Hi, I did not post here for a while. My 2003 Corolla with 60000 miles runs great but tires wear unevenly. The tires have 33000 miles on them and almost shot on inner shoulders while good in the middle and outer edge. Both left and right. I don't remember seeing that on the OEM tires at 27000 miles. Suspect alignment needs adjustment. However I remember that some high end cars with performance suspension tend to do that wear and it's normal. Should net be the case with Corolla, right? Although I do like to corner hard in my curvy subdivision. Opinions?
BTW, I keep the tires fully inflated, 38-40 PSI with no change of wear pattern.
sounds like a camber issue, is the rear of the car at the proper ride height?
friendly_jacek
Bitter,
Yes it's camber wear, like there is way too much negative camber. I don't understand the point about the rear of the car at the proper ride height. The car was not modified or lowered if that is what you mean.
I googled for 2003 corolla specs and it's as the following. Can the factory negative camber account for the camber wear?
Now, I understand that on many front-wheel-drive vehicles, especially Toyota, camber is not adjustable. Is this a case with Corolla?
Thanks!
Front Suspension
Caster 2 degrees 50 minutes
Camber -0 degrees 32 minutes
Toe-in 0
King Pin Inclination 11 degrees 21 minutes
Rear Suspension
Camber -1 degree 27 minutes
Toe-in 2.6 mm
friendly_jacek
Here is an update if one is interested.
I measured the thread left over the wear bars and it's more or less even. This doesn't look like camber wear after all. Just the inner shoulders wear.
I did some googling and looks like it could be a combination of city driving (lots of turns), aggressive cornering, and susceptible tires with shallow shoulders.
Here is a good explanation:
"I can't discount the possibility that spirited driving may also be a factor here. Spirited driving reduces the amount of "Akerman" needed.
Akerman? When you turn the steering wheel, the front tires don't turn the same amount. The tires on the inside of the turn have to turn more than the tires on the outside of the turn. The difference is called "Akerman". However, the faster a car goes around a corner, the less Akerman is needed - with the result that the inside tire (and since the weight is transferred to the outside turning a turn, this is also the more unloaded tire) gets dragged around the corner, rather than tracking. Because of the suspension, that tire is only contacting the road surface on the inside shoulder during this turning motion - and the result is shoulder wear and irregular wear."
Also from a mechanic on BFG Traction T/A: "The shoulders on this tire are not full-depth so take corners easy. If you drive alot in city and take coners hard the shoulders will become bald quickly."
Had an alignment done over the weekend - as the Matrix was showing tire wear and pulling a bit. Also attempted to patch a tire (flat tire) - but ended up scrapping it, since the little lady drove on the flat for a little while and shredded the tire internally. Ended up replacing all the tires with General Exclaim UHP (Ultra High Performance Summer - Tirerack rating) - replaced some Kuhmo Ecsta ASX (Ultra High Performance All-Season - Tirerack rating) so expect a review after a few thousand miles on these tires.
Camber was OK up front, they reset toe (zero toe front), rear they dialed in more toe-in (in spec) but was a bit out for camber (negative camber - top of wheels pointing inward). The combination of toe-in and negative camber worn down my inner ribs on the Kuhmos. They still had some tread on them (3/32" to 5/32") but were feathered pretty badly - not an issue, as I generally start looking for tires once they get about 1/2 way worn down or so. Tech indicated that the only way to fix the rear (bear axle suspension on the Matrix - just like the 9th gen Corolla) - was to use camber bolts (eccentric bolts or cam bolts). I might look into that if there are signs of excessive tire wear.
Had an alignment done over the weekend - as the Matrix was showing tire wear and pulling a bit. Also attempted to patch a tire (flat tire) - but ended up scrapping it, since the little lady drove on the flat for a little while and shredded the tire internally. Ended up replacing all the tires with General Exclaim UHP (Ultra High Performance Summer - Tirerack rating) - replaced some Kuhmo Ecsta ASX (Ultra High Performance All-Season - Tirerack rating) so expect a review after a few thousand miles on these tires.
