Severe tire wear(Almost ready to sell car!!!!)
10-10-2000, 10:28 PM
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Severe tire wear(Almost ready to sell car!!!!)
Hi all,HELP !!!!!! 
I've been chasing the outer tire edge wear for awhile now.(3 sets of tires)My 85 Z-28 is set to the specs below. This setting works better then stock,but 3000 miles and the tires are pretty scalloped on outer edges and tires squeal loud on tight turns in parking lot. Put it on alignment rack at work again today,and saw that the r/f tire camber was at 0.1,and we had to elongate holes where the upper part of strut goes into the body to get this much camber.So we reset it to 0.5.With no apparent reason ie:loose bolts or other components or hitting anything in the road, as to why it changed adjustment from 6 months ago.Has anyone else ran across this before????
Settings
--------------------------------------------
left front right front
-0.6 camber -0.5
2.9 caster 3.0
0.1 toe 0.09
I've been chasing the outer tire edge wear for awhile now.(3 sets of tires)My 85 Z-28 is set to the specs below. This setting works better then stock,but 3000 miles and the tires are pretty scalloped on outer edges and tires squeal loud on tight turns in parking lot. Put it on alignment rack at work again today,and saw that the r/f tire camber was at 0.1,and we had to elongate holes where the upper part of strut goes into the body to get this much camber.So we reset it to 0.5.With no apparent reason ie:loose bolts or other components or hitting anything in the road, as to why it changed adjustment from 6 months ago.Has anyone else ran across this before????
Settings
--------------------------------------------
left front right front
-0.6 camber -0.5
2.9 caster 3.0
0.1 toe 0.09
10-11-2000, 01:42 AM
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Pete
Seems strange it would move that much.
I agree with your negative camber settings of about .5* I'd say .2-.5 depending on what you're doing and what type of tires you're running. Caster sounds about right.
On the toe, are you saying you have .1 inch on the left and .09 inch on the right? Just to confirm is that toe in (front of tire closer) or out (front of tires further apart than rear)? If your camber was near straight up like you mention and you have too much toe in, which is what it appears you have, I can see the outside edges wearing excessively.
How are your struts? Bad dampening can contribute to the scalloping. Just swapped front shocks on a truck that was wearing evenly but also scalloping evenly from the inside to the outside tread block.
Seems strange it would move that much.
I agree with your negative camber settings of about .5* I'd say .2-.5 depending on what you're doing and what type of tires you're running. Caster sounds about right.
On the toe, are you saying you have .1 inch on the left and .09 inch on the right? Just to confirm is that toe in (front of tire closer) or out (front of tires further apart than rear)? If your camber was near straight up like you mention and you have too much toe in, which is what it appears you have, I can see the outside edges wearing excessively.
How are your struts? Bad dampening can contribute to the scalloping. Just swapped front shocks on a truck that was wearing evenly but also scalloping evenly from the inside to the outside tread block.
10-11-2000, 08:21 AM
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I drive aggressively ,no racing, this is a daily driver,and not much freeway as I live 3 miles from work.The tires are Firestone ss 20 firehawks,and struts are new,and toe "in" is 0.10 left and 0.09 right.why can't you run factory settings.
10-11-2000, 11:11 AM
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Pete,
I think I have the identical problem that you do - excessive front tire wear on the outer edges. I estimate that there is a 1/8" difference between the outer and inner sides. Although my tires do not squeal as yours do while making sharp turns at slow speeds, and my wear is after 10K miles vice your 3K. My camber is about -0.2° and toe-in is about 0.1° (both w/i factory spec's).
I don't know why, but it appears that all 3rd gen Camaros have the upper strut mounts drilled so that when camber set to factory spec's., the struts are almost at the outboard limits! Every time I see a photograph of the engine compartment for a 3rd gen Camaro, the struts are, without exception, adjusted to the outboard limits.
I talked to the place where I purchased my tires (TireRack) and they stated that this wear is normal with aggressive driving(presuming good alignment).
One thing about your post would concern me is why the tires squeal when making tight turns. That would seem to indicate an alignment problem, but your's appears to be okay. Could it be the rear alignment? Are the rear wheels inline with the front? This is something I have never checked.
