tyre wear

[MickyS]

my front tyres seem to wear away on the inside edges really quick. i got some new fronts put on last year at the endish of the summer, and got them aligned (allegedly) at the same time. is it normal for them to wear like this this quickly. they already seem pretty close to the mark to me....?

[GTXTRA]

this always worth a look -

http://sciroccoregisterforum.co.uk/faq/ ... -revealed/

also - where are you based? someone on here may recommend a decent local alignment place if this site doesnt throw up one?

[MickyS]

im in glasgow. ive asked about recommended places on here for up here before but no-ones ever suggested anyone. that link seems pretty helpful....thye have a centre they recommend on their list, do you think its a reputable site??

[Nate]

wear round the inside edge of the tyres would suggest that you have too much toe out. if you haven't already, fit an adjustable track rod to the side that is non-adjustable, particularly if your car is lowered. the change to the front end geometry when you lower them means that although you can get the wheels both pointing straight ahead, the toe out on turns may be wrong, even though it would appear to a fast-fit centre that it is right...

[Junglist]

Your car will have sagged over the years. Jack it up and fit a lower strut brace. When I did mine I discovered my front end had spread by almost 2 inches! It'll improve your cornering too - one of the most highly recommended mods for a scirocco. If you've already got one, it could be a camber adjustment needed - there's an adjuster bolt at the bottom of the front strut which changes the camber using an eccentric (wonky) washer. Camber is different to tracking. it's "vertical-ness" rather than toe in/out. Proffessionals will do it for £25 per side and tracking for £25 per car. Not all tracking places will do camber though.

[mark1gls]

Could be that the place were you had your tracking adjusted last did not do a good job.
With the other halfs 9N Polo I went to 4 differnet main stream tyre fitters and not one could track the car, we was going through front tyres in 6 months and at £100 a time! I thought there was a big problem with the car! Took the car for the MOT where it needed another set of front tyres and the local garage set up the tracking and the tyres are now not wearing out on the front inner edge . So Kwik fit, National tyres (2 differnet places) and Taunton tyres R Us all tried and failed.

[stu.gtx]

I would tend to agree with Mark above. It's surprising how many places do a crap job of doing work on your car.

Unless your car is exessively low of course....

[fonzooorooo]

If you've got a bit of flat, level ground to park your car on, check it out yourself... Idea robbed from practical classics a few months ago alows you to check your tracking with 4 axle stands (or bricks, concrete blocks, old computers, choice is yours) , bits of string and a tape measure. Just set up the bits of string on the stands at the height of the centre of the hub, parallel down the length of the car (remember different track front and rear - so measure between the strings, not out from the front ana rear wheels!) and measure in from the strring to the wheel rim at the fromt and rear edges. Do this with our car at ride height and adjust to either straight ahead, or a little tow out.
A plumb bob taped to the wing (or trapped in the bonnet I suppose) was suggested for checking camber. Again, measurements to the rim, top and bottom... Frosts do a bubble gauge with a magnetic face and dimensions for doing camber (bought one when I did mine)... getting the car level and at ride height with a wheel off (magnet stuck to the brake disk) is a nuisance though! Seem to remember the haynes suggesting dead vertical or a smidge of positive camber. Words of wisdom from the haynes relates to stock height suspension for normal road conditions though... I can quite understand more exuberant drivers wanting negative camber.

[Junglist]

someone told me it should be 0.5 negative camber.

[Nate]

0.5 degree negative, +/- 0.5 degree