unusual tire wear UPDATED

Reply #15 – July 07, 2008, 12:20:00 PM

in the new ford trucks, when the clutches go, it pops and shimmies/studders while turning..... i guess if you let it go for too long it could cause the tires to scrub more and wear unevenly

unusual tire wear UPDATED

Reply #16 – July 07, 2008, 01:42:26 PM

Before you panic, do yourself a favour and get a dial indicator on that thing to make sure the movement you're feeling is really as much as you think it is. A very small amount of play in an axle can feel like a whole lot out at the hub, and doing any work without getting a proper reading would be irresponsible and wasteful.

You absolutely should pull the C-clips out and pull the axles out to inspect the bearing surfaces out by the hub, though. These cars are pr0ne to the wheel bearings going bad, and when they do they chew up the axle. Provided the wear isn't too bad (ie a groove worn into the axle) you can get sleeves and/or "axle saver" bearings (which are offset so that the bearing rides on a new location on the axle shaft) to... um... save the axle