My car is sitting on H&R Coilovers, and 225/45/17 Continental Extreme DWS. I got these tires put on in November/Early December. However, my driver side front tire is wearing MUCH quicker than the rest of the tires. I have some pretty bad axle play and I was wondering if maybe that has something to do with it? Would a blown shock be the cause of this as well? I'm pretty sure I don't have a blown shock but I don't really want to take it to Toyota because I know they will charge me an arm and a leg although it should be covered under warranty but my coils might kill that. If anyone has any ideas as to what it might be, let me know. Thanks.

 

bad alignment probably, the axle play might have something to do with it if it is bad enough i would imagine. Toyota is not going to cover your h&r coilover being blown since it didnt come on the car, that has nothing to do with them.

 

u can usually tell if you have an alignment issue. just look at where the tire is wearing. in side edge or outside edge. the axle more than likely does have something to do with it. when you say "axle play" are you saying u have extra movement from the axle to the case. or is it your bearings?

just have ur alignment checked.

 

If you are still under warranty at all - just go to the dealer. The worst they can do is look at it and say here's the problem but it'll cost you to fix it.

The two options are pretty much spot on though. The axle thing could be part of the problem as well as a bad alignment. I'd get both checked out.

 

how is it wearing?

Inside edge, outside edge, middle only, is there feathering or cupping, etc?

Did you get it aligned after the springs were installed, and what alignment settings did they set to?

 

I did get an alignment when the tires were put on and I haven't adjust my height since then, since I'm in winter mode right now. I was planning on going lower for the spring, but I plan on getting this check out first. I have a little less than a one and a half finger gap all around. (It would be more with 215 tires)

It seems to me that it's pretty even wear all around on just that one tire, more on the outside edge and I didn't notice any cupping or feathering.

 

And when I say axle play, I mean I can hear that little b__tard jiggle when I shift into second and third gear, and also sometimes when I take off in first.

 

UPDATE:

Drove in about 1-2inches of snow tonight. Driver side tire seems to be slipping more than the other side. The wear isn't MUCH more than the other tires but enough. I'm thinking this has something to do with the axle. I hope I don't have to get it replaced :/

 

Bump...anyone have any more ideas? :/

 

One tire will always slip more than the other, since we have an open diff (if you gas it in the snow, only one tire will spin). So that has nothing to do with the issue.

I cant see it being an axle issue. Your spindle is attached to the car, the axle is splined into it. A bad axle by itself should not cause this issue.

When you say you hear it when you drive, what exactly is the sound? If it were play in the bearing, you should hear a growling sort of noise as the bearing started to go. If it were a CV joint, it should click and pop, more so when you turn and accelerate at the same time.

And pics of the tire wear and one of the tire on the other side would help. Any sort of unusual wear should be visible in the way it wears. I would have a hard time thinking that one tire is wearing perfectly even across the tread, without any feathering, cupping, etc. unless it is just one really bad tire out of the bunch. In that case, it should follow that tire when you rotate them (which should be done at every oil change on a fwd car).

 

Thanks for your help engifineer, I think you may be the most knowledgeable when it comes to things like this. However, It's not noticeable wear until you actually use the penny trick or run your fingers through the tread.

I did have one of my buddies who has his own shop/lift check it, and I do indeed have axle play. I know theres supposed to be SOME play but it seems theres a bit too much. I can really only hear it during shifting, especially during cold starts. It gets a BIT better when the motor/tranny is warmed up. I can hear it only through 2nd and 3rd gear though. Sometimes when I'm at a stop light at a complete stop, after the clutch catches and I start rolling I can hear almost like a knock/pop noise. It's not very loud, but loud enough to hear while driving.

 

Sounds like you could have a CV joint going bad as well, but the tire wear is most likely something else. I would fix the CV joint soon if that is really going though. If it comes apart, you are left on the side of the road.

Hard to say if the wear is that close. For now I would keep the tires rotated and keep an eye on them like you have been. If you see any scuffing/feathering or cupping then you could very well have an alignment issue.

 

I have checked the boots for rips, tears etc and they all look fine. I'm a bit worried because I'm not sure if I have the money to fix this seeing as I am currently unemployed. I only have 27,000 miles on my car. How could this happen? Also, I noticed some oil leaking out of my tranny. It's not LEAKING but its there. I haven't found any on the ground yet after the car has been sitting for awhile so I'm not sure what that is about either.

 

bump