1. Home
  2. Car Maintenance
  3. Front Tyre Shoulder Wear

Front Tyre Shoulder Wear

Evenin' All,

Recently had to switch the tyres round on my '97 Mondeo. The rear tyres were almost brand new, the front ones had been on there since I bought the car about 8 months ago. The front passenger side tyre was showing considerable wear on the left shoulder. The front driver's side tyre was a little worn but nothing to worry about. The rest of the tyre wear on both tyres was comparitively even.

So, I had the front tyres switched to the back and vice versa. That was about 2 months ago, and I'm now starting to see the (nearly brand new) front passenger tyre starting to wear on the left shoulder. Again, the driver's side looks OK.

I had the tracking checked at a local garage. They said it was spot on. During the last service I had, one of the things mentioned was the lower arm bushes which might be on their way out. Could this be the cause of the excessive wear on the left front tyre?

I've had various people tell me that it's a common thing (actually, my girlfriend's Ka has been showing the same affliction, but over a much longer period of time), down to power steering and roundabouts. At this rate, in

6-12 months time, I'll be having to replace a tyre that's perfectly good across 90% of the surface.

Any comments or advice?

Ta,

Chris.

Reply to
Chris M
Loading thread data ...
[snip]

Yes. A common problem on Fords. If the bushes are split or worn no amount of setting/checking the tracking wil help.

No, it's down to shitey Ford suspension. Although driving excessively quickly round corners will of course wear the tyres.

Get the bushes checked and repalced if necassary. If that doesn't help, drive slower round those corners!

As an aside, I had a pair of cheap Barum tyres put on my Escort about 8,000 miles ago and they've barely worn. Well impressed!

Rob

Reply to
Robert R News

If the lower arm bushes are shot, they won't be doing their job of keeping the wheel perpendicular to the road. I'd get that done first - sounds like it will need doing for MOT anyway, and if it's bad enough to affect tyre wear that much it must be doing wonders for the handling:-)

Reply to
Bob Davis

Thanks for the feedback guys - I think I'll get the bushes replaced ASAP.

Anyone know what sort of price I should be paying at a private garage? I know Mr. Ford Main Dealer will charge about £150 for this.

Chris.

Reply to
Chris M

Hi Chris,

Don't know about a dealer, I tend to do them myself. I have a '93 Mondeo and the suspension arm is just over £20. Assuming that they are similar, I'd go for a new arm rather than individual bushes as the arm comes with both bushes and the ball-joint.

Cheers, Mark

Reply to
Mark

Hi Chris

That's normal for a Mondeo, get used to it dude.

Reply to
Steve Sweet

Not normal I'm afraid.

I've had a Mondeo for 90k miles, and I _have_ had inner shoulder wear, but only when the tracking was shot.

The rest of the time there is a _little_ extra wear on the outer shoulders (this is the "normal" one, but the tyre's not bald or anything). It's also even across both tyres, not just one.

Pete.

Reply to
Pete Smith

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.