I'm confused, guys. I've had an alignment done on my Crossfire on three separate occasions because of unusual tire wear. The last time I had it done was by a reputable shop here in the Nashville area that I trust, and at the same time I had four new tires mounted. Today I took a look at my fronts, they have approx. 3000 miles on them, and I notice the same unusual tread wear starting to happen. I had even taken it back to this tire place right after I had the alignment done because I was paranoid about the wheel being slightly off center - they said the alignment was perfect, and noted that it's probably the steep crown in our area roads that makes it appear as though the wheel isn't straight. I have had my doubts, though.

Has anyone else experienced problems with getting the alignment correct on these cars? Any tips or suggestions? The car has been aligned at three different shops, and this last shop has been the most reputable of any of those, yet I still seem to be running into the same problem. I really can't keep putting tires on this car every year.

I should also note the car is an '04, it's got about 49k miles on it. Could it be tie rod ends or something going bad?

Thanks a lot in advance.

 

I promise you out of 3 alignment shops at least one of them checked for worn parts in the front end and they would have advised you to replace the worn parts before doing the alignment, when the alignment is done the car sits on a level platform so it is not unusual for a Car steering wheel to be slightly off center when going down the road because of the crown in the highway which is put there on purpose for rain runoff, it would be nice if you would include more information about your unusual tire wear, like what is the pattern of the wear and how much air do you run in your tires? Have you checked the front wheel bearings for excessive play, have you changed your steering stabilizer? What kind of driving do you do? Is it spirited aggressive driving or normal run-of-the-mill going to the grocery store driving, there are a lot of factors that determine how tires wear, more information would be most helpful.

 

I would check very closely for anything loose in the suspension components, also make sure the tire pressure is correct for that particular brand, they do vary.

 

Thank you for the response.

They definitely checked the suspension components, as I specifically requested that they do so. I had a suspicion before that I might have something going on there, so I had them check it out and they said it was all good - wheel bearings, tie rods, etc.

My driving habits are pretty normal, but I drive in heavy traffic on pretty low quality roads all year round, so I hit my fair share of big potholes and ridges.

I haven't changed my steering stabilizer.

The wear starts at the outside of the tire in the fronts - the treads closest to the sidewall start to become arched, that's the best way I describe it. Each section of tread is higher at one side than it is at the other on the treads closest to the sidewall. This tapers off as you go closer to the center of the tire, so it seems the outside of the tires are the worst affected. I'll try to get some pics up if you think that would be helpful.

This is the same pattern I saw on my two previous sets of tires, both different brands than my current tire.

I currently have Sumitomo HTR Z III's all around. I was going off the door jam specs, so my tires sit somewhere at or just above 33 - 35 psi all around. The tire pressure indicator comes on at 32, if I'm not mistaken, so mine are definitely above that at all times.

Even after the alignments, my wheel has never been dead straight. It's always a bit to the right, maybe a couple of degrees maximum, but enough for me to have noticed and taken it back to them. They said the alignment was dead on, though, so I took them at their word.

 

Thanks a lot. I'll definitely check the Sumitomo recommended specs. I'd always been going off the door jam specs.

 

If your steering stabilizer has never been changed I would highly recommend that you get one ,29 to $39 online , if you can change your oil you can change the steering stabilizer, and yes a picture is worth a thousand words check the maximum PSI rating on your tires if it is 50/51 lbs you should be running 75 % of that , which is 37/38 lbs all around. It will give you a more even contact patch and stop the inside outside edge wear.

 

Tire pressure, for ANY car, is posted on both the door jamb and in the Owners Manual.

There is no offset or correction for any brand of tire. Period.

Running your tires at some ratio of maximum works ONLY if said ratio works out to be exactly the same as that posted on the door jamb or Owners Manual.

Our TPMS system will fault, as I recall, at +- 10% of posted pressures. 30 PSIG low and 38 PSIG high. (33 and 35)

If anyone cares to argue these points, please bring printed evidence. Not some advice you received from your uncle *****.

Sheesh.

 

I knew it wouldn't take very long for the all-knowing All-Seeing gods of the Forum to chime in and bloviate on how wrong everyone else is except for themselves.
I merely pass along information that I have gathered from this forum such as the article on low profile high performance tires and tire pressure relation that was posted by another member from Kumho tires, I may be inaccurate on the tire brand but no matter the advice worked for me and my tire wear has stopped and they now wear even so if you wish to get into a pissing contest **** on yourself because clearly the only thing you're concerned with is proving that you're right and everyone else is wrong , my motivation is to help people, clearly yours is to stroke your ego.

 

MY unusual tire wear on the front, along with the car always wanting to go left was caused by incorrect camber and toe-in on the right rear, not a desire to enter Sprint Cup races.
It was corrected by me installing a set of $95 Speedway adjustable rear camber links and having a laser alignment done by what I consider an expert at my local ( GULP ) Chrysler dealer.
She now tracks true down the road with steering wheel centered and I have noticed no unusual tire wear on the set of new 'Kooks I had installed at the same time.

 

Thank you George for your civil and informative response it is greatly appreciated and is in keeping with the purpose of this forum, to help people no more no less.

 

Pal, my sole motivation for providing advice on this forum, and to the 12 physicists I work with is to provide ACCURATE and SAFE information.

Apparently, yours is to merely be heard, right or wrong.

Pissing contest, indeed.

 

I appreciate all of your comments, gentlemen.

I'm taking the car in on Saturday to the local shop I'd discussed in earlier posts. They're going to look at it free of charge since they mounted the tires and performed the alignment.

