35 psi. My trunk is empty and I'm usually the only person in the car.

The fronts require a little more, it looks like-------which makes sense as the tires are slightly smaller and carry more weight.

Alignment has also got to be very important for front tire wear when the tires are as wide as these are. Hit a curb and drive for 5000 miles and very bad things could happen to the tires. I plan on checking the tires (including running my hand over the edges looking for cupping) every 2000-3000 miles.

rkk

09-30-2004, 06:27 PM

Smokie

10-01-2004, 10:23 AM

I have inner tire wear that became noticeable at about 5-6 k, also my rear tires started showing excessive wear in the center at about the same time.

I am sure that the center thread wear in the rears is not due to "spirited" driving because at that time my car was quite virginal and I went thru a lengthy break-in period before I allowed "spirited" driving.

I can tell you without doubt that the inner wear on front tires is due to Ford's aligment specs for our car.

The camber specs are: 0.1 to -1.5, so you could have your alignment checked and told "it is ok" at -1.5 which will absolutely eat up the inside of your tires.

My car prior to corrective alignment was Left -1.3 Right -1.7 and the inside of my tires were toast. After an excellent alignment done with the adapter to protect the finish on the wheels my camber is: Left -0.4 Right -0.5.

My tires have currently about 21 k, I waited so long because no dealership in my area has the proper adapter to do the alignment with, and I was told several times that I should expect to ruin the inside of the tires because " thats the way they all are" ... just get used to it.

SergntMac

10-01-2004, 10:39 AM

Smokie

10-01-2004, 02:07 PM

Some have mentioned that the alignment gear will leave marks on our aluminum wheels, but the wrench has an option. Let the air out of the tire and mount to the inside of the rim. It's a bit more work, but guaranteed no marks left on the rim....Agreed, but if you know a top notch mechanic that works for a dealer, and has the adapter to prevent any chance of messing up those wheels....worth the drive.

jstevens

10-01-2004, 06:00 PM

Rear tires-replaced at 15K miles due to tire spinning. And it was a blast and worth it.

Front tires-show excessive rim on very inside edge. Dealer claims spirited and agressive driving is the cause. Says more of the tire would be worn if true alignment issue. At 15,500K, I'll just ride it out and get an alignment when I get new tires.

Svashtar

10-01-2004, 06:28 PM

Agreed, but if you know a top notch mechanic that works for a dealer, and has the adapter to prevent any chance of messing up those wheels....worth the drive.
I printed out the exact info from this site to show my dealer prior to his tech aligning my wheels. I suggested he either let some air out or soap up the targets on the Hunter machine so as to not damage the rim. I got a "yeah, yeah, yeah, we know what we're doing." 15 minutes later I heard the tech swearing and saw him scratching with his fingernail at my rim that he had just proceeded to tear up because he knew better. Whatever. I did my best to warn them and they still ruined a rim. What? About $600 of their own money?

He did the last three like an expert and did no damage at all. I just got the new rim put on yesterday, (with sloppy tape weights all over the inside of it.) At least they couldn't argue with me after I brought in all that documentation that almost predicted what would happen! Another score for MM.net!

Norm

427435

10-01-2004, 07:46 PM

I went through a set of Pirelli tires much too fast, and it's partially my fault. Bad alignment I didn't investigate and running much too low tire pressure. After installing a new set on all 4 corners, I got a 4 wheel alignment on a Hunter machine, and bumped the PSI up to 36 on all four. Things are looking much better with the wear on the front, but my rears still suffer. That's okay, at least I know why...LOL.

Some have mentioned that the alignment gear will leave marks on our aluminum wheels, but the wrench has an option. Let the air out of the tire and mount to the inside of the rim. It's a bit more work, but guaranteed no marks left on the rim.

What is the rationale for staggered front/rear PSI? I'm not getting that...

At a given pressure, larger tires can typically carry more load. Our cars have smaller tires on front and the front tires carry more weight than the rears. If you want even wear across the tire (which is desirable if you want the tires to last), you'll need more pressure in the fronts than the rears.

I know there's a theory about needing higher pressure in the rears because of something about the rim being too narrow (or is it too wide). Whatever the theory is, I'm not buying. Air pressure, that is too high for the load on the wheel, increases the wear on the center of the tire. Pressure that is too low, increases wear on the shoulder (and maybe fatigues the sidewalls if too low). My measurements (with a tire tread depth gauge) over the first 8400 miles have re-confirmed what 40 years of tire experience has taught me.

427435

10-01-2004, 07:50 PM

Well with the Marauder just over 20,000 miles, my fronts look good and the rears kind of stabilized for now. I am riding the fronts at 32 psi and the rears at 36 psi.
I'm hoping to keep the rears until 30,000 and that will probably be the most I can hope for. The fronts I'm hoping for 40,000 to 45,000. I don't think that's unreasonable.

Heck my 96 Monte Carlo Z34 got 50,000 out of all 4 tires, of course I rotated them appropriately.

I would be interested in what your tire tread depths are, center and sides. You should be able to pick up a tire depth gauge at most any auto parts store for $5.00 or less. It's a good investment, considering the price of tires and how quick our tires can wear out.

Thanks.

rkk

10-10-2004, 03:54 PM

I took the MM in for it's 7th oil change yesterday and they checked the tire depth and wrote the following on the invoice:
GTIRE CHECKED AND OK (7/32 OR GREATER).

michael ward

10-10-2004, 04:42 PM

I have 12,500 on my 04 m.m and keep the recommended 35psi at all times and drive normal with no tire spinning and rear tires are at wear bars in center what gives I'm p ss d !! my dealer checked out car everything is in spec dealer said to call ford and b.f.goodrich :argue: :mad2:

Marauderjack

10-11-2004, 04:16 AM

427435....

You "buy" what you will but I'm convinced that low pressure will wear the rears out in the centers....especially with a lot of highway driving!! After getting my 04 I decided to run 26 PSI thinking like you that the edges would wear faster.......NOT TRUE!! At 6500 miles the dealer replaced them under warranty....centers slick!! :mad2:

The replacements are kept at 38 PSI minimum and after 11,000 miles they look as if they will go at least 25,000?? :rolleyes: BTW...my fronts look like they may go 50,000!! Go figure!! :coolman:

It seems the rears on a slightly narrow rim will wear in the center more and higher inflation makes the sidewalls stand "taller" with the belt holding the center in....thus forcing more wear on the edges!!?? :cool4:

I tried to speak with Goodrich and they were very evasive....sending me to Ford which was a gross waste of my time!! :mad2:

I also believe the compound in the rears is softer but cannot get an answer there either?? I still wonder why the rears are much cheaper than the fronts?? Perhaps the sales volume is higher by design....they are designed to wear out faster?? :cool:

Do as you wish...it's your car. I'm convinced higher pressure in the rears will extend their life!! :D

Marauderjack :bandit: