V8-4WD "Tire Eater"

['04-Sport]

My '04 Sport V8 4WD has worn out three sets of tires within the first 101,000 miles and is well on its way to burning out set #4 within the next 15K or so (the current set has 10,000 miles on it now).

The problem stems from the fact that the front wheels wear the inside edge of the tires - rotation just makes the entire set lop-sided after 12,000 miles - wheel alignments have been done by three separate shops within 10,000 to 12,000 mile intervals since I bought the car new. I don't do any off road driving but needed the 4WD because of the mountainous terrain where I live and the poor snow removal methods of my community. The tires were/are all "name brand" - not cheap.

Anyone else have a similar problem? What have you tried as a fix? Thanks.

 

[cali_axela]

Funny, my 04 Sport V8 4WD wears the front tires on the OUTSIDE edges irregularly. Did you get a printout of your alignment specs after getting it aligned most recently? With my other car, there is a very small acceptable range of toe to achieve good even tire wear, even though the "acceptable" range for toe was much greater. So you have to find a shop willing to set the toe to more exact specs than just "within factory spec" which isn't good enough.

I haven't seen any threads yet discussing various alignment settings people have tried, but it would be helpful to start gathering data and finding out what the ideal toe settings are for more even tire wear on this model. Maybe we can start!

 

[Clemsonfan15]

What PSI are the tires at?

 

['04-Sport]

Front and rear tires are at 35 psi - as specified on the sticker.

I did not get the printout of the specs - will do so next alignment in a few weeks.

Thanks - Ed

 

[KB084RUNNER]

Your toe setting is probably off. Plus make sure they clean the wheel hubs and evenly torque all lug nuts to 85ft lbs. One question: Has the truck ever been in a collision?

 

['04-Sport]

Your toe setting is probably off. Plus make sure they clean the wheel hubs and evenly torque all lug nuts to 85ft lbs. One question: Has the truck ever been in a collision?

Yes - a fairly bad front end collision in October 2007 but the tire problems predated the accident. I'll ask the tech to alter the toe setting from what they have used in the past to see if I get better results from now on - the funny thing about all of this is that the truck always handled great - no pulling to either side or wandering all over the highway - just wearing out tires too fast.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[KB084RUNNER]

Yes - a fairly bad front end collision in October 2007 but the tire problems predated the accident. I'll ask the tech to alter the toe setting from what they have used in the past to see if I get better results from now on - the funny thing about all of this is that the truck always handled great - no pulling to either side or wandering all over the highway - just wearing out tires too fast.

Thanks for the reply.

I would recommend you might consult a high performace tire shop that does 4 wheel alignments on Porsches , Vettes etc. They might be able to solve your issue. FWIW, had a Dodge Durango 4x4 with the same issue after my wife hit a 14 point buck at 45mph with it. After 5-6 alignment shops....I traded it in. If the driveline/chassis is out of line a fraction of an inch it is most likely incorrectable.

 

['04-Sport]

I would recommend you might consult a high performace tire shop that does 4 wheel alignments on Porsches , Vettes etc. They might be able to solve your issue. FWIW, had a Dodge Durango 4x4 with the same issue after my wife hit a 14 point buck at 45mph with it. After 5-6 alignment shops....I traded it in. If the driveline/chassis is out of line a fraction of an inch it is most likely incorrectable.

Thanks for the reply - I'll investigate further but have come to the conclusion that this is a long-term problem that I'll just have to live with. :thanks:

 

['04-Sport]

I would recommend you might consult a high performace tire shop that does 4 wheel alignments on Porsches , Vettes etc. They might be able to solve your issue. FWIW, had a Dodge Durango 4x4 with the same issue after my wife hit a 14 point buck at 45mph with it. After 5-6 alignment shops....I traded it in. If the driveline/chassis is out of line a fraction of an inch it is most likely incorrectable.

Well you hit the nail right on the head KB084Runner!

I took my truck to an independent shop that does high performance suspension work along with alignments and brakes. The tech there told me that he suspected the frame was not straight and recommended that I check with a collision center to have the frame "measured."

Based on some fairly convincing on-line reviews and a BBB rating of A+ (somewhat rare in the auto collision repair business I would think) I decided to take the 4Runner to Performance Auto Collision in Alpharetta, Georgia (Performance Collision). As it turned out, the "repairs" done about three and a half years ago by a Toyota shop were not done correctly and ten spots on the frame were identified as misaligned. Performance Collision did all of the before and after measurements, "pulled and squared" the frame and did the front-end alignment for slightly less than $1,500 total.

The 4Runner now handles far better than it has for more years than I can remember. I expect that this particular problem is now behind me.

 

[Kmvreter]

Well you hit the nail right on the head KB084Runner!...
... the "repairs" done about three and a half years ago by a Toyota shop were not done correctly and ten spots on the frame were identified as misaligned. Performance Collision did all of the before and after measurements, "pulled and squared" the frame and did the front-end alignment for slightly less than $1,500 total...

That's a chunk of change. Any chance of taking that, your tire bills and your alignment history paperwork to your insurance to see if they will reopen the claim? Worth a shot to ask.

 

['04-Sport]

That's a chunk of change. Any chance of taking that, your tire bills and your alignment history paperwork to your insurance to see if they will reopen the claim? Worth a shot to ask.

I wish - I already tried to open up the case again but the responsible party's insurance said it was closed (and go away) and my insurance (unnamed but they talk about being "in good hands" in their ads) reminded me that I decided to take the 4Runner to a Toyota collision center, not one of their "pro shops."

My biggest beef is that the "Toyota Certified Collision Center" b/s really doesn't mean anything. The shop that did the original repair closed that location but continued to operate their other shop about 80 miles away - each location was incorporated as a separate company without cross liability so, in effect, the shop that did the original repair went out of business. So what is "certified" - Toyota wouldn't back up the work done - claim that is between me and the dealer. The dealer claims it no longer exists and so on...

Actually I worry more about my cancer coming back than being ripped off by Toyota or its dealers - I'll absorb this expense and hope that my truck keeps on keeping on. Thanks for the comment, my friend.