Wheels/Tyres: Uneven Tyre Wear

[Darlo]

Being a complete layman when it comes to all things mechanical (and I'm including tyre wear in this..) the nearside rear tyre on my XC90 has worn far greater on the outside 2-3 inches than anywhere else on that tyre. So much so that this section has no tread left where the rest of the tyre has roughly 3mm.

All the other tyres are worn evenly so it's a puzzle to me, any suggestions?

[Ron_XC90]

Hi Darlo,

Best is to go to a specialist tyre center and let them carry out a 4 wheel laser allignment (not a 2 wheel as most will do). Cost are approx £60 - £80

[ALW]

I have EXACTLY the same issue and wear problems. I am told its a common fault. Having read Ron's reply I will get the "4 wheel" alignment checked however.

[4wheeldriver]

Is this summat I should get checked on mine even though its on 2 months old?? Havent been off road or anything with it but potholes are a nightmare up here

[Ron_XC90]

For me the problem started after 6 Months where the car would noticeably pull to the left.
I first had an allignment carried out by one of the local "done while you wait centres" which probably even made things worse.
The Volvo garage then advised me to have a 4-wheel allignment carried out, not 2 wheel as they probably did at the local centre.
This was also advised by some users here.

I think allignment can be out anytime, new car or old so is worth checking every now and then. Uneven tyre wear will mean that there is a problem somewhere...

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Ron_XC90

The Volvo garage then advised me to have a 4-wheel allignment carried out, .

The dealer should be doing that himself it is part of his agreement to have 4 wheel alignment equipment at his premises OR a sister gagage in the group nearby ... When you do them on a regular basis you get to know whats needed and also the latest settings which volvo do change now and again , a lot of non volvo aligning centres have the wrong data in their machines .

[safariman72]

The most likely is tracking but I believe it can also be caused by faster cornering speeds due to cars having power steering these days.

[conkurs]

I have a similar problem on my V50. R-design and with the factory fitted lowered springs.
After 6 months of use I noticed that all 4 tyres were down to 4-6mm of tread left across the centre and outside, but on the inside edge 15-25mm totally bald on all 4 tyres.

I measured the camber and at -1.7 front and -2.3 degrees rear it's a bit wild for a street car, it is running the sort of figures I would run with a race car for the track.
Camber and toe-in are spot on.
Got the tieweb print from the original build and the figures haven't changed significantly, other than settling of the road springs and a 0.1 degree increase in negative camber.

Volvo didn't want to know about it............

So I'll sort it myself and buy a BMW next time........

my suggestion is to go to a decent garage with a good reputation and get the wheel angles set up to reduce the uneven tyre wear.

Assuming that toe-in and camber angles are correct, then with camber wear charactaristics you can do the following:
With excessive tyre wear on the outside of the tyre = increase nagative camber angle 0.5 degrees.
With excessive tyre wear on the inside of the tyre = decrease negative camber angle 0.5 degrees.

This is assuming that the toe-in is correct, and wheel bearings/suspension bushings are not worn.

Conk.

[Road King Scot]

Just got my 05 XC90 back from it's annual service and it needed 2 rear tyres. The offside rear had only done about 5000 miles and was down to the wear bars. I did need the rear wheel bearings replaced last month and the dealer said that the faulty wheel bearing may have contributed to the severe tyre wear.

Can anyone advise whether this is a likely cause. I've read what's been said about 4 wheel alignment and I now plan to get a tyre guage and check them weekly. If I see any excessive wear, and the pressures are ok, I'll then get the 4 wheel alignment done.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Road King Scot

Just got my 05 XC90 back from it's annual service and it needed 2 rear tyres. The offside rear had only done about 5000 miles and was down to the wear bars. I did need the rear wheel bearings replaced last month and the dealer said that the faulty wheel bearing may have contributed to the severe tyre wear.

Can anyone advise whether this is a likely cause. I've read what's been said about 4 wheel alignment and I now plan to get a tyre guage and check them weekly. If I see any excessive wear, and the pressures are ok, I'll then get the 4 wheel alignment done.

Utter nonsence to be honest , how can they justify saying that unless the wheels were flopping all over the place . When a wheel bearing goes noisy they never get play in them .
One factor in tyre wear on XC90 is tyre pressures , try and keep them at a minimum of 35 psi .. up to 40 if you find the ride unaffected ..