Uneven tirewear and other alignment problems... pics included...
12-13-2007, 09:57 AM
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Uneven tirewear and other alignment problems... pics included...
Alright.... a brief synopsis... i bougth the car... 3-4k miles ago.... had bald tires up front... and pretty worn tires in the rear....because of the way the fronts looked.... im assuming... that the rears stayed in the rear for a while... and never rotated to the front...
those rears had bad un even tirewear... on the insides.... MORE on the rear right and less on the rear left. (will show in the pics)
i had a friend say that he saw that my rear right was a bit slanted while i was driving away (negative camber)
anywho... i replaced the tire 1000miles ago... never got the alignment done yet...
now 50miles... i hit a nasty curb... on both left tires... front tire hit first then the rear tire... enough to put a bulge on the sidewall...
car was driving real bad.... i took it on for an aligment..
said the TOE on both front tires were bad.... and adjusted it... .said the rears are fine... (but remember my old tires had inside wear... so it was supposed to be out of alignment)
after the alignment.... the car drove ok for a day.... now it feels like the car is pulling towards the right on the highway.... it wasnt as bad as the day i hit the curb... but not as good as the day i bought it... I did a few searches... people are talking about strut bearings and camber kits.... i dont know anything about these things...
the tire shop that did the alignment never botherd to adjust the camber.. just the TOE... I dont know if i broke anything in the front end... and am worried about that...
THIS IS THE OLD REAR LEFT ... wear isnt that bad.
THIS IS THE OLD REAR RIGHT.... SIGNIFICANT WEAR ON THE INSIDE (2 pics)
those rears had bad un even tirewear... on the insides.... MORE on the rear right and less on the rear left. (will show in the pics)
i had a friend say that he saw that my rear right was a bit slanted while i was driving away (negative camber)
anywho... i replaced the tire 1000miles ago... never got the alignment done yet...
now 50miles... i hit a nasty curb... on both left tires... front tire hit first then the rear tire... enough to put a bulge on the sidewall...
car was driving real bad.... i took it on for an aligment..
said the TOE on both front tires were bad.... and adjusted it... .said the rears are fine... (but remember my old tires had inside wear... so it was supposed to be out of alignment)
after the alignment.... the car drove ok for a day.... now it feels like the car is pulling towards the right on the highway.... it wasnt as bad as the day i hit the curb... but not as good as the day i bought it... I did a few searches... people are talking about strut bearings and camber kits.... i dont know anything about these things...
the tire shop that did the alignment never botherd to adjust the camber.. just the TOE... I dont know if i broke anything in the front end... and am worried about that...
THIS IS THE OLD REAR LEFT ... wear isnt that bad.
THIS IS THE OLD REAR RIGHT.... SIGNIFICANT WEAR ON THE INSIDE (2 pics)
12-13-2007, 09:57 AM
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pics of the wheel well area... dont know if these contribute to anything.... but just incase it does... he it goes.
REAR RIGHT WHEEL WELL (2 pics)
REAR LEFT WHEEL WELL
SHOT OF THE REAR....
REAR RIGHT WHEEL WELL (2 pics)
REAR LEFT WHEEL WELL
SHOT OF THE REAR....
12-13-2007, 10:00 AM
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So i guess im asking for advice on the front end... if i did , what did i damage for it to veer off to the right a couple days after an alignment...]
and why rear tires have bad wear
and why rear tires have bad wear
12-13-2007, 11:23 AM
#7
If you are still driving on bad tires that may be the reason for it pulling. Take it back and have them check the specs again. You may have damaged wheel bearings.
The tires wore so badly because of the TOE being out of spec.
The tires wore so badly because of the TOE being out of spec.
12-13-2007, 11:40 AM
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so the toe was out of spec huh?.... how some the alignment chart said otherwise?.... i pointed it out to the shop... and he said that numbers show that it is in spec..... thats why i took pics of the wheel well to let you guys get an idea of the slant
and other than bad wheel bearings... what else could be damaged?.... the way to check the wheel bearing is to jack it up and see if there is any play right ?...
