Hi all,
I purchased a matching set of Kuhmo tires last winter and have put about 9k miles on them, (tires are rated at 50,000 mile) Really like the ride these tires give, anyway I had the tires rotated and was noticing a slight wobble or vibration in the steering wheel at certain speeds so I looked at the drivers side tire and sure enough one of the weights was missing, probably happened when they rotated them. I had the tire rebalanced and the wobble got better but not completely gone so I am guessing the passenger side tire may need balancing as well. Now when my guy pulled off the tire to balance it he said to me man you have been putting some miles on these, do allot of driving with this vehicle? I told him no and upon further inspection of the front tires which were just rotated from the rear of the vehicle they are really worn on the inside of both tires and about the same extent. So my question is what would cause the rear tires n this 4Runner to wear in that way and by the way the front tires look like new, hardly any wear at all. I do not do any hauling, nor do I pull trailers and the like so not sure where to start. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

sounds like the front is out of alignment

 

The answer is quite obvious, alignment. Given that the last time I checked the rear axle did not have adjustable camber or toe, and you probably didn't bend the whole housing to the point of wearing tires badly, that leaves only to check how the back tracks relative to the front.

An alignment place is the easiest solution, but you can also take a tape measure, set your steering straight, and measure the distance between front and back tires on both sides. Measurements should be equal. Then run a string along the sidewalls, pull it tight, all sidewalls should be inline, without bending the string.

 

I had it aligned right when I put on the new tires so not sure that would be it. Again its the back tires that are showing the excessive wear. The tires on the front look like new as they should with only 9000 miles on them. The back tires are realy worn on the inside more then on the outside but both rear tires are alot more worn then the front tires? I have driven allot of years but have never seen this kind of tread wear patttern. ?????

 

Rear axle bent?

 

If the rear axle is bent would that cause the exact same wear on both tires (Both back tires are almost identical in wear) on the rear? I would think it could cause excessive wear but not evenly like mine are. ????

 

im thinkin someone likes to lead foot it and do burnouts! lol

 

You had the tires rotated. So before that, the rear tires were on the front and the fronts were on the back.
Your truck is/was out of alignment, thats why your "old" front tires, which are now on the rear, are worn.

Thats my guess, unless i read something wrong

If i am wrong, has the truck ever been jumped? Maybe bent the axle if it was bottomed out. Thats the only way i would imagine both rears would be wearing the same.

 

Due to some confusion I will try and clarify my original post, sorry if it was confusing and thanks to all who have relplied:

All 4 tires were purchased new last December, I had them do a alignment as why spend 600+ dollars on tires and then have them on a car thats not aligned. So I had the tires rotated a couple weeks ago for the first time and noticed that the rear tires are worn as stated on the inside to outside allot more then the other 2 tires that were on the front. Those tires look great (like new) So if what you say is correct then the shop did not align the tires correctly (rear tires) in the first place and that is why the rear tires are wearing like they are. If thats the case then the tire shop should be held responsible for replacing the 2 worn out ones do to a faulty alignment and then realigning the vehicle although I am not so sure I feel very confident in thier ability to do a proper alignment! Jeez I have a bad feeling about this situation as they will try and weazle out of it I bet, hopefully not but it would not surprise me. Dang it anyway!

PS. I have never jumped it and I don't have a lead foot and this truck won't burn the tires anyway so I know thats not it.

 

[QUOTE=4RUNNERTMAN;51608524]rear tires are worn as stated on the inside to outside allot more then the other QUOTE]


If I'm reading this right you are saying they are worn on the inside and outside? To me that sounds like low tire pressure

 

According to my FSM;

1. Underinflation of a tire leads to the edges of the tires to wear faster than the middle
2. Overinflation of a tire leads to the middle of the tire to wear faster than the edges
3. Incorrect toe-in or extreme camber causes one side of the tire to wear faster than the other.
4. Feathering of a tire is due to misalignment
5. Cupping of a tire can be caused by the following
5a. Underinflation and/or mechanical irregularities such as out-of-balance condition of wheel and/or tire, and bent or damaged wheel.
5b. Loose or worn steering tie-rod or steering idler arm.
5c. Loose, damaged or worn front suspension parts.

Hope that helps.

 

[quote=gonzo;51608757]What I am trying to say is the tire is more worn on the inner side. The tire tread depth is deeper on the outer part of the tire then the inner part of the tire but the whole tread is really worn way more then the 2 tires on the front of my 4Runner. Sorry for any confusion and thanks for replying.

 

So again it sounds like I got a botched alignment when I had these tires put on. Now the rear tires are shot with 9000 miles on them. Well should I go to a couple other tire places and get thier opinion so I have some ammo when I go back to the place I bought them and had them put on and had the alignment done? Man I hope they own up to a bad alignment and replace these tires. Unbelievable!

 

Unless you forgot about that time where someone decided to rest the Empire State Building on your 4Runner, there really is no way that your rear axle housing could be bent so severely as to wear the insides of the rear tires. It's a solid axle that's held in place with a series of control arms.

Apart from loosening the control arm fasteners and forcing the arms out of their natural position, there are no adjustments possible for the rear.

Something smells a bid odd here...


Andreas

 

just to clarify, the tires that were originally on the rear are messed up, right? or the tires that were originally on the front? if the were originally on the rear then it cant be alignment, unless you guys can explain to me how to align a solid rear axle? lol

 

So now what? Any suggestions as to what I should do next. Like I said i have never seen this and this is my like umteenth vehicle so this one has me stumped as well.

 

Yes that is correct. The tires that were originally on the rear before the recent rotation are the ones messed up. makes me sick just looking at um. I have never spent that kinda money on tires ever, but wanted to get new tires for this baby as I want it right. Now what?

 

I am thinking you got two bad tires.

I would take them back to the dealer.

I know my tire dealer would just give me two new ones and be done!!

These can not be the first set of tires you ever put on the back of this vehicle ????

Have you had this happen with every set of tires you had on this vehicle??

First time only time / Bad tires !!

That is my guess As you say you have not done anything to cause this problem.

I have seen this happen before.

It is also possible the rims these tires are mounted on if I recall you said New Tires and wheels .

Are assembled wrong so when the tire is mounted and installed on the vehicle most of the weight would ride on the inside edge hence wearing that part of the tire first.

Either case back to the dealer and have this checked .

I can`t think it could be anything else.

 

This is the first set of tires I have put on the vehicle, I purchased this 4Runner last December and had these tires put on so I have no idea on the hisory of the truck. The tires that were taken off looked fairly even as to wear that I can remember and I just had the tires replaced. The problem is two fold however as I hope they will give me 2 new tires but I doubt it and then I still have the problem unless it is indeed the tires themselves as it may happen again. Kinda between a rock and a hard place see what I mean. Thanks for the input.

 

go to a reputable alignment shop and get a 4wheel alignment done...
thats the only thing i can think of...