if my tires are wearing more on the inside edge (about 1"), does that indicate alignment problem?

1998 XK8 convertible

 

Yes, it means you have too much negative camber or toe out or both. Are you asking about front, rear, or both?

 

seems like all 4, but rear left seems the worst. I have owned the car for 1 year, so not sure how old tires are.

Do you rotate tires on these cars?

 

Yes we rotate tires as long as front and back are same size. It sounds like you should get an alignment check and find out exactly what you are dealing with. It may be nothing worse than shock mounts being tired.

 

It has been reported here a number of times that the older these cars get, the more their suspension geometry changes due to worn-out parts. That may be the case with yours. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you simply need a fresh alignment....

 

I have been told several times that tire people that nearly all modern day cars are set up for more contact on the inside than the outside. I checked both of my Jags against the alignment specs for both front and rear and that is what the specs confirm.

 

I had that problem with my 99 XK8 and it was spring sag, had to replace springs.

 

As a tire guy myself, I would say that is true for some modern cars. Mostly European cars like Mercedez, BMW, some VW's. I havent notice the Jaguars being nearly as bad as the afore mentioned. I would say that Mercedez probably does it the worst. Oh, and you can add older model VW's to the list too. By contrast, American cars tend to wear evenly across the tread if alignment is correct.