Front end alignment

[SS MAYFLOAT]

It seems like every year I get my service van re-aligned only to eat a pair of tires up before the next years alignment. I take it back and it goes on the rack, then they say everything is in specs.<br /><br />AAARRRRGGGGG! I'm sorry, but if it was right, my tires would last longer than a year. I dirve about 20K a year, the tires are 45K.<br /><br />Its a 96 Ford E250. It wears the outside edges. I keep the proper air pressure. I took a tape measure and measured between the front tires on the front and back. I have a 1/2" toe in. I think this is too much. In may days of racing I know I never set my cars up with that much.<br /><br />When I hit bumps in the road, the backend sometimes feels like it is trying to pass the front end. <br /><br />Does anyone have any idea what I can do to tweak things to make it quit wearing my front tires? <br /><br />Thanks.....SS

 

[RPJS]

Re: Front end alignment

Hi SS,<br />Your right 1/2" toe in is to much but unless you have a tracking jig I would not recomend that you do any adjustments yourself. I would take it to another garage and get them to check it over, try and find someone with a rig that can spec the front to back allignment as well as the front tracking, get them to check the castor on each wheel. Also its always a good idea to swap your tires front to back every 6mths or so.<br />Best of luck<br /><br />Richard

 

[dolluper]

Re: Front end alignment

Buy all the same and rotate them front to back buy wider tires harder compound<br />Find new aline shop<br />Do aline yourself plum bob method [2 1/2 3 hrs] most proceise line up anything esp hot rods with no spec's

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Front end alignment

Its a 96 Ford E250

That's half the problem right there. Sorry to sound mean, especially to a fellow Ohioan, but they wear tires badly.<br />Ford's "Twin I-Beam" front suspension is great, but when the tire travels up & down the camber angle changes. This causes wear to the outer edges. Have the toe in checked, sure, but it'll always wear tires on the egdes more than the centers.

 

[DJ]

Re: Front end alignment

1/2" of toe in is eating the tires, not because it's a twin I beam.<br /><br />Here's a hint.<br /><br />Have it aligned with the load you normally carry. NOT unloaded.<br /><br />That front end is fully adjustable with varying shims. If someone tells you it can't be, they do not know what they are doing.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Front end alignment

1/2" of toe in is eating the tires, not because it's a twin I beam.<br />

You are probably right. The Twin I Beam usually wears the insides more. I see that I typoed "outer" in my above quote. Sorry. I was just preparing him for the reality that, even after the toe in is fixed, his tires still may not wear as straight as he'd like.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Front end alignment

The right front wears more than the left side. As for shops, its been in several including a shop that just specializes in trucks. The ball joints upper and lower have been replaced and the tie rod also. An alignment was done at that time as well.<br /><br />I had extra leaves put in the rear springs about 6 years ago. THis could be why the factory specs won't work. Just need to find someone that knows how to compensate for the wear on the tires and the extra lift.<br /><br />Thanks...

 

[ob]

Re: Front end alignment

An alignment job is as good as the alignment guy.Your rims are used as a reference point.A carelessly mounted rim clamp equals false readings for shim correction.In your case of wear,I agree with others,1/2" of toe in is overkill.1/8" to 3/16" is more like it.Also consider that the camber may be way off causing the outside edge wear.Too much positive camber will show similar wear patterns.

 

[rattana]

Re: Front end alignment

When I was a teenager we always did fords at 1/8" Used tires and a tape measure, they always drove straight.

 

[Pascal]

Re: Front end alignment

It would help if you could post the alignment settings from the last check/adjustment but here are some suggestions..........<br /><br />Your wheels need to be absolutly straight ahead when you check toe or you will have too much showing due to the ackerman effect of the steering arms. The toe spec is +1/32" prefered. If your miles are getting up there a bit, I would increase that to the standard 1/8"<br /><br /><br />The other thing that will wear tires on the outer edge besides camber is an excessive positive caster. Caster doesn't wear tires when you drive straight ahead but when you turn corners and manouver, the camber will "roll". If the caster is positive, the inside tire on the turn will have increased positive camber and wear on the outer edge of the tread. Most people turn right more often than left so that would explain the extra wear on the right tire.<br /><br />Set camber to the prefered 1/2degree or slightly less and caster as close to the minimum +2 degrees (range +2to+7.5 degrees) as possible. You might notice a bit of difference on the highway with a little less directional stability but it should reduce the outer tire edge wear.<br /><br />If you get the caster setting too low, you will start to wear on the inside edge. This tire edge wear is something that happens with fords twin Ibeam suspension and low speed turns in city/delivery type use makes it worse.<br /><br />JD

 

[demsvmejm]

Re: Front end alignment

The addition of leaves in the rear can be compensated for by including frame angle into the caster adjustment. These guys are right, try another alignment shop. When I was first starting in the mechanic profession my wife had an Olds 88. I heard a clunk in the rear, and the car always pulled to one side or the other. After replacing both inner tie rod ends(unnecessary) and both lower balljoints(marginal), and one outer tie rod end(all according to an alignment specialty shop) we had it , four wheel aligned. I still had the clunk and the car still pulled. The car would pull to what ever direction you turned last (memory steer). We had it four wheel aligned again after replacing one rear lower balljoint(totally unnecessary), and then thrust angle aligned, no difference, each at different shops. I finally did a comprehensive inspection and found the rear control arm bushings were worn(clunk) and both upper bearing plates in the front were binding(memory steer). Here I am a <2 year experienced mechanic, with little front end/suspension experience and I find what the "specialists" could not. My point is, you need a GOOD shop to perform this alignment. Not just a specialty shop. Good luck.