Front left tyre (nearside UK) uneven outside wear (one side only)

[90Ninety]

I am stumped..

Since ownership ( around 6 years) my mothers Jazz has gone through 3 pairs of front  tyres (even though doing just 1k miles per year) due , due to mainly the left side (nearside) tyre wearing out on the outside edge.

At each time the front pair of tyres were replaced , the car was also aligned/tracked.  Also during the time of ownership, the control arms and links were replaced twice. There are lots of potholes in UK , this was probably the cause.

Now the most recently, the left front has once again worn on the outside edge (left) . The current tyre is less than a year old and only several hundred miles on it . Yet for about an inch the on the outside the tread has gone .

I suspected the knuckle and/or hub was warped or bent , so I ordered one from a braker (second hand) I  have today just pulled off the suspected knuckle and compared them both. However they look the same, no bends or play in the hub . There is no previous crash damage, and everything looks Ok, including sub-frame. I am guessing that the front shocks are not even or the left side has some problem?

Has anyone experienced this? I am feeling stumped .

[Kremmen]

Have you checked both front wheels camber angle

[CRC]

I came to the conclusion a while ago that it's just not worth skimping on the alignment check.

It's better to bite the bullet and pay for a check on one of those Hunter computerised laser machines that will tell you everything about the alignment on all 4 wheels.

Last one I had was around £50 for the check and front wheel tracking adjustment, but the tyre wear is now perfectly good.

Something must be seriously adrift to burn through the tyre tread in a few hundred miles or so, and the Hunter will give you information that you can trust in my experience.

[90Ninety]

@Kremmen

Im not sure how to check camber angle myself.. However after I swapped the Control arms, & stabiser  links the car was taken to a local reputable garage who 'tracked & aligned' the car.

Both control arms changed twice, and now on the the third set of tyres . Each time tyres were changed and control arms replaced , the car was 'tracked and aligned' 

Not sure  how well the tracking or alignment was done, however it helped on the right side , as the tyre is now wearing ok that side. However the left side has persistently worn on outside edge over  the years of ownership .

Is this something can be done at home, or at a garage

@CRC The tracking and alignment was paid for at least twice from memory , however the standard of work I cannot comment on . One of the times I used 'National tyres' now taken over by 'Halfords'., the other times by a local indie garage.

Are there specialist garages or equipment I should look for, such as 'Hunter'?

[CRC]

Hunter is the name of the alignment machine that's used, and involves putting the car on a lift that allows the car to move backwards and forwards on it's own wheels.

Sensor plates are clipped to each wheel and the car is pushed backwards and forwards a couple of times, each of the plates using external lasers and communications to calculate all the angles, caster, camber, toe etc and these very quickly show on the screen.

I wouldn't trust any business that Halfords has a stake in ..... unbelievably bad in my opinion.

Try searching on "Hunter wheel alignment near me" ....

I used a company called Pro Tyre who are near me, but you normally have to ring and book a slot as the alignment bay seems very busy to me.

I think the check is free, but any toe adjustment starts costing.

I've found that any change to any suspension components will always result in a change in tracking, and I've always found that the Hunter will find considerable differences to any other alignment system ..... but it always gets it right iny experience, and with a front pair of average brand tyres costing around £150 these days, they need a good set up.

[Kremmen]

If the tracking is out then you often get uneven wear on both sides, but you've had that done and the offside is fine

That's what pointed me to camber, as too much tilt, top too far out, can cause premature outer edge wear

A Hunter should detect that but I've seen camber issues that can be detected by looking from a distance on a flat surface

Early Hillman Imp had outer tyre wear issues due to a severe camber angle.

You can see the issue here :
https://assets.carandclassic.com/uploads/cars/hillman/C1867308/1967-hillman-imp-67ffc0cf8ca6a.jpg?fit=crop&h=600&ixlib=php-4.1.0&q=85&w=800&s=49af4abfdc7a81e7b7a25b3711da4b3f

[CRC]

According to AI, the Jazz doesn't have adjustable camber without purchasing some special bolts to alter the adjustment, so if the camber is dramatically out on one side, then you have to suspect some other chassis / suspension alignment issue.

A Hunter check will confirm toe angles are correct, and if the offending wheel has a dramatically wrong camber angle, then at least it will provide a pointer to the problem and that it is caused by camber issues.

I've had so many crazy problems over the years that defied logic, the problem is often not where you're convinced it must be.

I once had an Avenger with chronic brake pedal pump, the discs and drums all checked out ok, and the problem was eventually found to be the slightly wider wheels and tyres that I'd fitted. Still can't explain that .....

Had a few Hillman Imp variants back in the day ... all blown head gaskets, seized kingpins and crap carburetors, but handled like a dream ....

[jasonevans]

Sounds like a camber issue.  Have you checked the top mounts for wear  ?