Table of Contents
- 1 Why is my tire leaning in at the top?
- 2 Why is one wheel further back than the other?
- 3 What can setback cause?
- 4 What is an offset wheel?
- 5 What causes my rear tires to lean inward?
- 6 Why do my tires rub when I Drive my Car?
- 7 What happens when your tires rub the well liner?
- 8 What should I do if my front tire is making contact?
Why is my tire leaning in at the top?
If the front tires are leaning in at the top, this will cause the tires to wear on the inside. This is caused by worn ball joints and control arm bushings. It could be upper or lower control arms bushings or ball joints. Then, you can wiggle the tire and watch for movement in the front end components.
Why is one wheel further back than the other?
If a vehicle has rear set back, one rear tire/wheel assembly sits further back from this imaginary line than the other. Causes of rear setback include frame, chassis and rear cradle misalignment due to a collision. If the vehicle has a set back condition, it may pull to the opposite side of the set back.
What does it mean if your tire is slanted?
Quick answer, some cars have the bottom of their wheels slanted outward to improve handling performance – also known as negative camber. Cars with negative camber maximize contact between its tires and the road surface when cornering – further increasing grip for the driver to corner faster.
What can setback cause?
Front-wheel setback causes a vehicle to drift to the side with the most setback. A rear-wheel setback is when one of the rear wheels sits further back than the other. It causes the vehicle to drift to the opposite side. Look for a bent component or a broken leaf spring or center bolt.
What is an offset wheel?
Offset refers to how your car’s or truck’s wheels and tires are mounted and sit in the wheel wells. Positive wheel offset is when the hub mounting surface is in front (more toward the street side) of the centerline of the wheel. Most wheels on front-wheel drive cars and newer rear-drive vehicles have positive offset.
Why are my back tires cambered?
Negative camber is seen when the top end of a car’s wheel is pointed in towards the center of the car. It typically occurs when the suspension needs to compensate for roll that’s induced when there is a reduction in the wheel’s contact area.
What causes my rear tires to lean inward?
Camber on the rear wheels of your vehicle is not adjustable. With negative camber, the top of the wheels are leaning inward (again, by design) which lean will tend to wear the inside tread of the tire, just as you are observing. Regular rotation of the tires, every 6,000 miles, tends to minimize that effect.
Why do my tires rub when I Drive my Car?
If you haven’t changed the wheel or tire size yourself, but own the vehicle secondhand, evaluate whether your wheels and tires are stock size or aftermarket. If the latter, you might have identified the source of your tire rubbing. Wheel offset specification moves the wheel and tire left to right (laterally) within the wheel well.
How do you know if a tire is swiping your wheel well?
Use a light if necessary to check for any areas in the wheel well where the tire is making contact. Wheel wells are generally quite dirty. A contact point where the tire has been swiping the wheel well liner will stick out like a sore thumb. In extreme cases, a hole in the liner can occur.
What happens when your tires rub the well liner?
In many cases of tire rubbing, wheel well liner damage as pictured above is as serious as the problem will get. Some enthusiasts actually accept this as a means to an end in exchange for upsized wheels and tires, and any associated performance benefits. However, more serious concerns have to do with suspension and steering components contact.
What should I do if my front tire is making contact?
Make sure you’re on level ground with the vehicle in park and the parking brake engaged. Use a light if necessary to check for any areas in the wheel well where the tire is making contact. Wheel wells are generally quite dirty.