The inside of my rear tires have worn out while the outside has a lot of tread left. The alignment shop said I have 1.5 degrees negative camber and recommend increasing toe in to compensate for the lack of camber adjustment. That makes sense because the increased toe in should put more wear on the outer edges. I'm getting new tires and want to get this resolved.

Opinions?

 

Meet us halfway and tell us what kind of car you have.

 

Jim,
I may be wrong here, but I think if you increase the toe you won't do much if anything to increase your tire life. You will wear the outside faster so they will wear more uniformly but they won't last any longer.

I would try getting some adjustment on the rear camber first. I thought Jaguar had a shim kit to adjust the camber on the rear. I can't find it now though. You might trying calling Royale's parts department and see if they can at least get a part number for you. Or maybe Alan at Falconworks has a better solution.

 

Not sure what model year you have but this is from the 07 - 09 & 2010 workshop manuals:

"Camber, caster and toe are adjustable on the front suspension system. Only the toe is adjustable on the rear suspension system. Camber and caster are adjusted by means of eccentric cams on the lower arm mounting bolts. The front toe is adjusted by use of the front tie-rod. The rear toe is adjusted by the use of toe link assemblies connecting the knuckles to the rear sub-frame."

Based on this info, your service shop is providing the correct recommendation but I don't have manuals for 2011 onward. Doubt it's different, but not sure.

 

If camber is out, evidently there is a problem somewhere. It's best to fix the PROBLEM and not attempt to cover it over with an unnecessary adjustment of something that doesn't NEED adjustment.
Have you checked all your bushes and links?

 

If your rear tow is set to spec and you get inside tire wear then you have to look at the suspension components . Fix them and your wear problem will go away. Don't patch by compensating with the tow.

 

Bushes can have only minimal wear and still throw off alignment, which makes adjusting the alignment a more cost effective route initially.

Obviously if there is significant movement in the bushes or loosness in the rear end, it's best to tackle that first as both Jagtoes and Cee Jay suggest.

People also assume the alignment was correct to begin with and unless you bought it new, don't assume.

Some also argue that the misalignment causes suspension part wear and not the other way around. Sort of chicken or egg kind of argument and not worth having in my opinion.

You do what works for you, but I have my alignment checked regularly on my vehicles and adjust it as necessary, inspecting my suspension along the way and with passage of time. Alignments are cheap and safe way to protect your tires.

 

Define negative. Mine kick in a little at the top and from what I've read it's a design issue to help the car handle in the corners better. XKRS-GT had different suspension arms to change it. Search for it, there's a big thread on this subforum about the different arms. I didn't sub to it when I found it or I'd post a link.

Per your tires, if they aren't excessively worn, get them swapped side to side, left tire to right rim, right tire to left rim to keep them rotating the same way and you'll get double the life out of them.

 

07 XK vert

 

Thanks, but my tires are directional. I don't think I should reverse them, although that would allow me to use the full tire.

 

RIF my friend. That's why you swap them side to side on the wheels so they stay directional only the worn inside is now on the outside of the car. You're thinking Chinese fire drill with the wheel / tire combo left to right side, right to left. I'm suggesting turning the tire around on the rim and putting it on the other side.

 

OK, what does RIF stand for here? I thought "Retirement Is Fun" but that does not seem relevant in this context.

 

Reading Is Fundamental.

I remember it from grade school.

 

Your rear springs could be sagging, causing the excessive camber. I run 1.5 deg negative on my car in the rear and 1.2 front and have zero additional inside tire wear. Tires wear perfectly flat. European cars have run negative camber front and back for ever. Get an alignment at the dealer. So many tire shops do a horrible job on cars with mult-ilink suspension systems. Most can barely align a Chevy truck let alone our cars. They can have the best equipment and still not know how to use it properly.

 

I'm taking it to a local indie who's going to cheek the suspension components. Thanks for all the advice.

 

Thanks jehart49. let us know the outcome.