Front tires wearing on inside..HELP!!!!
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
From: Virginia Beach Va.
Front tires wearing on inside..HELP!!!!
I have a 99 Vert and the front tires are wearing badly on the inside tread of both. Is this an alignment problem ??? Toe in / caster adjustment ?? I have the tires balance and front end alignment every 5,000 mi. I did change out the stock swaybars front / rear with new ZO6 bars , end links and Bilstien shocks at 26k miles.. Car has 44K on it now. Thanks for the help
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 857
Likes: 0
From: Olympia WA
Its either a toe or camber problem, but if you align your car that often there is no excuse. Have you lowered it since the last alignment,that will cause neg. camber and wear the inside of the tires.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,937
Likes: 21
From: Waldorf MD
There is a lot of threads on this. The specifications are such that the front tires will wear on the inside IF you do a lot of highway (straight) driving. If you do a lot of curves they will were evenly.
I do a lot of highway driving (daily driver) and mine wear on the insides, I still get 55,000 miles from them (I drive pretty easy).
Someone posted alternate alignment specifications, but I can't find them.
I do a lot of highway driving (daily driver) and mine wear on the insides, I still get 55,000 miles from them (I drive pretty easy).
Someone posted alternate alignment specifications, but I can't find them.
2nd Gear
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: palm bay florida
sounds like too much negative camber. i had this problem with a different car and found out the springs could not maintain the stock ride height. with only 44k it might just be alignment prob. try a different shop.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
From: Virginia Beach Va.
Originally Posted by binkysgarage
Its either a toe or camber problem, but if you align your car that often there is no excuse. Have you lowered it since the last alignment,that will cause neg. camber and wear the inside of the tires.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
From: Virginia Beach Va.
Originally Posted by my1stvette.33
sounds like too much negative camber. i had this problem with a different car and found out the springs could not maintain the stock ride height. with only 44k it might just be alignment prob. try a different shop.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 920
Likes: 2
From: Rogers, AR, USA
Stock C5 alignment will wear the tires on the inside, especially if you have runflats. Change the camber to 0 degrees and you won't have the problem on new tires. Your old tires that have bad wear will continue to get worse, but at a much slower rate.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,366
Likes: 249
From: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
The negative camber that causes the tires to wear on the inside is there to help the front tires stick better in turns. If you decide to run 0 degrees camber, depending on how you drive, the handling will deteriorate slightly. The stock spec is to have slight negative.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
From: Clovis CA
Originally Posted by striper
The negative camber that causes the tires to wear on the inside is there to help the front tires stick better in turns. If you decide to run 0 degrees camber, depending on how you drive, the handling will deteriorate slightly. The stock spec is to have slight negative.
I haven't noticed much difference in cornering if any, but I did notice that it was a lot easier to point it straight down the road. Now, with 46k miles (16k on the new tires) the wear is even. Then again, I don't run autocross every weekend either, although I intend to try it a couple times next year.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
From: Virginia Beach Va.
Originally Posted by KennyZ06
Yes, this is true. My '01 Z06 had the same problem, at 30K miles with lots of highway driving the front tires still had plenty of tread, but the inside edges were down to the cords. When I got new tires, I had the alignment done, and the shop told me that the stock setting was for negative camber, but he adjusted it closer to zero since I drive mostly long highway miles.
I haven't noticed much difference in cornering if any, but I did notice that it was a lot easier to point it straight down the road. Now, with 46k miles (16k on the new tires) the wear is even. Then again, I don't run autocross every weekend either, although I intend to try it a couple times next year.
I haven't noticed much difference in cornering if any, but I did notice that it was a lot easier to point it straight down the road. Now, with 46k miles (16k on the new tires) the wear is even. Then again, I don't run autocross every weekend either, although I intend to try it a couple times next year.
Thanks for the info. I think I'll go with the adjustment closer to zero for the highway driving. I do not autocross either and have a heck of a time keeping car pointed straight. I was under the impression that keeping it straight had more to do with the charastics of EMT Tires (runflats). Since I need some new tires on the front I have been leaning towards non run flats all around. Thanks again.
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
From: Clovis CA
Originally Posted by Parrothead's Vette
KennyZO6,
Thanks for the info. I think I'll go with the adjustment closer to zero for the highway driving. I do not autocross either and have a heck of a time keeping car pointed straight. I was under the impression that keeping it straight had more to do with the charastics of EMT Tires (runflats). Since I need some new tires on the front I have been leaning towards non run flats all around. Thanks again.
Thanks for the info. I think I'll go with the adjustment closer to zero for the highway driving. I do not autocross either and have a heck of a time keeping car pointed straight. I was under the impression that keeping it straight had more to do with the charastics of EMT Tires (runflats). Since I need some new tires on the front I have been leaning towards non run flats all around. Thanks again.
My other friend has a Convertible, and he went through the same problem with inside wear. He switched to the Pilots also, which are EMT, and he says they're awesome. Good luck!
