Tyre wear one side

[Robboc180]

Hi i have had a couple of problems with suspension, steering a little tighter and on full lock steering (or wheels) feels at a different angle from normal and have just noticed uneven tyre wear on the outside edges of the tyres, any ideas to this problem welcome.

 

[television]

Hi i have had a couple of problems with suspension, steering a little tighter and on full lock steering (or wheels) feels at a different angle from normal and have just noticed uneven tyre wear on the outside edges of the tyres, any ideas to this problem welcome.

Should be tracking, have you hit a kerb or something or bent a tie rod,take a look under and see if the rods are bent, A pot hole can bend a strut.
you can always go to a tyre specialist who have the optical tracking gear.

Malcolm

 

[Robboc180]

Hi Television - When you say tracking is that the same as Wheel Alignment, and yes i have hit a kerb before.

 

[television]

Hi Television - When you say tracking is that the same as Wheel Alignment, and yes i have hit a kerb before.

.

Tracking is part of the wheel aligment, it effects the car going in a straight line and tyre wear, A track rod when its new is straight, once it starts to bend, it is much weaker and will bend easier with the next bang or kerb hit, you have three, one centre, and one each side. there are angles for the suspension, the caster angle is the angle that the wheels are ahead of the axis, the camber angle is the setting for the face of the wheel, if veiwed from the front they are further out at the top than the bottom. Hard to find the words for this but it may do. the cost of a 4 wheel complete optical check and set up is around £45.00, it will pay for its self within a few thousand miles on tyre wear and make the nicer to drive

Malcolm

 

[Robboc180]

Would that explain why the steering feels a little tighter and when coming out of a full lock it seem as if the angle of the road wheel is out of alignment somewhere, Also the suspension bush on the passenger side has gone would it be wise to get this done before the alignment process.

Thanks, Robert.

 

[television]

Would that explain why the steering feels a little tighter and when coming out of a full lock it seem as if the angle of the road wheel is out of alignment somewhere, Also the suspension bush on the passenger side has gone would it be wise to get this done before the alignment process.

Thanks, Robert.

On one of my cars, I was driving through a flooded road and hit a piece of concrete, it bent the wishbone and strut (Shock obsorber) so that everything was out.
Anything that needs replacing must be done before the aligment.

It would be good if someone like Clive comes on for their veiw.

Malcolm

 

[Ian Brown]

Also get your ball joints checked before anything else is done.

 

[Robboc180]

Would the wishbone bush cause movement, if i am reversing and brake i can feel and hear movement from the passenger side wheel area.

 

[television]

Would the wishbone bush cause movement, if i am reversing and brake i can feel and hear movement from the passenger side wheel area.

it would have to be very bad to hear it, you will have to jack the car and see what is loose or broken.

malcolm

 

[ennio]

...interesting that tv recommends optical wheel alignemnt.

I understood the tracking/wheel alignment on my T210 was so somplictaed that only M-B should check/adjust it, And that costs rather more than £45...

 

[television]

...interesting that tv recommends optical wheel alignemnt.

I understood the tracking/wheel alignment on my T210 was so somplictaed that only M-B should check/adjust it, And that costs rather more than £45...

Some of these alligment rigs from the USA cover all aspects and adjust points.
the hand books cover all cars and set ups, you go home with a nice several page print out of before and after of all angles.
My SL was done when I first bought it 14 months ago and that cost £40 with a small tyre outfit in Bridport, Dorset, the nice thing with a small guy is that you can take part in whats going on.

Malcolm

 

[clive williams]

Hi i have had a couple of problems with suspension, steering a little tighter and on full lock steering (or wheels) feels at a different angle from normal and have just noticed uneven tyre wear on the outside edges of the tyres, any ideas to this problem welcome.

hi Rob

I've read all the problems with your C180. I guess that it needs a full suspension and steering movement check.
I would first of all check and replace any worn bushes, ball joints and steering components and then get a 4-wheel optical/laser alignment done. The alignment ought to cost about £45 plus any resetting. You will get a reading before and after any adjustment as well as the ideal settings.
Don't forget to check the tyre inflation as it can go unnoticed. Flabby tyres roll onto the outside edges in the corner and can cause the the symtoms you recorded.
You can quickly check for severe toe-in/out by runing your hand over the top of the tyre. If it feels rough in one direction then there is excessive toe-in/out.
The stiffness you noted could be (in extreme) a bent strut and the alignment check ought to show it as a castor or camber variation.
How does the car drive - does it lurch ito corners? The action should be smooth. If not I would supect a camber variation.
As supension/steering on a car is now quite complex it is not unknown for a seemingly unrelated problem to cause the effect you notice, thats why it is important to have all four wheels checked and aligned.

