TD5 Tracking!

[Jensen]

Hi

Never had this problem before on a Land Rover, my Disco Td5 is eating away the inside of the tread on the front tyres.

Any help or advice as I'm a bit loath to take it to be checked as in the past with car's it's not made a sh*t of difference.

Thanks in advance

[grantc]

The Disco's can go through Track rod ends. Maybe that is what is wrong?

[Jensen]

The Disco's can go through Track rod ends. Maybe that is what is wrong?

Don't know will have a look but it's just been through it's MOT and they did'nt mention anything!

[listerdiesel]

Is the track rod straight?

A slight bend (which would reduce the effective width) would tip the toe-in to toe-out and start the uneven wear on both wheels at once.

Peter

[Jensen]

Is the track rod straight?

A slight bend (which would reduce the effective width) would tip the toe-in to toe-out and start the uneven wear on both wheels at once.

Peter

Don't know? Will check it, doubt it though!

Correct me if Im wrong but there is no camber ajustment, just toe in/out?

Jason

[listerdiesel]

Can't see anything quickly, worn swivels would cause that, but both sides would need to be worn.

Peter

[Jensen]

Can't see anything quickly, worn swivels would cause that, but both sides would need to be worn.

Peter

The TD5 dunt have swivels! does it?

[andymach23]

My TD5 was doing this. I brought it to one place to get the tracking done and they had 2 goes at it. My tyres were still wearing on the inside.

I went to another place that gives a print out of the results against what's expected for the car. All sorted now.

Also, I was having problems with my steering. I put my nice hardly worn rear tyres on the front before I got the last alignment done as well and my steering is now sorted too. Well pleased!

[listerdiesel]

The TD5 dunt have swivels! does it?

Not a la Series, no, but it does have suspension/steering swivel ball joints, that's what I was referring to, sorry if it wasn't clear.

Peter

[Jimbob292]

I'd just separate the track rods ends to see what play you have, and if worn just replace them.

I've used famous four in the past, good services and they provide the OEM ones at the right price. If your in the UK shipping is free.

[Jensen]

Track rods and track rod ends are all fine, obviously been doing it for a while as the spare tyre has the same wear!

Going in next week to have the tracking done.

[grantc]

How did you get on with your tracking? was it out much?

[Jensen]

How did you get on with your tracking? was it out much?

Tracking was spot on?

As I have only had it a couple of months, maybe it was out and has been already done by the last owner? Suppose the only way I will find out is when I put a New set of front tyres on her.

[23skidoo]

Swap the fronts and the rears to see if that changes this perhaps ?.

That would rule tyres out . When my wear pattern fron to back got so out of sync I had to bit the bullet and replace all 4 (last time) , even though 2 of them were not totally worn , just to get the wear balance right . I did try it with just 2 but the steering was all over the shop. This is I believe more pronounced the bigger your tyres get , seem to hear of a lot more 18' wheel guys with this type of thing .

I am now fully covered in the spare tyres department for the forseeable future I suppose :)

G

[DOOROY]

As I found out in the past if the tyres wear unevenly due to the tracking being out the following may happen ;
when the tracking is set correctly the tyres will then begin to wear evenly over their whole width - however this also means that the previously worn part will wear at the same rate as the unworn part .

Result : the tyres will continue to appear to be wearing unevenly.

So as you say you will only know for sure when you fit new tyres - and observe closely how they are wearing .

As regards camber I check it with a piece of flat iron that reaches across the diameter of the wheel and then check it with a spirit level .

[Jensen]

As I found out in the past if the tyres wear unevenly due to the tracking being out the following may happen ;
when the tracking is set correctly the tyres will then begin to wear evenly over their whole width - however this also means that the previously worn part will wear at the same rate as the unworn part .

Result : the tyres will continue to appear to be wearing unevenly.

So as you say you will only know for sure when you fit new tyres - and observe closely how they are wearing .

As regards camber I check it with a piece of flat iron that reaches across the diameter of the wheel and then check it with a spirit level .

Makes sense that:)

Will check the camber like you said but did'nt think that you could ajust the camber?

[DOOROY]

Not sure if you can alter camber or not - will check up on it .
I do it just to eliminate it - a bent axle allowing causing wheel(s) to lean in or out will cause uneven tyre wear regardless of tracking .