12-13-2007, 12:06 PM
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12-13-2007, 09:54 PM
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And what about the front end?....
from the curb hit.... could i have damaged something?.... other than the wheel bearings... what else could there be?.... it pulls to the right a bit....
and go get another alignment?
from the curb hit.... could i have damaged something?.... other than the wheel bearings... what else could there be?.... it pulls to the right a bit....
and go get another alignment?
12-13-2007, 10:33 PM
#17
You can ask for another alignment because you're not satisfied and tell them the problem that it's pulling to one side. They should be able to fix this issue with a 4-wheel alignment. Negative camber in the rears are normal. You don't need a camber kit esp on stock suspension. See how that goes and report back.
12-13-2007, 10:41 PM
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First, I would replace the tire with the bubble before you have a blow out. I actually reccomend that people change wheels in sets (ie: both fronts or both rears). (And no, I don't own a tire shop
.)Second I would have the car rechecked by a reccomended alignment shop.
The beam may set you back ~$100. It can be purchaced from a wrecked car from a salvage yard. Take some pictures of the beam, so we can see if there is anything obviously wrong.
Last edited by spdfreak; 12-15-2007 at 05:44 PM.
12-14-2007, 07:06 AM
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You can ask for another alignment because you're not satisfied and tell them the problem that it's pulling to one side. They should be able to fix this issue with a 4-wheel alignment. Negative camber in the rears are normal. You don't need a camber kit esp on stock suspension. See how that goes and report back.
negative camber in the rear is normal?..... btu isnt that whats causing the un even wear in my pictures?
12-14-2007, 07:08 AM
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First, I would replace the tire with the bubble before you have a blow out. I actually reccomend that people change wheels in sets (ie: both fronts or both rears). (And no, I don't own a tire shop .)
Second I would have the car rechecked by a reccomended alignment shop.
The beam may set you back ~$1000. It can be purchaced from a wrecked car from a salvage yard. Take some pictures of the beam, so we can see if there is anything obviously wrong.
.)Second I would have the car rechecked by a reccomended alignment shop.
The beam may set you back ~$1000. It can be purchaced from a wrecked car from a salvage yard. Take some pictures of the beam, so we can see if there is anything obviously wrong.
yea.... im trying to replace the tire ASAP.... but... do i really have to reaplce both rears?.... they are BRAND NEW.... just about 1000miles on them....
and when u said get the car re checked by a recommended alignment shop.... i pretty much wasted money on the tires plus 3 year alignment right?
12-14-2007, 09:28 AM
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First, I would replace the tire with the bubble before you have a blow out. I actually reccomend that people change wheels in sets (ie: both fronts or both rears). (And no, I don't own a tire shop .)
Second I would have the car rechecked by a reccomended alignment shop.
The beam may set you back ~$1000. It can be purchaced from a wrecked car from a salvage yard. Take some pictures of the beam, so we can see if there is anything obviously wrong.
Second I would have the car rechecked by a reccomended alignment shop.
The beam may set you back ~$1000. It can be purchaced from a wrecked car from a salvage yard. Take some pictures of the beam, so we can see if there is anything obviously wrong.
alright.... pics as requested...
12-14-2007, 01:56 PM
#24
Here's another way to think of it, you rear wheel is not align with 0-toe so it's more or less "scraping" instead of rolling.
12-15-2007, 05:11 AM
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That's not what's causing it tho, it's the wheel being pointed towards the inside of the car or towards the outside of the car, which ultimately results in the wear you see. Put that together with the stock (in spec) negative camber at the rears (that all 5th gen max's have) and you get what you've shown us in the pic.
Here's another way to think of it, you rear wheel is not align with 0-toe so it's more or less "scraping" instead of rolling.
