TheSamba.com :: View topic

Wed Nov 11, 2009 7:05 pm

I sport 225/65/17 and when I took it in for the alignment the proprietor told me that he took it out as far as he could go (pic included), and that I would see some wear on the front tires. Five months in I noticed considerable wear on the left front, with the right not far behind. He said it was because I was running the larger wheels. They're from a Touareg w/ an ET55. Was looking for some ideas on alleviating this issue. Help me Mr. Wizard!!!

Wed Nov 11, 2009 7:23 pm

Wider tires in itself will not cause the tires to wear more rapidly than a narrower size. I assume by "took it out as far as he could go", he meant that the camber adjustment was at it's maximum. If your van is extremely low or lifted beyond stock, you could run out of adjustment. If the van is stock height or mildly lowered, you have something going on.

My guess would be that the upper control arm bushings, lower control arm bushings, camber adjustment eccentrics, or a combination of those things, is the problem. Unless something is bent of course.

One question though, what is the thickness of the adapters that you are using? Too little offset can put additional strain on the marginal bushings causing increased camber.

Wed Nov 11, 2009 7:35 pm

Chris I have the GW 2" springs and I pulled this up from a previous post. I got the adapters from some guy named loogy :)

Those Touareg wheels are indeed a 55mm offset and would require a 25mm adapter. I am fairly confident that you will be able to retain the VW emblem, but we should probably take some measurements of the hub depth with the center cap in place just to be sure.

Wed Nov 11, 2009 8:49 pm

zimzam wrote: Chris I have the GW 2" springs and I pulled this up from a previous post. I got the adapters from some guy named loogy :)

Those Touareg wheels are indeed a 55mm offset and would require a 25mm adapter. I am fairly confident that you will be able to retain the VW emblem, but we should probably take some measurements of the hub depth with the center cap in place just to be sure.

What, am I supposed to have a memory like an elephant? Just kidding! I thought that the combination sounded familiar, but deal with so many different people and combinations, it's hard to remember them all.

Anyway, the guy that you got your adapters from did a good job specing them out, so that isn't an issue.

The picture that you included didn't pop up for me the first time, so I wasn't sure what exactly you were referring to. The picture is showing the front end of the radius rod. That is where the caster adjustment is made. Caster is generally not a factor in tire wear. At least not to the extent of the tire wear that you are seeing.

If the alignment "technician" told you that this was the cause of your problem, you need to find a new alignment shop. The cause of your tire wear is definitely toe, camber or a combination of the two, which is something that the alignment shop should have adjusted to specs or informed you that one of those two was not able to be adjusted to specs. And uh, that nut (and the threads) on the radius rod does not even look like it has had a wrench placed on it in a long time. Maybe I'm wrong about that.

Now, the 2" lift springs do tend to cause the upper control arm to drop enough that getting the camber set correctly can be a problem. If the camber is only off by a small amount, you will see some increase in tire wear on the inside edge, but nothing like what you are experiencing. I am pretty darn sure that you will find that your alignment issues stem from a combination of toe and camber. I think that a second opinion from a qualified alignment shop is in order.

Wed Nov 11, 2009 10:06 pm

Hey thanks Chris. I didn't think the adapters were the problem. According to my mechanic the alignment guy was supposed to be a "guru". Time to find another swami. I won't be driving it until I get the body work completed in the Spring, but there is someone else that was recommended to me. I'll give them a call. Thanks again.

Wed Nov 11, 2009 10:25 pm

Do you have these ball joint spacers?- http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=4356&category_id=91&category_parent_id=
Have read this article from GoWesty about their spring kit alignment?- http://www.gowesty.com/library_article.php?id=1113

Thu Nov 12, 2009 12:20 am

No I do not, and I will be ordering them tomorrow. Thanks man. "You da Swami."

Thu Nov 12, 2009 6:08 am

check list for installing 16's on a 2wd full Westy.
-2" lift springs
-ball joint spacers

What else am I missing?

Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:30 am

Do 16s clear the swing arm on the rear? Adding a lift spring doesn't address the curved part of the swingarm.

I know on my 85 Westy, I'm sitting at 18 inches wheel center to fender lip front and rear, and my 215/75-15s are kinda close to that arm lip.

Are the 16s larger overall height?

A rear wheel spacer would move the tire out and away from the lip a little bit, right?

Thu Nov 12, 2009 9:57 am

In my trained inspector's eye, I notice that the bushing in the photo is cracked. I would suspect that the other rubber in the entire suspension set would be in similar shape. If the bushings are in poor shape, they may be loose or pulled into a point where you go beyond the range of adjustment. To get everything right, I would go after the rubber in your suspension system. Then go to a decent suspension shop. Otherwise, you may be chasing your tail on this.