Replacement Tyre

[JMO]

One of my tyres is in need of replacement and is well ahead in wear compared to the other 3. Right now, they are all Dunlop SP3000A but I was thinking of getting a Maxxis MA-V1 to replace the worn tyre.

Does anyone know how they compare to the dunlops? Is it a good idea to run a single tyre different to the other 3?

Cheers.

[AMB]

Sounds like you not fussy, so shouldn't make any noticeable difference. Used to be that you had to match the tread pattern for roadworthy (here in VIC), but now it just has to be the same profile. So why did it wear out so quickly? Best to fix that problem.

[whiskers]

If I was you I would get at least 2 tyres of the same kind, as all tyres drive differently and if you have odd tyres and get caught in the wet who knows what would happen, you have to have the same tread patten on your tyres up here in QLD ie: both the front or back have to be the same tread patten.

[SLO AU XR8]

Originally Posted by whiskers

If I was you I would get at least 2 tyres of the same kind, as all tyres drive differently and if you have odd tyres and get caught in the wet who knows what would happen, you have to have the same tread patten on your tyres up here in QLD ie: both the front or back have to be the same tread patten.

Not quite right. It is legal to run differing tread patterns on the rear as long as the are the same size. Front's must be same size and pattern. This is Qld though.

[THR347]

As AMD mentioned, best to figure out the source of the problem first, it seems a bit unusual that one tyre is wearing out considerably faster than the rest. How is it wearing? Outer edge... inner edge? may be related to pressure, camber/alignment or even suspension.

As for Maxxis Ma-V1's I've got them on my car with 18" wheels and I couldn't recommend them more considering their reasonable price. Great all rounder in wet and dry. Unfortunately I have not had any experience with the Dunlops and can't compare.

[JMO]

The tyre always had lower tread than the others. I need a front end alignment as it is starting to wear the outer edge on the left (the tyre that needs to be replaced anyway). I'm not sure whether a balance is needed all round. How do you tell?

[Mr Hardware]

Funny you mention this, my rear drivers side tyre always seems to wear out quicker than the rest. :

[mik]

i would`nt be running 2 different tyres on the same axle(front or back), one tyre wearing faster than the others .....time for an alignment? can`t answer your tyre question , i recently put front tyres on mine , the tyre bloke recomended the ma v1 to me , but i ended up with hankook ventis v8 rs another option , the car is driveing very nicely with these on , so far so good , if your spare is the same as front perhaps put it on the front and use the dodgey one for the spare.

[bodes-sh]

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

Funny you mention this, my rear drivers side tyre always seems to wear out quicker than the rest. :

lsd or a lokka would fix that :

[JC]

You can use different brands, patterns etc, as long as they are the same size and construction - you cannot mix radial and cross ply tyres on the same axle.

If you are only replacing one tyre, I'd go to a place that sells second hand tyres and try to get one as close as possible to the one good one on that axle, in terms of wear, and pattern if possible. It's a cheap way to get some more life out of your tyres, and then just buy 2, or 4, new ones when they all wear out at the same time.

[svo supporter]

Originally Posted by JMO

The tyre always had lower tread than the others. I need a front end alignment as it is starting to wear the outer edge on the left (the tyre that needs to be replaced anyway). I'm not sure whether a balance is needed all round. How do you tell?

Firstly, yes you do need an alignment. You've got a little bit much toe in with the front.

To determine a balance problem is fairly easy. Does the steering wheel shake from 20KPH upto 110 or anywhere inbetwen? If the answer is yes, balance time for the front. Can you feel a shake through the seat when driving? If yes, balance rears.

As for replacing one tyre. No big problem. Just put the rears on the front (after balancing) and stick the newie (be it brand new or 2nd hand) with the other front tyre, on the rear.

Problem solved.

[illusivedreams]

Maxxis is Chinese.
Kuhmo Ecsta are great and are Cokean, Quality control is better and rate well by most revies.

Have had Ecsta supa on my car befor and they were amazing in wet and dry,

Dunlops are great but again if you are going for an entry level tyre IMO better go for an asian brand if you are looking at spending some money go Japanes or American brands.

