Community Forums

stuck in first · 07-22-2007, 06:30 PM

On both front tires the inside tread is raised noticably. I put my hand on the rears and the tread is flat across the surface. O the front the inner tread is raised. Any thoughts?v

stuck in first · 07-22-2007, 06:30 PM

On both front tires the inside tread is raised noticably. I put my hand on the rears and the tread is flat across the surface. O the front the inner tread is raised. Any thoughts?v

TandW · 07-23-2007, 02:29 AM

It appears you have good alignment and corner slowly. Weigh the front end and inflate tires accordingly. Good luck!

stuck in first · 07-23-2007, 03:43 AM

Tires inflated to 95#. Purchased in 2006 have about 4000 miles on them.

Geechee · 07-24-2007, 09:15 AM

stuck in first,

Have you had the alignment checked? From what you report the camber may be out of specification. You didn't indicate which chassis, but camber is the angle of the wheel in relation to the road surface and could explain wear on one edge being more than on the other. Therefore I guess I don't agree with T&W's statement <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> It appears you have good alignment and corner slowly. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Please let us know what you find the cause to be.

stuck in first · 07-24-2007, 05:41 PM

Alignment has beenchecked twice. When i droped the MH off the jacks the tread lkattened a bit but you can still feel aridge. there is no indication of tire wear.

Geechee · 07-25-2007, 06:07 AM

stuck in first,

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Alignment has beenchecked twice. When i droped the MH off the jacks the tread lkattened a bit but you can still feel aridge. there is no indication of tire wear </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> On both front tires the inside tread is raised noticeably </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I am confused, the two statements seem to be contradictory.

Unless the tires were out of round from the factory, then one side of the tread should not be higher than the other. The only way I am aware for this condition to exist is with uneven tread wear most usally associated with an out of alignment condition. Years ago, people would pay good money to have their tires 'trued'. The tires where spun and a blade would pass across the tread to make sure the surface was 90 degrees to the sidewalls and centerline of the tire. Today the manufacturing processes are such that I feel certain in saying that your tires did not arrive from the factory in the condition you describe. Also assuming that the rear tires are from the same manufacturer and they do not exhibit this condition, it would indicate an alignment problem. I would suggest you take your coach to a good shop in your area that handles big rig trucks and have the alignment checked once again.

I remain interested in the final resolution to this problem as owning a MH is a learning experience only surpassed by that of owning a boat.

FLYTYER · 07-25-2007, 11:12 AM

I would agree that the problem is alignment, but specifically toe-in and not camber.

A shop that does heavy duty trucks should be able to find the cause and correct it.

Also I would not run 95 PSI. On my W22 I run the front tires at 90 and the rears at 85. I came to this setting after weighing the coach and checking the Michelin tire chart for my size tires and rating.

knebrdr · 07-25-2007, 11:56 AM

If the raised area of the tire rolls up smoothly off of the flat area, you may be looking at a tread separation. If your alignment was bad enough to cause this wear pattern the tread would be feathered all the way across.
Randy

MNRVer · 07-25-2007, 02:42 PM

I have 40m miles on my 2003 workhorse chassis and Goodyear G670 tires. I weighed the coach and per the tire chart I ran 90lbs in the front and 85lbs in the rear. I have noticed that the inside and outside tread on all tires is worn more than the middle, so I looked up a tire wear chart on the internet and it said that that type of wear is from tire pressure being to low. So I recently adjusted the front tires to max 100lbs and the rears to 95lbs. Time will tell I guess. If I read stuck in first post correctly,he has the same condition (inside and outside wear).

Geechee · 07-25-2007, 03:13 PM

The description given does not seem to reflect tread separation. Toe-in is the difference in the relationship of the front of the tire to the rear of the tire. It is expressed as an angle. As I understand the condition, it is not exhibiting feathering which is the condition resulting from an out of specification toe-in .

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Feathering
Feathering is a condition when the edge of each tread rib develops a slightly rounded edge on one side and a sharp edge on the other. By running your hand over the tire, you can usually feel the sharper edges before you'll be able to see them. The most common cause of feathering is incorrect toe-in setting, which can be cured by having It set correctly. Occasionally toe-in will be set correctly and this wear pattern still occurs. This is usually due to deteriorated bushings in the front suspension, causing the wheel alignment to shift as the car moves down the road. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Checkout this site: http://www.procarcare.com/includes/content/resourcecent.../25readtirewear.html

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">One Side Wear When an inner or outer rib wears faster than than the rest of the tire, the need for wheel alignment is indicated. There is excessive camber in the front suspension, causing the wheel to lean too much to the inside or outside and putting too much load on one side of the tire. The car may simply need the wheels aligned, but misalignment could be due to sagging springs, worn ball joints, or worn control arm bushings. Because load has a great affect on alignment, be sure the car is loaded the way it's normally driven when you have the wheels aligned; this is particularly important with independent rear suspension cars. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Here is another site with good photos showing wear patterns and their causes.

http://www.kaltire.com/commercial/me.../one_sided.php

Stuck in first,

Any chance you could submit a photo or two?

knebrdr · 07-25-2007, 07:25 PM

geechee,
Do not dismiss anyone's suggestions as to what may be causing stuck in first's tire problem. He is asking for possibilities and with out looking at the tire none of us can tell him if it is an alignment problem, a tread separation, or a normal wear characteristic of the brand of tire he has on his motorhome.
I learned a few things in 35+ years in the auto repair business.
Randy

FLYTYER · 07-26-2007, 03:19 AM

Geechee

Your posted links are a nice find and very informative.

Thanks.

stuck in first · 07-26-2007, 04:47 AM

I had a shop rotate the 2 two fronts with the tread problem to the rear. On the test drive most of the front end wandering was gone but now the back end has a 'bounce' . I am going to replace the westlake tires made in china. I dont like to discard a tire with under 4000 miles on it and no sign of wear but the westlake tires are just bad. I wouldent recomend these to anyone. The company is also very unresponcive. The problem was:
the MH was raised on the levelers for 2 weeks.
Feeling across the tread only the inner most edge of the tread was noticeablie raised. The rest was flat.
No sign of wear as in a toe in or out problem
No cuping as in under or over inflation.
I have seen all these conditions in the past.
the raised tread I have never seen. Maybe this is a manufactureing defect. Also 2 other people have verfied the problem. Thank you all for your astute observations. My cure will be to discard the tires.
Dennis