May need camber plates, but a healthy suspension should allow any needed adjustment for appropriate travel. If the springs have sagged really bad or lowering springs have been installed thst may be the issue.

 

It's all stock. They tell us it's from cornering too hard. B.s.

 

Inner camber wear is not abnormal. They may be correct about that, particularly if the wear in each tyre is analogous.

However, the techs may not be loosening both screws on the McPherson strut body. This would greatly limit their ability to adjust camber.

So it’s possible they are being truthful and are simultaneously right and wrong.

What values have they measured? I like to run as much negative camber as I can on all four wheels and I don’t recall the stock values, but they do exist. Compare them to your actual values.

Are you rotating the wheels routinely front to back?

 

May I ask what anogulous is?

 

Is the width of the wear (how far into the middle of the tread it extends) and the depth (how little tread depth there is left) within a few mm on both sides? In other words, is one wear pattern essentially the mirror image of the other, or close enough?

 

Yes both tires are about duplicate. About 2 inches of the inside edges.

 

Next question should be how often do you rotate the tires, what tires are on the car, and how often and what kind of temps are these tires used on.

Summer tires wear fast, real fast. Hot pavement such as out west in the desert can accelerate that wear.

Tires that wear quickly need rotated more often. I rotated mine every oil change and still had that wear on a vehicle with an entirely rebuild suspension and perfect alignment.

 

Then you are not likely experiencing a bona fide mechanical issue.

Are the wheels rotated routinely?

See above for description of how the alignment techs may not be using all the adjustment available to them — but note that they may be delivering a car within factory spec nonetheless.

 

About every 3k

 

And how long do they last before the wear forces you to replace them? What model are they?

 

Probably 15 to 20 thousand. Been running bfg gforce comp2

 

Hm. I'd expect a little longer I suppose.

Next time it's in an alignment shop, ask for the alignment specifications before and after they align the car. Then compare the two. I don't know ideal specs for your model (but the info we'd have here would be oriented toward performance rather than longevity).

Post your alignment specs and let's see what you've got going on up front.

 

 

Oh I see.

I’d assumed camber was your issue but I now suspect it’s toe. I run zero toe.

 

I would take it to a Subaru dealership and have it aligned. IIRC, their prices were about on-par with other establishments. They also might be able to find a common issue they run across causing the problem.

 

Thanks for your input. Have had them do it a number of times over the miles. They always say it's as far as they can adjust the toe.

 

Well they did bring it back toward zero. What happens between alignments that changes the toe, I wonder?

 

We do live on a gravel road but that car should be tougher than that.

 

The wheel alignment is all over the place yes....I thought I wrote earlier about this matter...I'll have a closer look at the w/a later...Just as a picture I wonder whether you have coil-over or a standard suspension. The car being 'tough' isn't the issue, what's happening to the steering is the problem. Has the car been stacked by any chance? when told 'can't adjust toe-in any further' I'd be wondering about the rest of it...as a good suspension shouldn't need to 'go 'as far as possible' to meet any suspension geometry. A poor damage repair can prevent the suspension alignment and the front-rear alignment being a problem.

A degree of neg is a lot but generally ok. Problem with alignment shops include inadequate suspension examination, for example your shock absorbers could be worn, wheel bearings loose, your struts loose or bent, strut mounting plates cracked, faults on their equipment and virtual-amateurs doing the work. Weak springs and lowered springs will change suspension angles. The toe in might not be the whole story but it sounds symptomatic of something bigger.

Camber plates can slip, my suspension steering specialist will not use them on the Subaru...but uses another method
which doesn't slip. Camber is the common cause of inside tyre wear.

There could be a collection of contributors to the problem apart from chassis and adjustment scope. We have not spoken about your tyres which could be soft composition, the inflation pressure , and those gravel roads...which may also have deformation. Driving along a crest as is common on rutted country roads or roads worn and mis-shapen by trucks can see uneven inside wear.

Only once in a blue moon and on say a van will I change tyres around. I get rid of them when worn on cars and 'rotating worn front tyres to the rear isn't good practice....though commonplace for 100 years. Tyres also have a 'due by date' and should be changed at most every five years from the date of manufacture (which is on the tyre). I agree that's all speculation at the moment. Projac's suggestion is good....taking it to a Subaru specific workshop.

 

The wheel alignment is all over the place yes....I thought I wrote earlier about this matter...I'll have a closer look at the w/a later...Just as a picture I wonder whether you have coil-over or a standard suspension. The car being 'tough' isn't the issue, what's happening to the steering is the problem. Has the car been stacked by any chance? when told 'can't adjust toe-in any further' I'd be wondering about the rest of it...as a good suspension shouldn't need to 'go 'as far as possible' to meet any suspension geometry. A poor damage repair can prevent the suspension alignment and the front-rear alignment being a problem.

A degree of neg is a lot but generally ok. Problem with alignment shops include inadequate suspension examination, for example your shock absorbers could be worn, wheel bearings loose, your struts loose or bent, strut mounting plates cracked, faults on their equipment and virtual-amateurs doing the work. Weak springs and lowered springs will change suspension angles. The toe in might not be the whole story but it sounds symptomatic of something bigger.

Camber plates can slip, my suspension steering specialist will not use them on the Subaru...but uses another method
which doesn't slip. Camber is the common cause of inside tyre wear.

There could be a collection of contributors to the problem apart from chassis and adjustment scope. We have not spoken about your tyres which could be soft composition, the inflation pressure , and those gravel roads...which may also have deformation. Driving along a crest as is common on rutted country roads or roads worn and mis-shapen by trucks can see uneven inside wear.

Only once in a blue moon and on say a van will I change tyres around. I get rid of them when worn on cars and 'rotating worn front tyres to the rear isn't good practice....though commonplace for 100 years. Tyres also have a 'due by date' and should be changed at most every five years from the date of manufacture (which is on the tyre). I agree that's all speculation at the moment. Projac's suggestion is good....taking it to a Subaru specific workshop.

By the way could be worthwhile to check for wear and loose mountings at your four front suspension mounting points, at your rack and check ball joint wear..the more you find 'ok>>>good' the more you are sheep-dogging the problem into a smaller paddock...or if you prefer...doing an exclusion process 'which leaves only the....". There's quite a difference between 'just giving a wheel alignment and suspension diagnosis. The entire suspension should be thoroughly examined for wear and loosness and damage before a wheel alignment. Cross measurement of front to rear isn't a bad idea either.

 

Bought this car brand new. All suspension and components are stock.

 

Thx. Will check into this deeper

 

Thanks for the acknowledgement. The 'exclusion method if done well is good. By the way camber plates are typically installed by people wanting 'more neg'....camber has rational limitations...taken to extreme (impossible) the wheel would be lying flat on the ground. Ball joint wear, steering arm wear...damaged , engine mounts, suspension unit mounts so many things can come together for 'out of kilter' and whilst I wouldn't rest on toe-in or camber alone it is obvious that designers don't have everything right at the limit...which is what is a concern with the toe-in comments. Where are you located (country)?. I think I covered a lot...including the conditions and your driving... Voila.

 

Montana. USA