Can front alignment being out effect rear tyre wear?

[dsaunders30]

Hello

My front wheel alignment is out (I have shoulder wear on the inside of the drivers tyre).

When looking at the rear, it looks like I have some Minor wear on the inside of the rear tyre (same side). Could it be that the front alignment has caused the rear to wear unevenly or is the rear out too?

Is it worth paying for 4 wheel geometric alignment or should I just get the front done as I know this is out?

Many thanks

[Happy Jim]

Likely to be both out TBH.

Most wheel alignment centers these days have laser driven measurement systems and take no longer for 4 wheel Vs 2 wheel alignment.

Whether you have any adjustment for the rear is car dependant though

Jim

[E-bmw]

The wear pattern you describe won't be simple tracking alignment.

It is more likely to be camber related, whether poorly adjusted or caused by a bad mount/joint you won't know until you get it on a full 4 wheel alignment machine, not just a tracking check.

[jeremyh1]

I had a wheel bearing that was knackered on a Berlingo van we ran it longer than we should and it caused inner wear on the tyre on the rear on the same side . So I believe it is possible

[GreenV8S]

I don't see how a geometry fault at the front can cause tyre wear at the back, so you probably have two problems.

Bear in mind that a worn bush allowing excessive flex could cause similar symptoms, and obviously a geometry adjustment wouldn't fix that.

[dsaunders30]

Hello

Hopefully it's just wheel alignment front + back then and not something else like bushes.

I'm having the alignment done this afternoon. How will I know if the problem is resolved or not? Thanks

[E-bmw]

As above, that wear pattern is not just alignment.

[dsaunders30]

Even if it's front and back misaligned? As I was thinking the toe must be out on both.

Edited by dsaunders30 on Thursday 31st May 17:21

[E-bmw]

Think about this with reference to your fronts as it is the easiest to explain.

Lets assume your left wheel is dead straight & your right wheel points left by 5 degrees with your steering wheel dead straight.

When you start to move if you hold the wheel dead straight the car will pull to the left, so what do you do?

You turn the wheel to the right to cancel it out.

With your wheels in this "straight ahead" position you will wear both tyres the same.

One thing you aren't going to do is keep driving to the left, which is what you would need to do to just wear the edge of one front wheel.

If you have both inner edges on one side of the car wearing it WILL be a suspension setting or bush/linkage problem/adjustment that is the problem on front and rear.

Most likely, at some point the car has been over a kerb/pothole at speed & something is bent/broken/knocked out of correct position front & rear on that side.

[dsaunders30]

Hello

Car had full 4 wheel geo alignment done today. Front and rear toe was adjusted. This makes sense to me as that's how the tyres have worn, the front being worse than the back.

Is it still likely there is a bush issue or other issue? If so how can I get it diagnosed? I don't want to have to pay again for a check and then have somebody tell me it needs some thing doing just so they get the work.

Thanks

[E-bmw]

As above you will likely still have an issue as that does not explain the wear pattern you describe, but never mind hey, when you actually find the fault you can tell them that when you have to pay again to get it aligned again.

Horse......Water......Bye.....

[dsaunders30]

Sorry mate, I appreciate the help but Im just not convinced because the toe needed to be adjusted which I thought did explain the wear pattern. Hence why I asked questions.

I will have to get a mechanic I know and trust to have a look and tell me if it needs doing and if it does I'll get it done.

[Mr2Mike]

jeremyh1 said:

I had a wheel bearing that was knackered on a Berlingo van we ran it longer than we should and it caused inner wear on the tyre on the rear on the same side . So I believe it is possible

In the unlikely event this really happened then you need to have a word with yourself. If a wheel bearing is so knackered that it causes tyre wear when you'd have had horrendous problems with steering, pad knock off etc.

A bearing making a droning noise will not cause tyre wear, it only takes a miniscule amount of damage (e.g. a tiny chip in the race or a ball) to make this noise, but the bearing still operates correctly.

[E-bmw]

dsaunders30 said:

Sorry mate, I appreciate the help but Im just not convinced because the toe needed to be adjusted which I thought did explain the wear pattern.

It doesn't, as I already explained, but hey, it's your money you are spending on alignment, tyres, repairs, tyres, and more alignment until you get it fixed properly.

[dsaunders30]

Thank you for taking the time to reply and give advice.

[dsaunders30]

If it is bushes like you are thinking how much roughly do you think I'd be looking at ? It's ford mondeo mk3. I've done some research but heard a lot of variance.

Thanks

[E-bmw]

Unfortunately, without knowing what it is a price is a "length of a piece of string" question.

The car needs to be lifted up and checked very precisely from one side to the other to find what is different from one side to the other.

Did you get a printout of the alignment?

Was it a full alignment or just a 4-wheel tracking check?

[dsaunders30]

Hi I didn't get a print out but on my invoice it states front and rear toe adjusted.

Also it was a 4 wheel geometry test using the computer.

[Fiftycar]

I was told my car needed track rod e de and drop links then re tracking. Then they charged me for tracking even though the camber was way out and couldn’t be adjusted I needed a top mount and possibly shock absorber 🤷 had the top mount done and re aligned but the camber is out still … so I’m guessing it’s mow the shock absorber and then it will also need another alignment no end to it

[E-bmw]

Fiftycar said:

I was told my car needed track rod e de and drop links then re tracking. Then they charged me for tracking even though the camber was way out and couldn’t be adjusted I needed a top mount and possibly shock absorber ?? had the top mount done and re aligned but the camber is out still … so I’m guessing it’s mow the shock absorber and then it will also need another alignment no end to it

What you need to do is to take it somewhere that actually knows what they are doing.

If the camber is way out & not adjustable you have a problem that is 100% fixable.

You just need them to find what it is & then get the alignment done properly rather than just firing the parts cannon at the suspension in the hope that you keep paying for work that does not fix the problem.