Front tires wear out unevenly

[Longevity]

I just check my tires today and I discover that my front tires are wearing out unevenly. They just had 10,000 miles on them when I last change them. The front are severely worn out on the outside edge while the middle edge seems o.k. Current tire pressure are 29psi front and back. The back seems fine, it's the front that is affected. According to the driver's side panel, it say the recommend pressure is 26 psi front and back. I set it a little higher because it give a firmer ride and a little better handling.

Could it be that the tire pressure is set too high that is causing the uneven wear or do I just need a wheel alignment?

[accordlx]

It's alignment time if you have had proper tire pressure during this abnoral wear. Does the car pull to either side?

[Longevity]

Yeah, now I started to notice that the car pulls slightly to the right. I guess I take it to a shop to have the alignment done first. By the way, what kind of alignment job is needed? Just the front or all 4 wheels? Or should I take it to a shop that does the so call computerize 4 wheel alignment?

[accordlx]

I always reccommend a 4 wheel computerized alignment. Remember, there are adjustments for camber and toe back there too.

[Jims 86LXI HB]

I tend to get uneven tire wear for the simple fact that I pull max g right handers much more than left handers. That's because most of my left hand turns are at signals, where I have someone infront of me. Whereas a simple green light lets me make make the right handers when ever I want. I've only got 1 left handed freeway onramp, and I've usually got some slow poke in front of me.

[dj99]

The door jamb says 26 lbs front and rear, but my current tires take 35 lbs! They have a 44 lb MAX on the tire. I don't trust anyone but myself to fill them properly.

I did have an alignment when I had these tires put on, and it was very necessary. If you can't let go of the wheel on the freeway without major drift, you got a problem. :p

[DBMaster]

It is always best to stick with what Honda recommends. The max pressure ratings on the tires are for maximum load. Read the maximum load on your tire sidewall and multiply by four. Unless your Accord weighs 5,000 pounds you are not going to need the maximum pressure.

I have worn out plenty of tires prematurely thinking that higher pressure was better. I use only 26 psi now.

Outside edge wear can be caused by a lot of hard cornering, out of whack toe adjustment, or out of whack camber. Hondas DO NOT have adjustable camber from the factory so the only way to correct an off-spec camber is to install a camber kit. These things are not just for peopl who want to lower their cars.

Good luck with it.

[dj99]

Here is the link to my tires:

http://www.lesschwab.com/w3lsnet/bus.../Z800Ultra.asp

If I filled these tires to "what Honda recommends", I would have 4 flat tires, that would wear out prematurely. They are warranteed for 100,000 mi, and I will fill them to the 35 lbs that the company that installed them recommended.

Honda recommends 26 lbs for the original Michelins (crappy, BTW), but they can't speak for a new formulation tire made 12 years later.

[DBMaster]

Honda's pressure recommendation is for the CAR and SUSPENSION, regardless of the tire. This is kind of a no-win argument, though. You just gotta run whatever pressure you want.

My original Michelin MXV's lasted longer than any tire I have had on the car since, BTW.

[dj99]

Maybe the MXV's gave you good service in the heat of Dallas, but in the east, they were hard and stiff, and I couldn't wait to get rid of them.

The Z800 ultras tread is formulated to be soft even on the coldest pavement, and it makes a big difference. Handling is great!

As for the "arguement" , here is another link that may shed a bit of light:

http://cartalk.cars.com/Columns/Arch...anuary/09.html

They refer to owners manuals recommending 35 lbs of pressure. Different tires/manufacturers, different recommended pressures?

[accordlx]

I run 35 lbs of pressure myself in my Dunlops. I tried to run 26 for one day and the car handled sloppy as hell. Anyways, you always run what the tire manufacturer suggests when you you are running non oem tires, not what the door sticker tells you.

[DBMaster]

DJ,

I'm not sure I get it. It would seem like the Car Talk guys are recommending using the car manufacturer's inflation pressure. Considering that I drive mostly city streets that are often bumpy it sounds like I am better off. I had a set of tires on the thing when it was two years old that I ran 40 psi in. It pretty much felt like the wheels were bolted directly to the body. Then again, that is probably the everyday ride quality with a lowered vehicle. Sounds like it may be more of a personal preference than anything else. My tires do not wear unevenly so I don't think I am doing them any harm.

Well, you know what they say? "Opinions are like assholes. Everybody's got one."

I am running Michelin Pilot XGTH4's right now. The tire dealer's computer and Michelin's web site says to run 26 psi in them. It was interesting that when I calculated my car's total weight as a ratio of the tire's maximum load capacity and then mutiplied the result by the 44 psi max pressure for the tire I came out with 26 as the result. Maybe just a coincidence...

[Mantis88LX]

be careful when dealing with tire pressure, i over filled one of my tires and it blew out, i was glad it didnt happen at high speeds

[Longevity]

Update. I finally got the 4-wheel alignment job done and my car is tracking straight and true now. However, I will need 4 new(about $350 for some quality Yokohama) tires pretty soon as my current ones are pretty worn out from the outer edge. It's a shame that I only got about 10,000 on my current tires ($400 Michelin BTW). Also at the shop, the mechanic said 3 of my wheel bearing is going bad and need to be replace at up $600 . So the moral of this story is to check your suspension people!!!

[89AccordLXI666]

Yeah I have a serious problem with my two front tires, the reason for it is I need new shocks they are so messed up, it always squeaks 2, It's kinda embarrising to drive around places like that cuz people look at u or some people look and say I dunno, I wanna find out where I can get some cheap,but good shocks, I was thinking about county adjustables?? Well gotta bounce, I gotta work on my 3rd gen do some body work, Peace guy's :super:

[dj99]

I wish we could use good cheap shocks, but alas, we must use good cheap struts, at around $45 each minimum? Not to mention the miscellaneous parts you could bust getting to them.