Uneven tyre wear

[of4x4]

I just got a new set of tyres (fitted, balanced etc) to my 89 GQ. Coopers ST 285/75/16. (replaced exactly the same tyre under recall)

The rear passenger side tyre is showing severe feathering on the outside and inside tread blocks after only 800ks - all highway work. No other tyres are wearing unevenly. All tyres pressures are correct. There is no load in the vehicle (other than me).

The old tyres, to the best of my knowledge, didn't show this type of wear.

Any ideas on possible cause? It doesn't shake like a balance problem or something broken / loose. If it was on the front, I'd say very bad wheel alignment.

I'm taking it back to the tyre place tomorrow morning to get them to look at it, but I don't want them to BS me. Could it be a fitting issue?

[RaginRover]

Worn shock ?

Tom

[MQ080]

3 main things it could be if this is happening in the rear:

Wheel balance - you said this was done, however they may have done a half ass job

Buckled rim - there may be a small amount of runout even though the wheel balances

Rooted shocks - usually the main cause of feathering

[Toy80Diesel]

3 main things it could be if this is happening in the rear:

Wheel balance - you said this was done, however they may have done a half ass job

Buckled rim - there may be a small amount of runout even though the wheel balances

Rooted shocks - usually the main cause of feathering

I agree with the rooted shocks theory, but in 800kms???

[of4x4]

Thanks guys.

I'll pull the shock out tonight and check. I also thought maybe trailing arm bushes...? (although at quick inspection, they seemed ok).

[of4x4]

Update:

Took it back to tyre place (Bob Jane). They couldn't believe the tyre wear, and couldn't fault the truck. Their opinion was a faulty tyre.

They've kept the wheel to show to the Cooper's rep. Meanwhile its running with the spare. Guess I'll know in a few hundred K's whether its the tyre or the truck.

[G_loomis]

least they seem to be doing everything they can to find out what the problem is.

Keep the tread depth measurments on the spare that your running in the meantime...take measurements every 100km or so. so you can 100% sure if tyre or truck.

[MR04WD]

I got the same prob,one tyre is wearing prematurely,but ironically its on the wheel that is buckled to the sh!thouse.Will have to do swapsies with spare

[MR04WD]

I got the same prob,one wheel is wearing prematurely,but ironically its on the wheel that is buckled to the sh!thouse.Will have to do swapsies with spare

[Josh n Kat]

i might suggest taking the truck off to a suspension place like pedders or fulcrum and get them to do a 4 wheel alignment cause those blokes will be able to give you a better idea if your possibly dealing with a bent diff or something. usually if the shocks are worn the tyres tend to undulate or wear like a 50 cent piece.

[Shadow]

I got the same prob,one wheel is wearing prematurely,but ironically its on the wheel that is buckled to the sh!thouse.Will have to do swapsies with spare

I think the word you were looking for was justifyable not ironically. Irony would be if the single non-buckled wheel had un-even tyre wear.

[of4x4]

i might suggest taking the truck off to a suspension place like pedders.....

Hijacking my own thread for a minute....

Funnily enough, I took it to Pedders about 3 months ago to have one of their 28 point checks and test the suspension. (reason was to find a front end noise). They came back said that everything was ok, except the steering box which could do with reco. quote: $1100 I do have my doubts about how "good" the suspension check was though..... (they didn't show me the drive on shocker graph for instance).

Back on topic: When the wheel was off the car, the Bob Jane manager and myself inspected the tyre. Both the inside and outside tread blocks were worn to look like the tyre was severely under inflated (not case though) EXCEPT that not all tread blocks were worn. maybe 3 in a row were stuffed and then 1 would be like new, then another 4 stuffed, etc. This was on both sides of the tyre simlutaneously, so rulling out a bent rim / axle which would only wear one side at a time as the wheel ran out of true.

Remember that this tyre is only 800ks old - the blocks were not worn evenly, but in some cases had approx upto 3mm worn off them. The manager actually commented that it looked like someone had taken to it with a stanley knife.... Guess I'll know more in a week or so...