(Home) Worn front tyres

My 1990 Masterace has eaten another set of front tyres.
I had the tracking checked & adjusted before the new tyres were fitted!!!the tyres have both worn on the inside edge,could this mean the camber could need adjustment?

- (#9040) Al Whitney, 6 Mar 04 15:01

The camber and castor settings should not easily be upset and only after accidental damage, should they need adjustment. Are you sure that the tracking (toe in/toe out)figures, used by your tyre fitting depot, were correct? There has been some confusion over the correct figure for Townaces, as the vehicle does not, generally, appear in the trade listings. From memory, the setting is +/- 1mm and, when I first bought my Masterace, the cause of the rapid wear, on the edge of the tyres, was traced to an incorrect tracking setting, ie, excessive toe out.

- (#9040) John Davis, 6 Mar 04 15:59

Our Japanese pre-owners also have a habit of lowering the front by adjusting the torsion bars to a more sporting look? May be adding to the tyre wear, though I suspect tracking as John suggests.

- (#9040) Clive (Bristol), 7 Mar 04 06:37

I also suffered from worn inner edges and had the tracking laser set.It had been set +1mm toe out it should be +/-2mm toe-in as per the manual. This has cured my problem. I also had a noise from (it seemed)the n/side front suspension, but was infact the steering column universal joint seizing up. This was freed with duck oil and saved me pounds on what was thought to be the n/side upper wishbone bushes. so be warned don't trust anyones guess at whats wrong you have to investigate properly.

- (#9040) phil(IOW), 7 Mar 04 14:21

My town ace managed to eat a new set of front tyres in the first 8 months of ownership
Then had the front lower ball joints replaced for mot+tyres and the wear has so far gone(4 months on)no wear.
Any play in this dept?
Ditto... do get it investigated properly.
- (#9040) Ben Alan, 8 Mar 04 14:29

Hi folks. Thanks for all of your replies.The ball joints feel ok.I must admit the tyre fitters didn't
know if they were able to do the tracking.(usual "it's
an import" gig!!!!)I think I'll get it checked again
quoting the figures John supplied.

- (#9040) Al Whitney, 8 Mar 04 15:27

My townace has worn out two sets of tyres as I try to sort this problem. I thought I had it all sorted when I had the whole wheel alignment laser adjusted, including camber. Today I noticed that the tyres are wearing again. The garage that did the work based the setting on the nearest model they had figures for. Where can I get the manual settings to do with alignment so I can try again?

- (#9040) Bill Heasman, 8 Mar 04 15:30

Note, outside edge wear is normal, any corner that leans you over puts a lot of weight on the outside edge of the outer wheel, hence scrubbibg happens and rapid tyre wear. Also note that a higher inflation pressure stops some of the wear but may give a stiffer ride. Higher pressure only to be used on tyres rated to take more that 35 psi, some budget ones do not!

- (#9040) Clive (Bristol), 8 Mar 04 16:07