I have 2003 tdi galaxy with 16inch alloys the problem is that the front tyres on one side will wear on the inside and outside of the tyre and i got the tracking done it stoped on the drivers side and started on the passenger side and same thing happens all the time i dont know if it was ever crashed ive put on a new tyre every 2months im broke putting tyres on it and having five kids i need the car cant afford to get rid so please help ,Andrew

It should be possible to gain a rough idea of the problem from the tyre wear.

Choppy scalloped type wear suggests defective shocks or excessive wheel imbalance.

Wear of both shoulders or edges of a tyre or the centre of the tread indicates incorrect tyre pressures.

If both tyres are displaying a similar wear pattern on the same inside or outside shoulder indicates incorrect toe setting.

If one tyre has a shoulder that is wearing it indicates an incorrect camber angle.

If both tyres are wearing differently the problem is likely to be a combination.

The rear alignment of some cars is adjustable and slight misalignment can be corrected but often rectification comes down to replacing parts or even using a body jack to move mounting points.

I suggest you book your car in for a 4-wheel alignment check.

wear to the outside of the tyre could indicate to a tyre specialist that the car recieves some serious cornering g-forces. but if this SUV is driven carefully then that should not have happened. when driving down a straight flat road let go of the steering wheel for just a second (make sure the roads empty first) and see if the car wants to lean to the right. it could mean you may have a wheel alignment issue. wear the the outside can also be possible if you are running your tyres on low pressure for extended periods of time (also does not sound likely if maintained) but if that is so you should see wear on the inside . there is also simply the fact that that tyre may be a bad batch from the factory in which case the tyre fitter will exchange it under warranty if he thinks that is the case. but my money is in the wheels alignment.

Three common faults here are;
1) Steering alignment - if the front tyres are wearing on the insides then the wheels are facing toe-out. If on the outsides then they're toe-in. The only way to really get them aligned properly is by laser light at a garage. Cause can be altered ride height, mounting a kerb badly, wear in suspension.
2) Worn part in the suspension system, most likely a suspension arm bush or ball joint has deteriorated, uneven and/or premature tyre wear suggests this is more likely the cause.
3) Uneven tyre pressures or sizes. If a tyre is down on pressure or one wheel is oddly sized then you can get a diagonal pivot effect accross the car's chassis, causing it to pull to one side.This effect can also happen due to a broken suspension coil/leaf spring for the same reason.

16 is the rim size and most modern ones will take 215 tyre. Of more concern is the PCD (which dictates how holes line up) would suggest a trip to a breakers and get 4 from any VW Passat (or other) of similar age

Your best bet is to break down and go to a good repair shop for a 4 wheel alignment.Most shops give a flat rate on alignments which means you will pay one price regardless of time it takes.Most modern cars have alignment adlustments on the rear suspension as well as front.Also certain vehicles are very sensitive to tire rotations.Make sure you don't exceed manufactures mile recomendations on rotations.Having it done at the proper times can in some cases double tire life.

Yes there is adjustment. You need to get the alignment checked out. It could be worn bushes and/or damage to the suspension linkages and struts.

If it is a tire related howl you are getting as well as the vibration through the steering wheel once you hit about 60 mph there is a number of things you need to do.

1. If you have not had a wheel alignment carried out on the vehicle in the last 6 months then have it done at a reputable suspension specialist (not a tyre dealer). Check your front tires for wear pattern in any event as uneven wear on the tyre is a sure sign of poor alignment. Bad alignment can also contribute to vibration problems. I will guarantee you that when you get the alignment checked it will be out. I am not sure if the rear alignment is adjustable on your model but if it is you will in fact need a 4 wheel alignment. (REFER point 7 also)

2. When the alignment and other necessary front end work is done check to see if the problems persists..

3. I assume your vehicle has the steel rims fitted with the plastic wheel cover. Remove the covers on the front wheels and check for the vibration. If it disappears then the out of balance condition is caused by the covers. (This would not explain the tyre howl though).

4. Remove both front wheels (clean them) and check for damage to the rims on both sides including outside scuffing. (Check tyres also.)
If the steel rim is bent or warped it will not run true and you will get vibration and the tyres will tend to be noisy on the road. It is not always easy to identify a warped steel rim from a visual check. Spinning the wheel on a wheel balance machine should normally show this up though.
If you have alloy wheels fitted these tend to crack and break rather than bend or warp.

