Tyre Wear question

[zel05]

Hi guys.

Need your opinions on a bit of tyre wear and possible factors.

A quick rundown first:

- EG with ITR 5 stud and brakes
- DC5r rims with Kumho 205/45/16's

I've uploaded a couple of pics of the front left tyre.

As you can see, there is some obvious inner tyre wear. Although i do not have any alignment settings available, surely this much wear (over the course of a year, so roughly 15,000 - 20,000k's) can not be solely because of camber issues.

I have replaced that front left with a spare, and I will be doing the same to the front right in the coming days, as it has similar wear, although not as bad.

I'd also like to point out one of the photo's of the sidewall that looks to have a nasty gash. Also, that there was evidence of rubbing at full lock in the inner guard.

My questions:

1. Would it be recommended to perhaps get a smaller size tyre, so as to eliminate the possibility of the inner guard contact? (say 195/45/16)

2. From seeing that tyre wear, what suspension componentry comes to mind as being stuffed? (be it certain bushes for example.)

I guess i'll leave it at that to get the ball rolling...Obviously I can answer any questions as they come up.

Thanks

[VTECMACHINE]

Firstly what Tyre pressures do you use, and how old are the tyres?

I think that would also help with diagnosing a problem.

[zel05]

Tyre pressure is about 40 psi and like i said above, tyres are about 1 year old...having done roughly 15,000-20,000 k's.

[Elwood]

Wheel allignment?

[VTECMACHINE]

That's quite a high pressure to use IMO.

[ChargeR]

Without seeing alignment settings I would have to say that is solely the fault of your wheel alignment. If you are running a decent amount of negative camber and you have not had an alignment done by an quality workshop you are inviting these issues. Here is my experience with a lot of camber and good toe settings: LINK

Your alignment wandering due to wear in bushes and ball joints could also be contributing.

EDIT: 40 psi cold?

[zel05]

it might be 36 psi actually...

I had a wheel alignment done when i had the tyres fitted...which was also when i had the dc5r rims fitted. That was a year ago, however, i haven't done anything to warrant getting another wheel alignment.

I did go to pedders a couple months ago to get a suspension check up...well, mainly to get sized up for new bushes...the guy mentioned a couple of bushes didnt look too good. I guess he was right, and they are killing my tyres.

[ChargeR]

it might be 36 psi actually...

I had a wheel alignment done when i had the tyres fitted...which was also when i had the dc5r rims fitted. That was a year ago, however, i haven't done anything to warrant getting another wheel alignment.

I did go to pedders a couple months ago to get a suspension check up...well, mainly to get sized up for new bushes...the guy mentioned a couple of bushes didnt look too good. I guess he was right, and they are killing my tyres.

36psi cold is much more normal. Although I would call it the high side of street pressures.

It definitely sounds like your bushes could be tired, creating problems with significant toe changes when your car is moving. This can't be good for tyres.

[Didz]

man, u shouldnt need more than 34 for the front and 32 for the rear. A lot can happen to your wheel alignment in a year, you should get it checked out more often. It looks like there has been some rubbing on the outside from hitting gutters etc.... that it self if u hit it wrong could throw ur alignment out.

[zel05]

I was actually going with the same thought pattern as ChargeR...Bushes are stuffed...so no matter how many wheel alignments i get, its just going to go off again anyway.

[Zilli]

that wear looks like it has some realy hard edges... are you sure its not rubbing on something in your wheel well?

[Mr.R]

thats pretty bad wear dude.. could it be the age of your tyres as well.. the age of your tyres could also be an effect to that wear.. was it purchased brand new or a seond hand buy??

[m0nty]

36psi isn't too high for a 16" tyre.

Plenty of companies and drivers recommend higher tyre pressure. The Ian Luff training days suggest up to 42psi for a low profile tyre before heading out to one of their days. The increase in pressure due to heat isn't as extreme on street tyres as it is for semi slicks.

Having lower tyre pressure puts more load on side walls and reduces contact patch in the middle of the tread. You get more life from a higher inflated tyre thanks to less distortion and sideways friction. You also have a better steering feel. The downside can be a firm ride but it's not a huge effect.

[tinkerbell]

Although i do not have any alignment settings available, surely this much wear can not be solely because of camber issues.

exactly, incorrect TOE would be the other reason for such wear...

[m0nty]

exactly, incorrect TOE would be the other reason for such wear...

Toe can be more detrimental than camber. As ChargeR has shown, with 0 toe you can get up to 35,000kms with as much as -5` camber. I'd be leaning more towards excessive toe than camber, but without setting from last alignment or current settings we're all guessing.