Posted By: Scamp451
2003 Grand Caravan tire wear- bad what is causing this? - 10/18/12 11:53 PM
My wifes van has had new struts, sway bar bushings, sway bar links, four rack and pinions and going on the 3rd set of tires at 82k miles. Had it alined and checked by different shops, tires balanced everything is good I am told. Why are the tires wearing like this then? When braking for cruising speed the steering wheel shakes pretty bad. New brakes and rotors too which helped some but the shake will be back. Help.
Posted By: Daty Rogers
Re: 2003 Grand Caravan tire wear- bad what is causing this? - 10/19/12 12:23 AM
Still think the alignment is bad, shaking may be caused by out of balance tires.
-Daty
Posted By: Todd
Re: 2003 Grand Caravan tire wear- bad what is causing this? - 10/19/12 03:58 AM
Looks like a an alignment issue.
Get a print out of the results. You should have .1 degrees positive camber and .10 degrees toe in.
As for the brake shake get the rotors machined and check the run out on the hub flange.
Posted By: therocks
Re: 2003 Grand Caravan tire wear- bad what is causing this? - 10/19/12 12:09 PM
I agree looks like bad alingment.When the struts are replaced you have to have either new adjustable bolts installed or grind out the piece thats made in the bolt hole to adjust them for camber.The shake when braking is bad rotors.Tire balance had nothing to do with it when braking only.Ive seen new rotors out of the box that were warped.That or someone over tightens the wheels and warps them.Thats why I either use torque sticks or my T wrench.Typically new rotors are so thin that there isnt enough meat to turn them before they hit discard or minimum machine.Ive had better luck in the last 30 years at the shop using the store brand rotors than the hi buck ones.Do you have a printout from the last alingment?Rocky
Posted By: AARCONV
Re: 2003 Grand Caravan tire wear- bad what is causing this? - 10/20/12 01:23 AM
you didn't mention lower ball joints or tie rods...or even a wheel bearing...bearings will give you a shake as you described..when you changed the struts in the front...did you change the top strut mounts also? is it just the outside of that one tire or both sides?
Posted By: 383man
Re: 2003 Grand Caravan tire wear- bad what is causing this? - 10/20/12 02:06 AM
Is that both front tires wearing the same ? If both front tires are wearing the same on inner or outer edges then its a toe issue. If only one side is wearing (one front tire not both) then its a chamber issue. One other thing I would see is from not rotating the tires. Does she have the tires rotated on a normal schedule like every other oil change ? You have to remember the front tires take alot of the weight when stopping and turning. It will cause the front tires to wear on the outer edges much more then the rear and if you dont rotate the tires about every 5000 to 7500 miles it will cause the front tires to wear much more then the rear. And if you never rotate them the rear tires will last about twice as long. But as was stated get the alignment printout and you can post it on here. Ron
Posted By: moretoys
Re: 2003 Grand Caravan tire wear- bad what is causing this? - 10/20/12 02:10 AM
I'd like to see some alignment reading. lets say static alignment is ok. then other possibilities could be.do you ever rotate tires?? make sure tire psi is ok. Low tire psi causes positive camber to happen and rapid tire wear. the other possibility is in/out of tight spaces,wheels turned to full lock causes tires to lean out at the top.+ low tire pressure.= outside tire wear. does it handle ok?even in wet road conditions? alignment off will usually cause some instability. cheapy tires will also cause premature wear. some cheap tires have a real soft sidewall,tires kinda roll over on themselves on turns. Front tires will always wear on the outside edge.it's the leaning over on turns.
is there extra weight in the back that isn't there when you have it aligned?squatting in the rear takes weight from the front,& the tires will lean out at the top.
The shaking when braking is most likely warped rotor. Just because there new doesn't mean a thing. I've had some bad right out of the box. problem is getting worse.aftermarket parts in general are iffy.
Posted By: therocks
Re: 2003 Grand Caravan tire wear- bad what is causing this? - 10/20/12 11:36 AM
Ron I forgot about tire rotation.Most people dont rotate them.I also read 4 racks.Man where are you getting them.Plus a lot of brakes.Ive found for the most part Quick Struts are the way to go.They can be installed in what 1/2 hour and everything is new.My wifes PT has 125 and only on the second set of brakes.She drives hard.My brother and nephew have Caravans and no way do they go thru that many tires or brakes.They both drive hard also and my brothers is usually loaded.As said cheap tires will also wear odd and fast.Rocky
Posted By: therocks
Re: 2003 Grand Caravan tire wear- bad what is causing this? - 10/21/12 05:24 PM
I cant believe the people that bring cars in for an alingnment because it has a shake in the front end.That and the ones that had bad parts that wanted an one done anyway.Id just tell them it wont fix a wobble.The ones with bad parts were told no also.Some really insisted.The Favorite saying was I know it needs TR or etc but do it anyway.I wont complain when its still bad.Politley told them either fix it or leave.Rocky
Posted By: Dakota_Don
Re: 2003 Grand Caravan tire wear- bad what is causing this? - 10/21/12 05:53 PM
ck the run-out on the wheel bearings, turn replace rotor and have alignment re-checked... ck tire ballance to.. make sure all the LCA bushings are good.....
Posted By: Paul_Fancsali
Re: 2003 Grand Caravan tire wear- bad what is causing this? - 10/22/12 04:41 PM
After the fixes discussed are completed try 41 lbs of pressure in the tires not 36.