Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Anyone else having problems on new series Prado's especially front left?

I have the original tyres supplied with vehicle Dunlop AT20 and they squeal like a pig going around corners. Took it to Toyota twice now and had wheel alignment checked. They say there is nothing wrong! This has been going on since new. Now done under 50,000km and they are stuffed.
Toyota don't want anything to do with it and told me I should rotate every 5000KM. Fair enough but the dealer does a tyre inspection at every 5000km service and has not once asked if I want it done. It is not part of sheduled service. Apart from that the car is good. Anyone fitted Cooper S/T's to this type of vehicle and also what size due to the 17inch rim. I want extra lift but without too much speedo variation. If wheel wear is a problem with these vehicles then putting a new set on every year doesn't appeal to me as I do around the 40k per year mark.

In toyota specs for japan its probably exceptable but not here the bosses prado did the same thing and same result from toyota
take it to a decent tyre fitter and it will either be a camber or carster prob most toyotas have this prob even my 82 landcruiser

there r camber /carster kits to rectify this prob

Had the same problem on a different car (A surf) and it was a toe in/out problem.

I have a mate who is a tyre fitter (unfort not close enough to use) and I told him that my toe in/out alignment was out by so much and his reply was "gee that must have squealed around corners" without telling him the symptoms.

It badly wore the inside edges out - toe out problem.

Hope that helps.

Have not had the same tyre wear problem but did just change my AT20s for Cooper ST LT265/70R17 10 ply. Tyres are taller but no issues with fitting. I removed the plastic moulding from behind the spare and the spare even fits (someting others have roblems with). Got tyres last Friday went to Mt Stirling (Vic) and drove some of the tracks including a quite badly rutted Monument Track. No problems. Give about 15mm extra ground clearance. Speed varies by about 3km/h at 100km/h, 4km/h at 110km/h but only 2km/h at 60km/h. This was calculated from tyre diameter difference and confirmed by GPS. Tyres are a little noisier - no different to BFG ATs I had on a Pajero previously. This doesn't concern me as I wanted tyres that would hold up off road as I did not expect the Dunlops would have lasted too long on the rocky/rutted tracks.

tyre life can depend on the way you drive a car, generally speaking the left hand side wear quicker than the right and the front wear quicker than the rear. The reason for wear is visible from the wear pattern, or a wheel alignment will provide the information. When you get a wheel alignment do they give you a print off, with before and after specs. Also, isn't it general knowledge that if you take your car for a service at a dealership, it doesn't mean that everything will get done, dealership services are about time and money, they just pump services through the doors, and everything is definately not checked and done although they may tell you it is.

The dunlop AT20's arent known for longevity... they are a nice soft copound so they stick well on the road... but dont last long...

Look at upgrading to a Cooper or BFG to get the best of bost worlds...

Got a mate with the same model Prado...3 litre T/D.

He's just clocked over 20000 k's, 99% of it on road and the standard tyres aren't looking real flash.

Good excuse for him to get some better tyres soon

What was the end result for people having these tyre issues - My sister has a Dec 05 Prado that wears the outside edge of front left to bald in 8000km, shes on her 4th tyre on the front left. Yep only done 32000km.

Toyota claim nothing is wrong and that its aligned within Toyota specification and it must be her driving.

So should she get it aligned by a non toyota specialist as they can't fix it or now that its no longer under warranty they will correctly align it regardless of the Toyota specs?

Or is the problem deeper than just the wheel alignment?

Located in Brisbane

Cheers

Take it to a proper tyre mob, see if they can fix it and it they give you a print out that shows how much they adjusted it, take the printout to toyota and jam it up service reps arse.