keithwray Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 I've had this van for ten years from new and uneven front wheel tyre wear has always been a problem. The tyres wear more on the inside of the wheels. I've had the alignment checked several times but have always been told it was ok. Is it just symptomatic of this vehicle or can I actually do something about it? It's a 2003 Fiat Ducato fitted with Michelin Camper tyres. The new style tyre they introduced a couple of years ago fares just the same as the old one. Any ideas anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 The 694g is a relatively heavy twin rear axle design. The front tyres have to work hard and will wear much faster than the rears. What mileage are you getting. Have you ever weighed your vehicles axle loads. It practicaly impossible to get individual rear axle weghts but just front and then the pair of rears is not difficult. Compare this with the allowable figures on the chassis plate. It might be worth contacting Al-Ko to check if they advise any alteration to the standard 1 MM toe- in figure when twin rear axles are involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinghigh Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Front tyres will obviously wear quicker on an front wheel drive and steer van, but there is more to steering geometry than tracking, if the the tyres are wearing on the inside both sides that is usually a camber problem, this can be exacerbated by high front axel loads, heavy duty front springs will decrease the camber angles and put more of the tyre footprint on the road, Basically take it to a company that can check all your tracking/ camber/ castor angles against the recommended figures supplied by the vehicle manufacture , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I had a B694 (albeit of an earlier type) and didn't notice any uneven front tyre wear over five or six years. Haven't seen it reported anywhere either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 The owner states the vehicle has been heavy on tyres since new . It has strut type front suspension so that only tracking is adjustable. Overloading at the front or tired front springs tend to decrease camber due to the suspension geometry so the wheel leans out at the top. It would be reasonable to expect the tyres to wear at the outside rather than inside. Castor would only change if the track control arm was distorted or had wear in the bushes or swivel joint. Unless the vehicle has been driven squarely against a kerb or similar its unlikely both sides would be bent and there has been no mention of diferences in tyre wear across the vehicle. I doubt there is much wrong, its the price you pay for working a vehicle at the top end of what it was designed for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 I had a Hymer B694G for ten years and had no problems with tyres except general wear as you would expect,I did nearly 90,000 miles in it and the centre two tyres were original and still good when I exchanged the van two years ago,I replaced the fronts and rear tyres as needed and always had the tyres checked regularly but as I said the centre two were no problem,people say that tag axles vans scuff the tyres but this was not my experience.my van was always fully loaded and was a dream to own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithwray Posted September 10, 2014 Author Share Posted September 10, 2014 Thanks for your interest in my problem. I'm sorry that I've not been able to pick up on your responses as I was mistakenly expecting an e mail notification. As usual I'd not filled the form in correctly! I remember you, George from MMM days. I was an avid reader from the mid eighties to mid noughties. My garage has checked the tracking twice and Michelin have had a pair of tyres back once but found them to be OK. I use Event Tyres and have done since the first change about ten years ago. One of their fitters suggested that big vans were susceptible to this problem, whilst another disagreed. The idea of stronger springs chimes with me a little as the van has, and has always had a very marked incline from the rear axles to the front. I have managed to mitigate the problem by rotating the front tyres through the back axles as they wear. This allows me to get a reasonable life from the tyre overall. If I were to leave the tyres on the front then they'd be shot on the inside edge within 7000 miles but with 4mm of tread plus left on the outside. The van still drives like a dream and we're planning to hang onto it for at least another ten years, so any suggestions would be much appreciated. Regards Keith Wray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 What wheels and tyres are you fitting? Wider tyres change the wear characteristics, as can differentt offsets. The 255/35/20 on my Jaguar xj wear on the inside, whereas the 18" winter tyres with I think a 235 width are showing even wear across the tread. I was told it was speed bumps causing the problem, but I rarely go over those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmacz Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 Get tracking tested at another garage, maybe your garage has got it wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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