Here's another way to think of it, you rear wheel is not align with 0-toe so it's more or less "scraping" instead of rolling.
so the way to fix it is to get the toe to 0?...
although the toe was in spec before.... just still get it to zero?... otherwise.... a 5th gen with inspec alignment in the rear can have the wear i have... and it should be normal?
12-15-2007, 05:13 AM
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and a bump... to my other problem..
from when i hit the curb.... the car still veers to the right a bit after the alignment... I dont know if i damaged anything...
from when i hit the curb.... the car still veers to the right a bit after the alignment... I dont know if i damaged anything...
12-15-2007, 07:54 AM
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I don't know what tolerances they used... But my report from a Nissan dealer has totally different tolerances than that sheet...
As per the Nissan specs on my sheet; FL camber is out of tolerance, FL&R caster is out of tolerance, FL toe is out of tolerance, RL&R camber is out of tolerance and your RL toe is nearing tolerance.
Do you have any idea of who owned the car before you? Any performance parts, any accidents... I would also run a carfax report.
As per the Nissan specs on my sheet; FL camber is out of tolerance, FL&R caster is out of tolerance, FL toe is out of tolerance, RL&R camber is out of tolerance and your RL toe is nearing tolerance.
Do you have any idea of who owned the car before you? Any performance parts, any accidents... I would also run a carfax report.
12-15-2007, 05:00 PM
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I don't know what tolerances they used... But my report from a Nissan dealer has totally different tolerances than that sheet...
As per the Nissan specs on my sheet; FL camber is out of tolerance, FL&R caster is out of tolerance, FL toe is out of tolerance, RL&R camber is out of tolerance and your RL toe is nearing tolerance.
Do you have any idea of who owned the car before you? Any performance parts, any accidents... I would also run a carfax report.
As per the Nissan specs on my sheet; FL camber is out of tolerance, FL&R caster is out of tolerance, FL toe is out of tolerance, RL&R camber is out of tolerance and your RL toe is nearing tolerance.
Do you have any idea of who owned the car before you? Any performance parts, any accidents... I would also run a carfax report.
12-15-2007, 05:37 PM
#30
first of all - there is tons of misinformation being posted up here.
second of all -
the camber on the front is not adjustable without camber bolts or plates. If camber is off, that means something is bent (bent strut could be a culprit...been there, done that), as it's the weakest suspension component up front and will bend before a control arm or spindle will.
on the rear, there is really no adjustment for all intents and purposes. Yeah, there are some minor things you can do, but I find it unlikely that your beam is bent anyhow. If you curbed hard, your most likely:
1. bent the rim (whcih could cause uneven wear)
2. broke/cracked the wheel bearing (which DEFINITELY could cause uneven wear on the inside edge).
The first thing you need to to is check your wheel bearings, before going overboard and buying new rear beam.
secondly, you can get a new beam axle for probably $100 from a junkyard, not $1000.
finally, take it to a shop that uses a Hunter laser alignment system. Don't go to jiffy lube or the gas station down the street. Sears automotive uses Hunter, as do many "performance" shops.
also, if you have a bubbled sidewall on a tire, replace that crap, and have your wheels/tires roadforce balanced (again, on a Hunter roadforce balancer), which will let the tech see if the rim is bent or out-of-round in any way.
So, to recap:
1. check wheel bearings for play
2. go to Hunter's website and do a seach for a local shop that has both laser alignment AND roadforce balancing. Do both.
3. then, and only then, start replacing parts....
second of all -
the camber on the front is not adjustable without camber bolts or plates. If camber is off, that means something is bent (bent strut could be a culprit...been there, done that), as it's the weakest suspension component up front and will bend before a control arm or spindle will.
on the rear, there is really no adjustment for all intents and purposes. Yeah, there are some minor things you can do, but I find it unlikely that your beam is bent anyhow. If you curbed hard, your most likely:
1. bent the rim (whcih could cause uneven wear)
2. broke/cracked the wheel bearing (which DEFINITELY could cause uneven wear on the inside edge).