It seems the common factor in this problem is aggressive driving. I put on about 25K highway miles (essentially straight driving)in a few months, and tire wear was normal. When I started making rapid turns (the kind that pushes me into the door) and so forth, I started to see the unusual tire wear. So maybe it is driving "style".
I too would be curious to know if anyone else shares the same problem, or knows the solution (other than to slow down when making turns!).
I think I have the identical problem that you do - excessive front tire wear on the outer edges. I estimate that there is a 1/8" difference between the outer and inner sides. Although my tires do not squeal as yours do while making sharp turns at slow speeds, and my wear is after 10K miles vice your 3K. My camber is about -0.2° and toe-in is about 0.1° (both w/i factory spec's).
I don't know why, but it appears that all 3rd gen Camaros have the upper strut mounts drilled so that when camber set to factory spec's., the struts are almost at the outboard limits! Every time I see a photograph of the engine compartment for a 3rd gen Camaro, the struts are, without exception, adjusted to the outboard limits.
I talked to the place where I purchased my tires (TireRack) and they stated that this wear is normal with aggressive driving(presuming good alignment).
One thing about your post would concern me is why the tires squeal when making tight turns. That would seem to indicate an alignment problem, but your's appears to be okay. Could it be the rear alignment? Are the rear wheels inline with the front? This is something I have never checked.
It seems the common factor in this problem is aggressive driving. I put on about 25K highway miles (essentially straight driving)in a few months, and tire wear was normal. When I started making rapid turns (the kind that pushes me into the door) and so forth, I started to see the unusual tire wear. So maybe it is driving "style".
I too would be curious to know if anyone else shares the same problem, or knows the solution (other than to slow down when making turns!).
10-12-2000, 02:01 PM
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Car: 1986 Firebird
Engine: 2.8 V6
Transmission: 700R4
Tire wear on the outside edge of 3rd gen f-bodies is a common thing... kind of like sagging doors. It always happens. It's actually a good way to knock a few bux off an f-body you're buying- "And look, I need to buy new front tires! Take another $200 off."
Of course if you're wearing the tires bald on the outer edge, or losing alignment specs- then yeah, something else is wrong.
My tires wear on the outer edge also, but they "last" until the wear indicators show thru on the center of the tread.
------------------
-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
Of course if you're wearing the tires bald on the outer edge, or losing alignment specs- then yeah, something else is wrong.
My tires wear on the outer edge also, but they "last" until the wear indicators show thru on the center of the tread.------------------
-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
10-12-2000, 03:44 PM
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Car: Yes...
Engine: Last time I checked...
Transmission: See "Engine"...
My '88 GTA suffered from this same tire wear problem. After lowering the car with some Jamex springs and setting the camber to -0.5 my tire wear evened out. I did have to do a minor adjustmet to the driver's side because I started wearing the inside edge down. I'm probably at around -0.3 to -0.4 on the driver's side.
I cannot confirm this but I have been told that GM builds some positive camber into their cars. So, with the camber set to the factory spec. you will still see some positive camber and thus the wear on the outside edges of the tires.
I cannot confirm this but I have been told that GM builds some positive camber into their cars. So, with the camber set to the factory spec. you will still see some positive camber and thus the wear on the outside edges of the tires.
10-13-2000, 11:52 PM
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This topic may already be dead as I see the last post was a day ago, but I'll put this up anyway. I have a '90 Formula WS6 and my car has the same problem with tire sqeal when making very tight turns at low speed. It sounds like the tires are rubbing on the wheel well. I have yet to see tire wear like you guys are talking about, but I'm only around 2000 miles since I bought the car. We put new tires on it when it was bought. After reading this I'm going to keep an eye out for it though. I know my car isn't driven agressively because my Dad has been driving it (I don't get my permit 'till December 
) to work only occasionally on the interstate. It is a stock height WS6 suspension. I wonder if I drop the car if it will make it rub worse, assuming that is in fact what's happening?
) to work only occasionally on the interstate. It is a stock height WS6 suspension. I wonder if I drop the car if it will make it rub worse, assuming that is in fact what's happening? 
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