Hello, over winter my Acadiane has worn out its front nearside tyre very unevenly, too much positive camber. The book of lies states this cannot be corrected by the owner, its an axle problem, does this look like a serious case of worn front hubs/axles or just the consequence of hitting too many nearside potholes? The only reason I think this is that my girlfriend's renault clio has has the same wear, we live in the same house so I wonder if its the way we are parking up on the kerb? I always go up on the left side, front wheel first.

Have you measured the camber or are you just going off the state of the tyre? I would have thought it could also be due to the tracking being slightly out (too much toe-in?).

They do seem prone to wearing on the outside edge first anyway, tbh. I tend to (when I remember) take the tyre off the rim and turn it over halfway through its life. I would guess that the body-roll achievable with an Acad would mean it was even more prone to it, and that would be the tyre I'd expect to be the worst if you enjoy 'giving it some' on roundabouts!

EDIT: oh, and assuming you're sensible about it and don't go too fast, I reckon you'd be hard pushed to bend a radius arm by parking on the kerb

Cheers Luke, I haven't measured the camber, just going off the wear. I need to get a tool to do so. Iin the mean time I could just fit the spare and watch out for the wear.

I do hoon it around roundabouts and generally like to drive maximum attack as it where. I need to get it up to NES for a look.

I reckon (sat 150 miles away, having never seen the car!) that it's probably fine. Might be interesting to measure the wear at both edges of the other front tyre. Tyre pressures will make a difference as well, of course.

This is what got me thinking, as the other front is absolutley fine, perfect even wear. I'll keep an eye on it, fit a new tyre, and get NES speed shop to do the tracking when I get it MOT'd.

Thanks Luke!

Seconded. That looks like a fine example of Milton-Keynes-syndrome to me.

If it was the tracking, both fronts would be evenly worn.

Easy 'nuff to check the camber - all you need is a makeshift bobweight - bit of string tied to a large socket'll do. Then space that away from the upper rim a bit - again, a socket'll do - and see if it falls towards, away from or parallel to the wheel.

Aye I know the tool, there's a pic in the manual. Just out of interest, what level of camber should it have as standard?

I've got a feeling that with the wheels pointing straight ahead, there shouldn't be any camber at all. The Haynes book should give you a definitive answer of sorts though

1*

could be king pin wear

or too many rahndabahts as Ad said

Alkie,
haven't you got any string line?
< http://www.flickr.com/photos/30132857@N06/4631300053/ >

No need for a special tool to check the camber, as a good spirit level will do the job.
Make sure that the van ( or strictly speaking the chassis) is sitting level from side to side and that the wheels are pointing straight ahead.
Wheels should be as near as dammit vertical or leaning out 'very' slightly.

ken

p.s. Hitting deep potholes or jumping hump-back bridges would tend to result in negative camber.
Losing it on ice and sliding into a kerb with enough velocity tends to increase the original small amount of positive camber.