Front tire camber?

[mrosenb107]

Hi Spyder Lovers one and all ;)
Have an odd problem. one of my front tires ( right side to be exact ) is wearing out unevenly compared to the left tire..:yikes:..tire pressures are right on...Is there a camber adjustment on the front spindle for or is this possably an issue with the torsion bar? any one out there have the same problem? ( 09 GS )
Thanks

[arntufun]

Your problem is not odd at all. A LOT of Spyders have this issue.


There is an adjustment to fix it (I'm not sure if it's Camber or Toe adjustment), but from what I hear it's not easy. You have to know what your doing if you attempt it yourself. Rnet was one of the first to do it years ago, and there are several threads on the subject. Mine is just starting to show uneven wear at 22k miles on the front tires, so mine isn't as severe as others are/were.

Good luck. :thumbup:

[Cleg]

I have 10000 on mine and this spring noticed uneven wear on the Rt side as well. Took it to the dealer and had them check the alignment, said nothing wrong and they recommended an increase in TP. not sure if that will help, but throughout the ride in TN I didn't notice any change from last year. I'll discuss with Rnet this weekend....really sucks though if the adjustment is only a simple one and the dealer didn't figure it out or know about it,,,

[MrLooney]

Your problem may be Toe In??

My 2011 RS~S Spyder was seriously wearing the right tire inside shoulder in less than 3,000 miles. After airing up from 7.5 PSI to 18 - 19 PSI and resetting the shocks up to max preload with no change in tire wear I finally stopped on the side of the road, took out a crescent wrench and loosened the Right Tie Rod, screwed out the adjusters one full turn on the Tie Rod Bar (Tire Toe In). I know this is not right, but you have to do what you have to do when you have more than 2,000 miles to go before getting home. After the adjustment, it was like adding power steering and much better control on the highway. I did not have to fight the bars to control the Spyder especially when crossing road wear tire grooves and paint lines. The next 2,000 miles I could not see any more tire wear which made me very happy. When I get back to the states I will be getting it professionally aligned.

[SpyderAnn01]

The first set of tires on my RT wore very unevenly and my dealer said that it was a camber issue and that there was no adjustment for camber. I insisted that they do an alignment and they found that either the toe in or out was way off (can't remember which it was) After that my tires wore evenly and I got great wear out of the fronts.

It even says in the Owner's Manual that uneven tire wear is normal :gaah:

[NancysToy]

The caster and camber are fixed on the Spyder, only toe-in is adjustable. If both front tires wear unevenly, then a toe-in adjustment is likely required. When just one side wears unevenly, it points to suspension or frame damage, or worn suspension components. You need a thorough front end inspection by a competent technician. The shock bushings, a-arm bushings, tie-rod ends, abd ball joints should all be inspected for wear. Any play is cause for replacement. The wheel bearings should be checked for play, and repacked and adjusted, or replaced as necessary. The a-arms and tie-rods should be inspected for damage, and the attachment points for the suspension at the frame should be inspected for broken welds or cracks. The most common offenders are the a-arm bushings, shock bushings, ball joints, and tie-rod ends. Even a little looseness will wear the tires in a hurry.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Lucky me I have two Spyders, :thumbup:...My 08 GS suffered from inside tire wear not really too bad 14,000 mi and re-placed them. I tried camber adjustment shims and there was a slight improvement ( and yes I know BRP says it can't be done but that's just plain B.S. the front suspension on the Spyder is very common/ordinary ).....Anywho, I also have an RSS and this has what I believe is A PERFECT ALIGNMENT it has never been adjusted ( dealers don't do anything with them at delivery from BRP, BRP sets the alignment and if you are lucky you get one that is PERFECT, if not you will get EARLY tire wear.) My RSS has 15, 500 + miles and the front tires (both) look almost new. I think I may get 30,000+ miles out of the OEM tires......If you can get a competant alignment it's very very worthwhile....Unfortunately I don't think the MAJORITY of DEALERS have a clue how to do it .....and won't admit it........Good Luck.....Mike

[Bob Denman]

rnet has worked out a system for adjusting camber; PM him.
But I'd suspect alignment or suspension issues first; make sure that's all good before working up to tinkering with the camber. :shocked:

[NancysToy]

I guess I need to repeat myself. If a single tire alone is wearing unevenly, it is not usually an alignment issue (unless the frame was never symmetrical in the first place). The first place to look when a single tire wears that way is at the suspension and steering components. Alignment issues almost always affect both wheels. A proper alignment is impossible unless the suspension and steering components are up to snuff. I'll add that many techs do not understand this, and do not know how to properly inspect a front end for play in the components.

[Bob Denman]

:opps: ...Mis-read the original post... Now that I see that it's only the right front; :agree: with Scotty!