Just a thought.

[AMB]

Originally Posted by illusivedreams

......Cokean......

Was pondering this one for quite a while. Does he mean USA, land of coca cola?

Finally figured it out, you meant Korean.

[JMO]

LOL....cokean :P

I ended up finding a cheap replacement for the time being. Thanks for all the info. I'll keep it in mind for when it comes time to replace all four.

One strange thing did happen though, the tyre place I took it to said that an alignment wasn't needed at all and the tech that took it for a drive said that it drove beautifully. I explained to him that if I let go of the steering wheel the car will start pulling to the left slightly and that the outer edge of the front left was starting to pit/wear. The tech did say however that the steering wheel was a little off centre, so I had that fixed but it still does the slight pull to the left.

I hope that was the cause of the wear so I'll wait a little while and see how the tyre holds up. Any ideas as to what could have caused the wear?

[svo supporter]

Your wear is a result of slightly too much "toe in" on the front. The fact the car drives beautifully doesn't mean the alignment isn't out.

As for a slight left pull, I wouldn't read into that too much at this stage. If a front tyre has some edge wear on it, that does cause pulling/drifting problems. IMA. Letting go of a steering when driving isn't a good idea, even if it is to check how the car steers.

So to sum it up, book in for the alignment, unless you like paying out unnecessarily for tyres.

[JMO]

I only tested it at relatively low speed, I live in a court. It was aligned after the steering wheel was centred but it still pulls to the left slightly. If I see any signs of wear starting on the outside edge I'll take it back and show them.

[SLO AU XR8]

Do not get a wheel alignment at a tyre shop. They will make it so you need to come back sooner to give them more business. You are better off paying around $60 and getting a suspension place to do the wheel alignment

[AMB]

Originally Posted by JMO

I only tested it at relatively low speed, I live in a court. It was aligned after the steering wheel was centred but it still pulls to the left slightly. If I see any signs of wear starting on the outside edge I'll take it back and show them.

My AU does the same thing, very slight pull to the left at 100 kmh. Tyre wear is perfect, so don't think its wheel alignment. Thought it might be rear left park brake shoe dragging slightly, backed it off, no change. So I'm thinking it must be rear left wheel bearing, slightly more worn giving that slight more rolling resistance.

[GK]

A slight lean or glide to the left is what you'd expect if your wheels are correctly aligned. It's the road camber. The road is sloped to allow water runoff. Imagine roads that couldn't drain! Oh boy! LOL!

The steering wheel comment from the guy concerns me though. If it's out, it's because it wasn't centred before an alignment. the steering wheel is centred and then the wheels adjusted, not the other way round.

Perhaps take the advice of SLO AU XR8 and go to a suspension place to get your next alignment, or at least a tyre place you know that has a good rep.

As for MAV1's, I'd never get them again. It's true they're good value for money, go okay in the wet and dry. they wear well too, but are they noisy! I was so glad to get them off both my falcons!

GK

[svo supporter]

There are a number of factors a car will drift left, that I won't get into.

What would be preferred though, is if a copy of a report could be posted up. That way, it could be deciphered for you and give you a probable cause for this drift.

As for not going to a tyre shop for alignments. What a load of crock written. The real answer is finding a person that knows how to do their job properly, not just a generalisation.

The good TYRE shops give a written warranty on their alignments.

There is no problem straightening a steering wheel prior to an alignment, other than time wasting. However when the alignment is being done, the steering wheel is locked in the straight ahead position so once the adjustments are finished, the steering wheel comes out straight. That's all

[AMB]

Originally Posted by GK

A slight lean or glide to the left is what you'd expect if your wheels are correctly aligned. It's the road camber.......GK

I drive the same roads in my EF, (and in the old XF) and both have no slight steer to the left, so can't be the road camber affecting the wife's AU. I thought road camber when out years ago. I find that most major roads are very flat these days. With laser levelers etc, they can build really flat roads that still have a very slight fall for drainage.
I'm very happy with this set of Federals I have on the EF. Quiet with good grip, and seem to be lasting a long time.

[svo supporter]

Originally Posted by AMB

I drive the same roads in my EF, (and in the old XF) and both have no slight steer to the left, so can't be the road camber affecting the wife's AU. I thought road camber when out years ago. I find that most major roads are very flat these days. With laser levelers etc, they can build really flat roads that still have a very slight fall for drainage.
I'm very happy with this set of Federals I have on the EF. Quiet with good grip, and seem to be lasting a long time.

Road camber still exists. It has to, otherwise the water would just sit in the middle of the road.

It is impossible to have a car driving straight on every single road around this country, because each area has varying amounts of camber on their roads.

In saying that, it is always best to go to a person that knows the area well, so they can set the car to drive straight 90% of the time. And it doesn't have to be a suspension place either. It can be a tyre shop. As long as the aligner is familiar with the area and knows his job properly, it should be fine

[JMO]

Here are the values. I had to retype them from a dodgey printout and the values may be slightly wrong but it's the best I can make out.

[svo supporter]

Thanks for the report. The reason your car is drifting (pulling) left, is because your right hand caster value is greater than the left, when it should be the opposite way around.

So I'd be going back to where you had this alignment done and ask them to do the job again, properly.

IMA. Before people start saying, you need a camber kit blah, blah, blah, have a look at the right hand side inner guard (that's under the bonnet) and look for 4 nuts. There is 2 horizontal to each other either side of the strut tower. (They're 15Mm nuts with blue nyloc thread in them). If you have at least 3MM of thread poking through the back 2 nuts, you are able to shim this to solve the caster problem.

If not, on the left hand side, same area, check the front 2 nuts for the same amount of thread and if you do have this 3MM of thread poking through, you can solve the problem.

If you don't, jump back on here with a guestimate of how much thread is actually poking through and I'll try and guide you through how to get around it, without the necessaity of spending hard earned cash of camber kits to solve your problem.


Just for SL0XR8's benefit. I work in a tyre shop and I've picked this up. Does this mean I shouldn't work there and I should get a job in a suspension place? Or should I just stay put?

[Peuty]

GK is right, MAV1's are so damn noisy - almost unbearable.

MA-Z1's are good though.

[JMO]

The bolts you're referring to are the ones that are below the radiator and the intake pipe, facing the engine? If they are, there is plenty of thread on the right hand side (~6mm) but on the left hand side , the two closest to the front of the car have no thread left (I can only see one thread) and the two closest to the front of the car windshield/passenger have ~4mm.

Just wanted to ask, which values in the table I posted let you know the castor is off? I only ask because as I said the print out was pretty dodgey and the numbers were very faint so I may have been off. All the degree values are correct for the LH Final Values but the minutes values were VERY faint so may be incorrect. All others are correct.

Also, could the incorrect castor cause the outer edge wear or was I most likely mistaken about it wearing?

Right now it's drifting about ~1m for every ~100m driven.

[svo supporter]

Sorry for the confusion JMO. Those nuts I'm referring to are either side of the shocker tower. If you look inside the engine bay, middle of the inner guard, the panel is shaped towards the engine block. Either side of that "hump" about 4 or 5MM down, in the hollow, you should find 2 nuts horizontal to each other about 2 MM apart, both sides of that raised "hump", with some thread poking through. This is what I'm referring to.

If I have confused you more, I do apologise and I'd suggest you post a picture up of your engine bay, from side on, so I can describe it a little better.

Your Caster readings. They are the first angle values. LH is 9.54 R/H is 10.12. It carrys over to the final values as well.

No the Caster readings wouldn't account for the tyre wear. Going by that report, it is very strange you had that wear pattern. It's saying to me, you should have had inside edge wear on the right front. So sorry, it's got me stuffed.

Anywya, hope I've help you a bit and wait to see what your next reply is. And I do apologise if I've confused you

[JMO]

I've circled the bolts I was referring to. Are they the ones you meant?

The coolant resevoir is just out of the picture up top.

[JC]

That's them.

[JMO]

Should I have a go at adjusting it myself or take it back? I'm guessing it is something that is hard to do without the right equipment for measurements etc.