uneven wear in front tires

[You've Been Bongod]

both my front tires are wearing on both edges BUT not in the middle
and i have a terrible wheel wobble

have changed drop links , re balanced tires
any other help would be appreciated

[Muzorewa]

Carl, our fronts wore unevenly when our tracking was out, once we had the tracking set and wheels balanced, things were ok for a while but the uneven wear was still there and we had terrible tyre noise, wheel wobble and tyre wear. Having fitted new front tyres, it's like driving a different car - drives like a dream

[You've Been Bongod]

thanks muz i will have tracking checked and go from there

[mister munkey]

What pressure are you on at the fronts Carl?


Wearing at the edges suggests low pressure. I've recently pushed mine up by 5 psi (after a nod on here) as mine were doing the same. Spot on now.


Sorted, the weaves & wobbles have faded & it feels a lot more stable now.


Try fettling the front psi, that maybe all you need.

[You've Been Bongod]

re checked the pressures today and 1 was @ 28psi and the other was 32psi to i topped them all up to 40psi and touch wood seems ok again

thanks for the info guys

[dandywarhol]

40 wore the MIDDLE out of mine - now at 35 on an unconverted van...............

[You've Been Bongod]

thanks dandy i will drop the pressure tommorrow to 35psi

[Ron Miel]

thanks dandy i will drop the pressure tommorrow to 35psi

Mine's fully converted, and is handling fine with 35psi front/37psi rear, when in normal runaround configuration - checks in then at 1980Kg on our local weighbridge. Doing our first ever fully loaded (water/petrol/LPG/porta potti header tank all full, full camping kit including awning, etc. on board) camping trip next week, and intend to try taking rear tyres up to 39psi just for that trip.

Also plan to re-visit the weighbridge in that full load condition before setting off, and hope to be at or below Imperial Car Company's specified 2260kg gross vehicle weight - for all Bongo Friendees.

Anyone know where that 2260kg figure comes from? I've seen it quoted elsewhere in the forum but it bears no relation to any of the "vehicle weight" (tare or gross?) figures for different variants in the Owners Handbook. As a non type approved (UK) motor, there's no gross weight listed, in my V5 at least, so I suppose that in the event of an insurance claim I have to rely on Imperial's figure for "legality".

[trevd01]

I have found 40psi works fine. See this thread: http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... =1&t=28972

20,000 km and hardly detectable wear, edge, centre or anywhere

Maybe the high load rating, quality tyres (Yokhama 100H) in standard tyre size (ours are 215/65R15), perfect tracking, perfect drop links and perfect balance has helped?

Or have we just been lucky with our tyre wear?

It's a funny thing,
the more I practice the luckier I get.

But I have found that I have needed the front wheels balancing at least once a year. As soon as I get that first feeling of a shimmer through the steering wheel at about 64/70 mph, I have got them re-balanced.

[brorabongo]

40psi did my rear tyres in. They had worn in the middle, just like Dandy's.

[kawasaki kid]

I run mine with the fronts at 36 psi and the rears at 40 psi - what they quote for towing - tyre wear not noticeable and the ride improve - when I first got the van I used to run at the normal quoted pressures and the rear passengers used to complain about the bouncy ride and I`ve got adjustable shocks on my van.

[Ron Miel]

40psi did my rear tyres in. They had worn in the middle, just like Dandy's.

Think it's bound to be somewhat vehicle weight dependent - dandy's is unconverted, so 40 psi would have put the tyres right up on tippy toe. Anyway, with that in mind, I compromised and split the difference between the Mazda spec, and the 40psi all round that many people were telling me to use, when running without a full camping load in, and it's absolutely fine. Will try 39psi/rear, only with full rear loads, but any sign of excess centre wear and they'll stay at 37psi, or less, all the time.

[bigdaddycain]

thanks dandy i will drop the pressure tommorrow to 35psi

No, no carlos... You need at LEAST 40 in your tyres mate, you are running 18's, dandy isn't.

Mine are 45psi. Wear is almost even, getting a tad low on the inside fronts.

[daveblueozzie]

I'm on 17's and mine are 40psi as recommended by wheelquick who fitted the tyres.

[mister munkey]

My last set of 17"s seemed happiest at 36/40 so kept those figures in mind when I got the RX8's.

4000 miles on, the fronts were wearing excessively on the outer edges. Beefed up to 45 all round & the whole caboodle has felt a lot more solid. It seems to make a big difference as to which tyres,wheel size & internal set you have, as to what works best.