Camber was OK up front, they reset toe (zero toe front), rear they dialed in more toe-in (in spec) but was a bit out for camber (negative camber - top of wheels pointing inward). The combination of toe-in and negative camber worn down my inner ribs on the Kuhmos. They still had some tread on them (3/32" to 5/32") but were feathered pretty badly - not an issue, as I generally start looking for tires once they get about 1/2 way worn down or so. Tech indicated that the only way to fix the rear (bear axle suspension on the Matrix - just like the 9th gen Corolla) - was to use camber bolts (eccentric bolts or cam bolts). I might look into that if there are signs of excessive tire wear.
I have a similar problem on my 03' Corolla. Tire wear is uneven on the drivers side front. The tire is noisy as a result. I ran the OEM tires 40K and had no wear problems. The tires on it now have 37K and started making noise at 25K. The inside of the tire is wearing faster then the outside. I can tell the difference by looking at the wear bars. I suspect a camber problem. Is it true you can't adjust camber on the Corolla? I would hate to take it in and get new tires and an alignment and destroy the new tires in 20K.
Camber is generally not adjustable on the Corolla - but it doesn't mean that they "cannot" be adjusted. Up to the shop and what they have on hand. The fronts can be adjusted via cam bolts, the rears have to be shimmed.
Camber is generally not adjustable on the Corolla - but it doesn't mean that they "cannot" be adjusted. Up to the shop and what they have on hand. The fronts can be adjusted via cam bolts, the rears have to be shimmed.
Is there any adjustments that can be made on the 03' rear alignment?
Not a whole lot - since the rear suspension is of a beam type - you can only adjust toe and camber, though shims. Most shops don't even touch this kind of suspension, unless you specifically ask them to and they have the parts on hand. Even then, they might not want to do it (lots of labor) - have to take the rear struts off at the minimum.
I've known a few Corollas, brand new off the lot, that had the rear suspension totally out of whack. Sometimes the replacement beam is further off than the original one. A tire/wheel shop might not be able to do this, or want to do this - might have to take it to an independant Toyota mechanic or dealership.
Not a whole lot - since the rear suspension is of a beam type - you can only adjust toe and camber, though shims. Most shops don't even touch this kind of suspension, unless you specifically ask them to and they have the parts on hand. Even then, they might not want to do it (lots of labor) - have to take the rear struts off at the minimum.
I've known a few Corollas, brand new off the lot, that had the rear suspension totally out of whack. Sometimes the replacement beam is further off than the original one. A tire/wheel shop might not be able to do this, or want to do this - might have to take it to an independant Toyota mechanic or dealership.
Update: I had new tires put on the 03' Corolla, and an alignment check done. Everything checked out ok and was in spec. The tires were rotated every 5k. I tried a different make of tires to see if that could be the culprit. Hopefully it is, since tires aren't cheap.
Not a whole lot - since the rear suspension is of a beam type - you can only adjust toe and camber, though shims. Most shops don't even touch this kind of suspension, unless you specifically ask them to and they have the parts on hand. Even then, they might not want to do it (lots of labor) - have to take the rear struts off at the minimum.
I've known a few Corollas, brand new off the lot, that had the rear suspension totally out of whack. Sometimes the replacement beam is further off than the original one. A tire/wheel shop might not be able to do this, or want to do this - might have to take it to an independant Toyota mechanic or dealership.
Update: I had new tires put on the 03' Corolla, and an alignment check done. Everything checked out ok and was in spec. The tires were rotated every 5k. I tried a different make of tires to see if that could be the culprit. Hopefully it is, since tires aren't cheap.
Ive always gone thru tires fast on this corolla, 40k miles or less. They seem to be lasting a little better now that Im at a different location with straight hill roads on hills than they did when I was driving on curvy winding mountain roads.
Fish Im guessing you knew you didnt have a tire with tread pull when you decided to get the alignment but I'll just throw the recommendation out for others to check for tire pull before getting an alignment since that is so overlooked by drivers and mechanics. I had mechanics try to heavily persuade me to get an alignment and persist that I didnt have tire pull when I knew for certain that I did after confirming it myself thru tire swapping. That would have been money wasted if I'd gave in like they wanted me to so remember to check for tire pull first if you dont know for certain that your tires are good to begin with.
