I recently had a puncture on the front inside wheel of my 56 plate X Type, on closer inspection and the full face exposed to the road , so no sign of tracking issues , nor was any evidence of tracking issues felt through the steering wheel or the behavior of the car on the road. When removing the wheel there was obvious scrubbing of the inside shoulder at the inner edge of the tread which had worn through to the metal reinforcement of the tyre. The wear was for the whole outer edge of the tyre but most obvious a the several points where the metal was exposed. The tyre had done about 25K mile and still l had a good legal tread across the in contact with the road face of the tyre. this tread was even for the full face of the tyre in contact with the road.
Taking the car to have two new tyres on the front , the issue was discussed with the tyre people and upon removal they pointed out that the other front tyre was similarly worn though not quite ad bad. Tracking was discussed and eliminated for the reasons above. They also stated that they see this type of wear on BMW's but not on Jaguar's.
Could you please advise as to what is the probable cause of this type of wear?? This is the third set of tyres on this cars front axial and the first time this issue has been seen

Regards
Derek Langford

 

Welcome to the forum Derek,

( I've moved this tech question to the X-Type section )

Some members here have covered considerable mileages with this model and also have experience with alternative tyre brands.

Whilst waiting for advice, please take the opportunity to post in New Member Area - Intro a MUST to introduce yourself and your X-Type to all the members.

Graham

 

Llangoler, what you are seeing is a slight out of alignment issue with the front end of the car. Your front tires are not quite pointed in the same direction. This causes the tires to fight each other as you are driving, leading to the wearing on the inner edge. This can be compounded by the fact that odds are you have worn bushings on the lower, forward arms. This will cause the rear tires to point in different directions also, causing them to fight each other. You can normally tell this second issue by looking at the rear tires and seeing if the tires are straight up and down or if they lean in towards the center of the car at the top.

If you need more info, let me know.

 

Chris thank you for the information, Just one thing with you last statement regarding the rear tyres, are u saying that the rear tyres should be vertical and if not there is the same issue with the rear mechanics as well?

Regards

Llangolger

 

Llangolger, yes. With our cars, 99% of the time, you will find 1 of 2 issues. The more likely issue is the lower-front control arm for the rear suspension, the one bushing will wear out. The alignment shops will find the rear wheels out and will adjust the rear suspension accordingly. This adjustment causes the rear tires to kick out on the bottom, thus pushing the top of the wheels in. So, when you look at the rear tires, they will lean in on top. if you want to see if you have some play, find a sweeping corner (like what you may find in a nicer neighborhood), take it slow (say 30-40 KPH), then give the car little blips of gas to make the car lunge forward. If it feels like the rear of the car wants to step out on you, then those arms are worn and need replacement. The other arm that wears out is the one on top. As the bushings wear, the weight of the car pushes the top of the tire in. You can put the car up on a jackstand and then push on the tire (can use hands on the top of the tire, but use a board/prybar for the bottom of the tire) and then try to push/pull the tire like you are trying to remove it from the car (leave the lug nuts installed). If you get play, you have either a bad upper control arm or worn wheel bearings in the rear. If you think wheel bearings, place your hands at 3/9 o'clock and attempt to twist the wheel off of the car (like the front wheels turn when you turn the steering wheel). if you get the same movement, wheel bearing. No movement, upper arm.

Hope this clarifies stuff.

 

Chris Hi!
Thanks once again for taking the time and trouble in providing a detailed answer to the tyre wear issue i will be looking closely at the car to view the points raised!!

regards

Derek