Hi All,
Both of my front tires are wearing very uneven on my 2002 e825. The outside of the tire is wearing extremely fast compared to inside (see pic).
Has anyone ever experienced this and is there a way to fix it. I have front disc brakes and installed adjustable shocks.
Thanks and have a safe and happy 4th of July
Tim
Check toe settings and camber.
Sounds like too much toe in.
If wheels have too much positive camber (in at bottom - out at top) it can also cause this type of wear. (Rare cause)
Thanks,
How do I check that?
You need a square and a Magic Marker
1, Find a flat area on the concrete
2 Put the square against the fattest part of the tire toward the rear of the car and make a mark on the concrete
3 Do the same toward the front of the car.
4 Repeat on the other side.
5 Push the car back and measure the distance between the marks.
You should see about 1/16 to 1/8 inch toe in.
Rodney
[quote=OLD HOUSEBOATER;31562]Check toe settings and camber.
Sounds like too much toe in.
If wheels have too much positive camber (in at bottom - out at top) it can cause this type of wear. (Rare cause)[/quote]
I must be missing something here. Boatman gives info on checking “Toe In” but it would appear the wear would be caused more by too much Positive Camber (Wheel is out at top and in at the bottom.)
I check the Camber by using a level in Vertical position at wheel hub.
I mentioned that in my initial answer.
To correct positive camber
1 Loosen the 4 bolts holding the spindle carrier to the brake backing plate.
2 Get 4 flat washers ( get 4 thin and 4 thick ) and hack saw a slot that will fit over the diameter of the bolts.
3 Insert the thin washers between the spindle carrier and backing plate on the bottom 2 bolts.
4 tighten the top bolts first then the bottom
5 If you still need more correction swap the thick washers for the thin.
6 Correct toe in after you have camber adjusted.
To correct negative camber put the shims on top.
GEM Camber problems are almost ALWAYS affected by toe adjustment.
Too much toe out = negative camber. (in at top - out at bottom)
Too much toe in = Positive camber (in at bottom - out at top)
ALWAYS check toe before adjusting camber.
Rodney
Thanks for all of the info.
I am ignorant when it comes to toe in/out and camber. I always took my cars in when I had tire issues, the gem is not as easy to get to the tire shop.
So I did the measurements and they are:
Front = 49 9/16"
Rear = 50 1/16"
Is this normal or something I need to fix and if so how can I fix it?
Thanks…Tim
You have 1/2 of toe in.
This is the cause of your excessive wear.
You have to adjust the tie rods to correct this problem.
I get the impression your not too technically inclined.
I suggest you have a mechanic do the adjustment for you.
If you want to take this on yourself I can email you the manual and the procedure is on section 2-4
The procedure is not hard.
Rodney
send me an email and I will send you the manual on pfd
It’s not rocket science - should take you a half hour.
Rodney
I have a manual you had emailed me earlier but like an ■■■■■I looked under the “Wheels & Tire” chapter 6, so now I am looking at the “Suspension and steering” chapter.
I am assuming that I perform this with the vehicle “Not” on jack stands ?
That’s right.
to get started do 1 full turn on each side an measure again
Rodney-Thanks for all the additional information. Even I can now understand what you are saying.
So I noticed that my front tires are bowed in when looking at them from the front (see Pic). It is more prominent in person than in the pic.
Is this normal or can this also be part of the problem?
Sorry one other question. When adjusting for my situation do I do one turn to bring the rod out or in
Thanks
You want to bring the wheels together in the rear. Note the 1 turn is a starting point. You will have to fine tune it after the first adjustment. Make sure you mark the tie rod so you can keep track of how much you adjusted.
Make sure you adjust each side equally or your steering wheel will be off center.
You have positive caster. A lot of this is caused because of the excessive toe in.
Go for 1/8 inch of toe in.
If you still have excessive caster after toe adjustment you will have to go thru the caster adjustment I described.
Rodney
I have a 2005 GEM E4, and the front tires are showing excessive wear on the INSIDE and are splayed in at the top (in at the top out at the bottom), which sounds like the opposite of what this thread has been describing. Presumably, however, the solution is similar but opposite…
I second that on my 2005 e4
Good Morning. I was reading your post and I am having a toe in problem on my 2000 Gem car. Tires wearing rapidly on the outside edge. I would really appreciate if you could send me the pdf on how to adjust the toe and camber
Thank You
Craig
Adjust the toe in to about 1/8 inch. Camber will usually correct if toe is right. If you have toe out the camber will go negative,
In a message dated 12/14/2019 11:06:41 AM Eastern Standard Time, electricforum@discoursemail.com writes:
Do you have instructions on how to do this. I did put a washer between the bottom of the backing plate on the lower side of each front wheel and the camber is much better now. But when I back up the camber on top goes inward excessively. When I drive forward it straightens out.
Thank You for your help
Craig