Excessive tire wear

[CoastalF350]

I drive a 2006 f350 CCLB. I'm getting excessive wear on my front tires on the out side. I know I will be needing a new steering box soon (redhead) but need to know what to get to stop the wear. How do I find out what's causing it? I don't mind doing it the right way but would like not to replace parts that don't need to be replaced. Any opinions and tricks to see what the hell is happening?

 

[dzldoctor]

Sounds like Ball joints. Lift it up and see whats loose. Could be tie rod also.

 

[ToMang07]

Check or get checked the front end, replace any/all worn parts, and get an alignment done.

 

[IdahoF350]

My '05 wore the outside edge from the first set of tires when new, it's an alignment issue due to the lack of caster and no camber. If you drive it into corners aggressively it rolls the tire onto the outside shoulder. You can't really add much camber, you can with the sleeves on the upper ball joint but it doesn't gain much. More caster helps, but that requires a cam on the lower bolt or a drop in the rear pivot at the radius arm bracket.

I have a similar issue with my CTS-V, there isn't enough adjustment in the factory suspension for my driving style, and I nuke the outside edge of the front tires taking it out to play...


Sent by my right thumb!

 

[CoastalF350]

So I should get an alignment first?

 

[78f100]

No, can't be aligned properly with bad parts. Take it to a frontend shop you trust, have them check it. These trucks are rough on balljoints, and don't cheap out buy moog parts. We do lots of them and cheap parts won't hold up.

 

[IdahoF350]

'05 up trucks don't eat up the hubs, ball joints, steering linkage and related suspension and steering parts like the 99-04 trucks do. Have it inspected, if it passes the inspection, and it probably will if it's got less than 200k on it or you drive beat up dirt roads at highway speed regularly. Be honest with yourself about how hard you drive it into corners on the highway. Depending on your answer to yourself, you're probably going to want to add caster and a little camber in the alignment, toe should be left stock setting.

I used to run my 7400lb '05 F350 CCLB 4x4 truck up a canyon most people call comfortable at 35-40 doing 55-60 and not miss beat, but it tears up the front tires pretty bad because they aren't designed for the corner loading stresses I can throw at them.

Ball joints allow more negative camber, my E99 has lots of it right now because at 157k the ball joints are SHOT. It's wearing the inside edge rapidly, and causing some cupping. The only reason I'm not bothering to fix it is I have already gotten 53k out of this set of 50k warrantied Cooper ATs, and there is a pair of 40k mile '05 axles, and all the trimmings including a 6" lift and a set of 35" Toyos on 18s sitting in my garage waiting to go under this truck.

You can check the ball joints with a floor jack and pry bar (any lever) under the tire for free. If the spindle moves up and down visibly when you raise the tire, you'll need to look into ball joints, if the spindle doesn't move but the tire still moves up and down. you'll need to look at the hubs more closely.

I was consulting in a shop recently and they had an '03 F-350 on the lift for an inspection, the tech never lifted the axles to check the ball joints or hubs. He have the customer a line of crap that those parts would have all been part of the 8" lift kit on the truck. The shop typically only works on GM trucks. I quietly advised the customer to seek out a qualified suspension and alignment shop for a valid opinion. I then proceeded to end my working relationship with that shop.


Sent by my right thumb!

 

[CoastalF350]

Thanks for the help

 

[MrOneEyedBoh]

Also take into account road crown. When I drive on certain roads it'll pull to one side slightly. Then I get on others and its straight as an arrow. Because I drive 45 miles a day on a road that pulls a bit, I get slight wear on certain parts of the tire.