5. Out of balance wheels.

It is possible for a wheel to be so badly manufactured that no amount of balancing on a tyre balance machine will fix it. This is a particular problem with cheap alloy wheels but even good quality wheel manufacturers will occasionally let a bad alloy wheel slip past their quality control .

6. Tyres.
If you buy budget tyres you are generally buying poor performance and potentially poorly constructed tyres. Tyres can be produced with inbuilt heavy spots that will make them impossible to properly balance. You will forever have a balance problem (and hence vibration) with such tyres. A good manufacturer will not allow such tyres to slip through quality control. Others are much less fussy. It is always a bad decision to purchase tyres in the lower price ranges.
In your case it is quite possible that if your wheels are ok the tyres are badly constructed and it is not possible to balance them properly. (This would not explain the tyre howl though).

7. Given the age of your vehicle you should have the front suspension and steering components inspected. It is possible that wear in critical components could be the source of the problem. When you take the car to the suspension specialist for the wheel alignment you need to have the front end fully checked over first and any problem areas attended to.

Without test driving and pysically inspecting the vehicle it is not possible to identify the source or sources of the problems. My best estimate is that there are significant wear problems in front end components and that your front end aligment is also out.
However , I hope this helps.

Hi, first of all i would check the tyre pressure, after that i would inspect the tyres for un-even wear i.e wearing more on the inside of the tyre than the outer. If there is wear then this would mean that your steering tracking is off.

Brad

1. It's hard to say without looking at the vehicle (and test driving it) but more than likely the front end is badly out of alignment. ( If the car has been in a significant front end accident and badly repaired then this could also be a source of the problem as the alignment may not be capable of being properly set).

2. The first thing to do is take the car to a specialist suspension and steering shop and have the wheel alignment checked and adjusted to factory specs. Normally this is not expensive for a straight forward alignment but price depends on the shop. A good suspension shop will also identify if there are any wear problems with the steering or suspension that need attention

3. Older drivers sometimes frequently hit kerbs when parking their cars. This will throw out the front wheel alignment every time (and damage tyres) so it must always be avoided. Scrubbed.scuffed tyre side walls are an indication of this as well as scratched wheel rim edges.

4. Some drivers never check tyre pressures. Low tyre pressures will cause much greater tyre wear as there is more friction. (It will also make steering heavier, place undue stress on the steering components, cause the car to handle badly and result in much higher fuel consumption).
The lady needs to ensure her car has at least 32 lbs pressure in both front tyres and at least 30lbs in the rear (which carries less weight). The pressures must be set with COLD tyres. Manufacturer optimum spec tyre pressures are usually set for comfort. These can be safely exceeded by a few pounds. It is far safer (and more economical) to run slightly higher pressures than a setting that is too low. (A good tyre will run all day with 38-40 pounds pressure and 36-38 is quite safe).

5. Worn out shock absorbers will also contribute to abnormal tyre wear. 70000 miles of average driving will see out a set of shocks. (Personally I would not leave them that long as the factory shocks are generally of average quality on this type of car)..

That's the best I can do Brad without seeing the car so I hope this helps some. Hopefully a good wheel alignment will fix the problem but make sure the tyre pressures are kept up as well. If the shocks are worn out they will also need to be replaced if the car is to be roadworthy.

Cheers Sean

Unless there is noise or play when cornering sharply at low speeds (parking), the CV joint / boot is still ok. The joint does need grease in there and the rubber boot fitted properly very soon.

As the suspension is set, the axle does little more than provide drive. It doesn't affect toe-in or camber angle.

Camber angle (vertical tilt inwards) is a product of the suspension design, and often cannot be altered.

Weak front springs can also throw this angle out, as the vehicle sits too low.

Toe-in (forward point angle) can and must be set accurately, or you will skid about in wet weather depending which tyre grips more.

What is most important to you, is the tyre design, tread width and outer radius. Also the tyre pressures MUST be mid limit when cold on the front - otherwise excess wear will result.

Having tyres with a large contact area that are too rigid on the front will increase wear to the insides.

Also, it is good practice to rotate the tyres to even-out wear. Usually front tyres move to rear axle, and rears swap sides to front axle. If wear is uneven, pop them off and turn around before refitting. Some tyres you cannot do this with.

If you choose a tyre with a harder tread compound, or ones with "C" at the end of the code, these will again last a lot longer.

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