The first thing you need to to is check your wheel bearings, before going overboard and buying new rear beam.
secondly, you can get a new beam axle for probably $100 from a junkyard, not $1000.
finally, take it to a shop that uses a Hunter laser alignment system. Don't go to jiffy lube or the gas station down the street. Sears automotive uses Hunter, as do many "performance" shops.
also, if you have a bubbled sidewall on a tire, replace that crap, and have your wheels/tires roadforce balanced (again, on a Hunter roadforce balancer), which will let the tech see if the rim is bent or out-of-round in any way.
So, to recap:
1. check wheel bearings for play
2. go to Hunter's website and do a seach for a local shop that has both laser alignment AND roadforce balancing. Do both.
3. then, and only then, start replacing parts....
12-15-2007, 05:43 PM
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12-16-2007, 06:45 AM
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f
I figured... i got so confused from reading this thread...
so if the camber is off due to a bent strut.....installing camber bolts and plates isnt the answer right?... the camber is off by 0.1 according to everyone who posted in here.... is that enough to warrant a new strut?
the uneven wear on the rear existed BEFORE the curb hit.... before i bought the car it was there... i replaced the unevenly worn out tires with new ones... but always assumed that these new tires are going to unevenly wear out like the old ones...
i checked the wheel bearing by jackingup the car and trying to spin and wiggle the wheel... nothing feels loose... and the rim seems intact... from far away.... by looking at the back... you can see that the RL wheel is slanted a tad bit (thats the one with the wear) yet the alignment shop said nothing was wrong. opinion on this?
already checked.... and i cant afford a new beam now..... unless its from the junkyard... but then again... how can you tell that its straight?...
the day of the curb hit... i took it to a tiresplus and bought the 3 year unlimited alignment... paid 135$ i dont know if they use hunters or not.... but did i get ripped off?.... no one warned me against them in this thread.
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=547350
i will replace the tire asap... as soon as i get a bit of cash.... once again.... i let tiresplus handle all of the alignment and balancing... i kinda regret it now...
irst of all - there is tons of misinformation being posted up here.
second of all -
the camber on the front is not adjustable without camber bolts or plates. If camber is off, that means something is bent (bent strut could be a culprit...been there, done that), as it's the weakest suspension component up front and will bend before a control arm or spindle will.
the camber on the front is not adjustable without camber bolts or plates. If camber is off, that means something is bent (bent strut could be a culprit...been there, done that), as it's the weakest suspension component up front and will bend before a control arm or spindle will.
on the rear, there is really no adjustment for all intents and purposes. Yeah, there are some minor things you can do, but I find it unlikely that your beam is bent anyhow. If you curbed hard, your most likely:
1. bent the rim (whcih could cause uneven wear)
2. broke/cracked the wheel bearing (which DEFINITELY could cause uneven wear on the inside edge).
1. bent the rim (whcih could cause uneven wear)
2. broke/cracked the wheel bearing (which DEFINITELY could cause uneven wear on the inside edge).
i checked the wheel bearing by jackingup the car and trying to spin and wiggle the wheel... nothing feels loose... and the rim seems intact... from far away.... by looking at the back... you can see that the RL wheel is slanted a tad bit (thats the one with the wear) yet the alignment shop said nothing was wrong. opinion on this?
The first thing you need to to is check your wheel bearings, before going overboard and buying new rear beam.
secondly, you can get a new beam axle for probably $100 from a junkyard, not $1000.
secondly, you can get a new beam axle for probably $100 from a junkyard, not $1000.
finally, take it to a shop that uses a Hunter laser alignment system. Don't go to jiffy lube or the gas station down the street. Sears automotive uses Hunter, as do many "performance" shops.
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=547350
also, if you have a bubbled sidewall on a tire, replace that crap, and have your wheels/tires roadforce balanced (again, on a Hunter roadforce balancer), which will let the tech see if the rim is bent or out-of-round in any way.
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