What the guy said to me on the phone this afternoon was this:

"350Z's, Crossfires, Corvettes - we see these cars in here everyday and it's not at all unusual to see tread wear that is a little unusual. These cars eat through tires, unfortunately. Bring the car in and ask for me or (another guy) and we'll make sure the tires aren't knife edging too bad, plus we'll throw it up on the rack and see what the alignment looks like at this point, no charge."

While I appreciate their gesture, I'm somewhat put off by the idea that "these cars eat through tires." Fair enough, when you can't rotate the tires I'd expect to see less than ideal life spans, but these tires haven't even had 5k on them yet since mounted - way less than that, actually. I find it extremely difficult to believe this is normal in such a short span of mileage. I'm no tire expert, but that sounds like a cop out to me. I'd believe that if these things had 10k on them, but they don't.

We'll see what they have to say come Saturday, but I suspect they're going to tell me the same thing they told me before: there's nothing wrong with the alignment. If that's the case, I may have to start looking for yet another shop.

Lastly, my BAS/ESP light keeps coming on now. It will go off, then come back on. This has been a problem for some time, and I suspect that it has something to do with the wheels vibrating because of the improper alignment/weird tire wear. When I had the new tires put on, that light disappeared. Now that I'm noticing the wear, the light is back. Coincidence? I find it hard to believe considering what I know about the sensors in the hubs that cause that light to appear.

Thanks again, guys.

 

I must be extremely lucky with my Crossfire
I have had it almost 9 years....bought it with only 17000 miles
It now has 103,000 miles
I have NEVER had an alignment done and have NEVER modified the suspension
I have gotten even wear on the fronts and rears with a 20,000 to 30,000 mile tread life
I replace all 4 at the same time with the same kind !!!
And if ya look at my sig photo I dont drive it like a grandma either

 

That's very fortunate. I've owned this car since it had 9k miles, and this is my third set. I've had them check camber, toe, etc. - three shops and no one has gotten it right yet!

 

[QUOTE=breakneck;862444]I appreciate all of your comments, gentlemen.

I'm taking the car in on Saturday to the local shop I'd discussed in earlier posts. They're going to look at it free of charge since they mounted the tires and performed the alignment.

What the guy said to me on the phone this afternoon was this:

"350Z's, Crossfires, Corvettes - we see these cars in here everyday and it's not at all unusual to see tread wear that is a little unusual. These cars eat through tires, unfortunately. Bring the car in and ask for me or (another guy) and we'll make sure the tires aren't knife edging too bad, plus we'll throw it up on the rack and see what the alignment looks like at this point, no charge."

While I appreciate their gesture, I'm somewhat put off by the idea that "these cars eat through tires." Fair enough, when you can't rotate the tires I'd expect to see less than ideal life spans, but these tires haven't even had 5k on them yet since mounted - way less than that, actually. I find it extremely difficult to believe this is normal in such a short span of mileage. I'm no tire expert, but that sounds like a cop out to me. I'd believe that if these things had 10k on them, but they don't.

We'll see what they have to say come Saturday, but I suspect they're going to tell me the same thing they told me before: there's nothing wrong with the alignment. If that's the case, I may have to start looking for yet another shop.

Lastly, my BAS/ESP light keeps coming on now. It will go off, then come back on. This has been a problem for some time, and I suspect that it has something to do with the wheels vibrating because of the improper alignment/weird tire wear. When I had the new tires put on, that light disappeared. Now that I'm noticing the wear, the light is back. Coincidence? I find it hard to believe considering what I know about the sensors in the hubs that cause that light to appear.

Thanks again, guys.[quote].
The wear pattern you described on your tires is called Feathering and is caused by incorrect toe setting.if the alignment was not done correctly they are responsible for not only correcting the alignment but also replacing the two front tires, just my two cents worth I hope you get it all straightened out.

 

I looked up some pictures and yes, that is exactly it.

I totally agree. They need to replace the tires. It's going to be hell to get them to do it, I'd imagine. Any tips on how to approach that conversation? Do they really expect a layman to be able to notice the very beginning signs of feathering and to take it to the shop that did that work within a couple of thousand miles? I've got a pretty keen eye, and it's not severe yet by any means, but that's definitely what is happening to my tires.

 

Knowledge is power, become familiar with alignment terminology and techniques , you don't need to be an expert you just need to be competent in understanding how alignments work , be polite and respectful but be firm. You're holding all the right cards you have the winning hand, you bought the tires there you had the alignment done there and they checked the front end for bad parts and gave you a clean bill of health, unless you have hit a curb or jumped a ditch they can say nothing but they will take care of it. The evidence tells the story. Probably the reason your steering wheel is off center to the right is because the front wheels are toed too much to the left. When they do the alignment this time suggest they set the toe with the engine running because this car has recirculating ball steering and it is extremely sensitive to the slightest movement. If you need more help when you go to get it aligned just PM me if you need to and I will help you out.

 

Geez,
I have not even gone and picked up my car yet, but after reading threads like this, I can recognize
how valuable this forum can be to new owners of this fantastic automobile.
Yes, you have to sort through replys, but most of them are sincerely trying to help.

Thanks guys!

 

That's what this form is all about! Today we may help you, tomorrow you may help someone else.

 

It's a great community. When my ignition pin got stuck I first signed up for this forum and used a great walkthrough to fix it myself. If you have a problem with your Crossfire, someone else has already had it, and the people on here are extremely friendly and helpful when these things happen. It can save you thousands of dollars, and the comradery is priceless.

Search first, then ask, and if you do it in that order you will find that this is an excellent resource. Long live the Crossfire!