Ridiculously Excessive tyre wear- Rear tyres

[davidH]

Could excessive wear on rear tyres be due to a problem with the rear suspension?
13/8/2010 at 76075 miles rear suspension arms,shock absorbers and springs replaced.
26/10/2010 at 78740 rear tyres almost bald and replaced with Uniroyal Rainsport. Front tyres were fine with 4-5mm tread left.
17/1/2011 at 80903 rear tyres showing 5-6mm across centre and 4-5 on shoulder. 3-4mm wear in 2163 miles!!! Hardly any change on front.

Just to give full picture.
28/7/2010 at 75706 service shows rear tyres had 4mm and front 5mm.
5/5/2009at 61826 4 Michelin Pilot Primacy fitted.
7/3/2006 at 30476 2 Michelin PP fitted to front.
7/2/2006 at 29612 2 Michelin PP fitted to rear.
Tyres are 225/55/16.
I was getting excellent mileage of 30,000 plus before the work on the rear suspension. From the wear since this was done I will be lucky to get 8000 miles before the rears need replacing again.
Car is a E class Avantgarde 270CDI first registered in 2003.

Any advise would be much appreciated.

 

[wheels-inmotion]

Was the geometry tested after the work?..... If yes was you given a printout of the results?

 

[davidH]

I don't think it was checked. The work was done by an Independent garage recommended by a friend.

 

[timskemp]

I've just checked my records, my back tyres had done 22000 miles since last change. They had worn down to the legal limit on the inside and about 2.5 mm on the outside.

Rainsports are quite soft, and Michelin Primacy are very long lasting. Rear tyres on E classes tend to wear more in the middle than the edge - are sure your pressures are not on the low side?

Mine's booked in at Frasers in Hull for an alignment (it's killing the inside edges of the fronts to the point I'm having to replace tyres with 4mm of tread on the outer edges!) on Monday - is there anything I should tell them in particular or any special alignment settings beyond standard?

 

[bogcaster]

As per wheels-inmotion, proper laser 4 wheel alignment sets the camber, castor, toe. I routinely get it done on my cars every set of new tyres since I noticed abnormal wear following some suspension work.

Another speculative thought. The recent cold weather drops your tyre presssures, which may part explain more wearing on the shoulders. Combine that with any suspension mis-alignment may make the problem worse. If you did drive in the snow and your wheels were spinning, then that would also wear the shoulders more although cold weather does make the tyre harder.

 

[wheels-inmotion]

I don't think it was checked. The work was done by an Independent garage recommended by a friend.

You just found your criminal, resetting the geometry after this type of work is vital.

 

[davidH]

Thanks for replies. I always check my pressures when the tyres are cold on a regular basis. As far as the ice/snow is concerned we only had a small amount for a week and I did not use the car.
Can anyone recommend somewhere to get the geometry checked. I live near Northwich Cheshire.

 

[davidH]

Thanks wheels-inmotion. Pity you are so far away. I need somone near Manchester/Liverpool/Northwich. Can anyone recommend?

 

[bogcaster]

I've used Christchurch tyre co with the Hunter DSP system. Each time they give a before and after printed report and I've never had any problems. Google around in your area.

 

[wheels-inmotion]

Thanks wheels-inmotion. Pity you are so far away. I need somone near Manchester/Liverpool/Northwich. Can anyone recommend?

I do have a company in Manchester but my link isn't working, i'll try again tomorrow from the work pc.

 

[davidH]

Thanks again for yor help.

 

[proser]

I do have a company in Manchester but my link isn't working, i'll try again tomorrow from the work pc.

Do you have anyone near Stafford at all ???

 

[x332race]

Wearing on the shoulders of rear tyres sounds like under inflation. I know you check regularly but perhaps you need to put a bit more pressure in them...rear tyres on mercs usually wear to the center, not the shoulders. Underinflaton would lead to excessive wear.

 

[davidH]

It may be that I am misleading people by reference to the shoulders. The tyre wear is even across both rear tyres. I am sure the tyres have not been under inflated. I use 2 tyre pressure guages to check to make sure that I am not using a faulty guage.
Incidentally for completeness the new Uniroyal tyres I had fitted on 26th October 2010 had 9mm of tread across the main section of the tyres and 7mm on what I call the shoulders.

Thanks to all who are posting.

 

[flango]

Thanks wheels-inmotion. Pity you are so far away. I need somone near Manchester/Liverpool/Northwich. Can anyone recommend?

We are in Yorkshire and use WIM it's worth the trip will save you a fortune in the long run and you can rest in the satisfaction your car has been set up by the best in the Industry. Take the time to go see Tony and crew you won't regret it and your car will feel and drive like new

 

[wheels-inmotion]

If i'm honest we do have a national network but only one or two centres could deal with the MB.

If the centres are not clued up prosaically with the MB issue and fitting the adjuster bolts then they could "blanket bomb" the chassis in over kill. This is not good for you or me.

 

[JW590]

If the centres are not clued up prosaically with the MB issue and ........

That sentence does not make sense. If you remove the word you tried to impress with then it does make sense.

davidH has now put down that the wear is even across both rear tyres, but it is heavy wear. Is this still a symptom of misalignment as you have not re-confirmed since he added the extra information?

A few questions -

Should the re-alignment be done every time suspension components are changed?

Is it necessary for the re-alignment be done every time tyres are changed, or are some people just being over-cautious?

How much should one expect to pay for the alignment to be done?

Thank you.

 

[wheels-inmotion]

That sentence does not make sense. If you remove the word you tried to impress with then it does make sense.

davidH has now put down that the wear is even across both rear tyres, but it is heavy wear. Is this still a symptom of misalignment as you have not re-confirmed since he added the extra information?

A few questions -

Should the re-alignment be done every time suspension components are changed?

Is it necessary for the re-alignment be done every time tyres are changed, or are some people just being over-cautious?

How much should one expect to pay for the alignment to be done?

Thank you.

My grammar construction is poor i confess to that, if that offends i'm sorry but this is hardly an easy topic to explain.

In answer to your questions...
1: Yes
2: No but it's wise to capture an image of the chassis positions
3: Depends on what needs correcting..... £30 to £160 is middle road.

 

[JW590]

Thank you for the answers.

 

[davidH]

Thanks for this. Tried to send you a private message but your box was full.