Clive

500E
E320CDIT210

 

[Robboc180]

Thanks Clive - Is it worth booking my car in with HI Q (seems to be the only one i can find who does 4 wheel alignment) in my area, South London, will they be able to see other suspension related problems and point me in the right direction. Car drives fine and corners with no problems, just you can hear want i think is suspension related noise, and when driving along straight roads and going through lorry lines, car can find its own lines (someone said steering damper has gone) would this be correct.

 

[tom7035]

Hi Robboc180.
Sounds to me you need a thorough steering/suspension check first. To have your alignment done before this would be throwing money away. Even taking it for a MOT should provide a decent check of bushes, balljoints, etc. and would be better spent this way rather than the other way round. If it failed the MOT it wouldn't invalidate your current certificate! Once everything is made shipshape, that is the time to have the alignment carried out.

 

[clive williams]

Hi Robboc180.
Sounds to me you need a thorough steering/suspension check first. To have your alignment done before this would be throwing money away. Even taking it for a MOT should provide a decent check of bushes, balljoints, etc. and would be better spent this way rather than the other way round. If it failed the MOT it wouldn't invalidate your current certificate! Once everything is made shipshape, that is the time to have the alignment carried out.

Robbo,

As tom says the steering/suspension needs to be devoid of worn parts first before an alignment check. However, I wouldn't take it for an MOT as the new test will supersede the original test certificate. You can ask an MOT station to carry out a pre-test inspection on just the suspension (for a reduced fee), which will give a fair indication on the state of the suspension.

You say also that the vehicle tramlines? What wheel/tyre size combo do you have. Is it standard or low profile. The lower the profile generally the more susceptable to tramlining.

Clive

500E
E320CDIT210

 

[Robboc180]

Clive, Tom,

Wheels are standard so are tyres, tramlining only just recently started.
I have had the drivers side wishbone bush replaced and mecanic said steering damper had gone, fluid seeping out of it (what is the steering dampers role) if it was perished would if give a tramlining effect?

 

[maf]

Thanks Clive - Is it worth booking my car in with HI Q (seems to be the only one i can find who does 4 wheel alignment) in my area, South London, will they be able to see other suspension related problems and point me in the right direction. Car drives fine and corners with no problems, just you can hear want i think is suspension related noise, and when driving along straight roads and going through lorry lines, car can find its own lines (someone said steering damper has gone) would this be correct.

hi all

i am having the same sort of issues with my car(c32 amg est.) is this a common fault on the car... had the car on a ramp afew times now and can not see what the prob. is any help would be appreciated.

thanks inadvance

 

[clive williams]

Clive, Tom,

Wheels are standard so are tyres, tramlining only just recently started.
I have had the drivers side wishbone bush replaced and mecanic said steering damper had gone, fluid seeping out of it (what is the steering dampers role) if it was perished would if give a tramlining effect?

Robbo,

Steering dampers control the sudden jarring that you get when the road wheel tries to turn the steering wheel. They are normally fixed to the body/frame at one end and the steering rod at the other. Bit like a shock absorber but with equal damping on compression and rebound. A steering damper is usually the last thing that a suspension designer puts on. Its there to overcome some deficiency in the design which if it was solved would compromise other more important features. Some steering systems are more susceptible to the 'tail wagging the dog' than others e.g. rack and pinion.

The shot steering damper was a good candidate for the tramlining.

You had one bush replaced - why did it fail? Was it heat/oil/defective manf.? I'd be interested to know. Had you bitten the bullet and replaced all four you would have felt a noticeable tightening up of the supension at the front.

Clive

500E
E320CDIT210

 

[Robboc180]

Clive,

When you say all 4, i take it there are 2 on each side - i may of worded previous reply wrong. When i say 1 bush done i meant 1 side (i hope he replaced both bushes on drivers side-will check tomorrow). When dealers sell bush kits do they supply both bushes for 1 side of the car?. Don't know why it failed i bought the car last April on 113,000 with full service history after 6 months suspension gradually got noisier, what are normal causes for wishbone bush failure?

Robbo.

 

[tom7035]

Bush kits come in pairs, so I imagine both will have been fitted each side. I also imagine while the suspension arms were 'on the bench' the balljoints would also have been checked. If you have no bent draglinks/struts from striking a kerb badly as TV suggested could easily happen, there's not much else which could cause the fairly serious symptoms you have EXCEPT- you haven't yet said what your car is, age, type, model etc. but several elderly MB's were prone to rusting of the front chassis crossmember, particularly around the mounting holes for the lower suspension arm inner fulcrum pins which cannot be seen until the engine splash guard is removed. If there is any weakness here and you've struck a kerb with any force at all .................. the whole suspension arm could be out of alignment.
I don't want to be pessimistic, but if all else seems to check-out OK.......
The steering damper certainly affects the feel of the steering and is a cheap fix but won't cause the strange wheel angles and tyre wear you describe.
Good luck, I hope it's something that I've missed.