[23skidoo]

Makes sense that:)

Will check the camber like you said but did'nt think that you could ajust the camber?

Not easily no , I think I am right in saying that assuming nothing is bent/worn you have to shim it up to do that .

[gsxjim]

Hello Grant
Im an alignment engineer and work on commercial vehicles i can straighten axles aignment , chassis alignment and wheel alignment , also do steering box and camber , caster. I can sort your alignment out im in Lanrak gimme a call if you need help 07800 510778 cheers jim . £35.00 alignment

[gsxjim]

hello grant
should have said i use lasers to track not the usual garage super tracker rubbish , its accurate to 2mm and i guarantee my work cheers jim

[grantc]

Hello Grant
Im an alignment engineer and work on commercial vehicles i can straighten axles aignment , chassis alignment and wheel alignment , also do steering box and camber , caster. I can sort your alignment out im in Lanrak gimme a call if you need help 07800 510778 cheers jim . £35.00 alignment
Hi Jim, It wasn't me who raised the Thread!! But I'll keep your number! I'll probably get it checked nearer the winter when I get my new tyres. (didn't know there was such a thing as an "alignment engineer":)) Grant

[Jensen]

Hello Grant
Im an alignment engineer and work on commercial vehicles i can straighten axles aignment , chassis alignment and wheel alignment , also do steering box and camber , caster. I can sort your alignment out im in Lanrak gimme a call if you need help 07800 510778 cheers jim . £35.00 alignment

Thanks:) But a bit far for me :D

[DOOROY]

Seems there is no way of altering camber - I imagine it would take a lot of force to distort a Disco axle casing and the only cure would be replacement .
For the past number of years I have been using Gunson's Trakrite - and if used properly it gives excellent results . I know this from having set a lot of cars for our NCT and on checking results found them to be always very accurate. And an even better indicator was having the tyres wear perfectly evenly .

[Jensen]

Seems there is no way of altering camber - I imagine it would take a lot of force to distort a Disco axle casing and the only cure would be replacement .
For the past number of years I have been using Gunson's Trakrite - and if used properly it gives excellent results . I know this from having set a lot of cars for our NCT and on checking results found them to be always very accurate. And an even better indicator was having the tyres wear perfectly evenly .

Cheers Dooroy!

Nothing left to do but to buy some new tyres and take it from there.

[gsxjim]

oooops sorry Grant thought you had the problem with tracking , My proper title is a Commercial Vehicle Engineer ,Oooooooooooo lol it sounds good but im just a greese monkey hee hee , i normally work on trucks and buses etc but i can track anything, like i said before its accurate to 2mm and instead of placing gadges to the tyres , the gear i have sits in line with axles and chassis. Anyway if you need tracking gimme a shout. cheers Jim

[Jensen]

Recap:

2000 Disco Td5 that I bought 7 months ago with front tyres worn on the inside! Going of the bills it has had this problem for a good few years!

Had a state of the art "laser tracking jobby" done

I put some second hand tyres on with good even tread, 5 months later and 5k + the bastides still wearing on the inside

Made a bar up with threaded rod and measured my mates toe out on his TD5,1.5 mm ish, then measured mine, the same as.

The book says 0 to 2mm toe out so I have closed mine to O & swapped rear tyres onto the front.

Any thoughts? other ideas?

Kin pishes me off when tyres wear like this, my last TDI used to do 50k + on the same set of tyres with all the same wear.

[bestraffy]

once a tyre has started to wear it will go on wearing like that even when the tracking has been done, dont worry if all ends are ok and track is right ,if you keep an eye on your tyres from new run a hand over the tread every now and then if the tyre is wearing funny you will feel a feathering on the tread

[Jensen]

once a tyre has started to wear it will go on wearing like that even when the tracking has been done, dont worry if all ends are ok and track is right ,if you keep an eye on your tyres from new run a hand over the tread every now and then if the tyre is wearing funny you will feel a feathering on the tread

I had the tracking checked because the front tyres were worn insides (well worn! like 0 inside tread & 8mm on the outside) tracking was spot on no adjustment needed!

So I put some very good part worn tyres on and they are wearing like the last two on the front :eek::eek: