Rear Wheel Mal Alignment

[fatboyoz]

Originally Posted by zahawa

Hi
I have a 03 X5 and had my tires inspected today. These are Michelin MXV4 Plus 235/65 R17. The rear tires are worn out predominantly in the inner aspect and need replacing. However my concern is the alignment.

One dealer told me that in general the tires wear out more on the inside and no re-alignment is needed. However another dealer told me that it is necessay to realign the rear wheels to prevent a reccurance. I am confused and need some advice.

Zahawa,
When I had my last wheel alignment done (when I fitted new tyres) I wasn't completely satisfied that the technician had removed as much negative camber as he could have. I got under the car with suitable spanners, loosened the camber adjuster nuts, and turned the camber adjuster cams so that the thicker side pointed outboard on both sides and then tightened the nuts. This reduced the negative camber to it's absolute minimum. I then went on a 7000km trip, the handling was absolutely no different to what it was with more negative camber, and the inside of the tyres did not scrub out. You can see the camber adjusters if you look under the car from the rear. They are located on the inner end of the lower suspension arm.
When you have your alignment done, make sure the tech' rotates these cams to this position. You still end up with negative camber, not sure how much, and not sure if it is within the book figures. Definitely stops the premature wear on the inside though.
Colin.