Odd tire wear.

[08navigator]

The suspension is tight on our 2008 navigator, I have had the alignment checked twice by different shops and had the tires rebalanced. I am getting some feathering on the outside edges of the front tires for some reason.

The tires are new Goodyear ls2 20" and the only thing I can think of is that the front struts are original and possibly causing excessive movement on the highway causing this.

It does feel like the tires are moving more than they should on the highway almost like they're bouncing slightly some of the time. Could struts cause something like that? All ball joints, tie rods etc are good and tight.



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[JExpedition07]

The suspension is tight on our 2008 navigator, I have had the alignment checked twice by different shops and had the tires rebalanced. I am getting some feathering on the outside edges of the front tires for some reason.

The tires are new Goodyear ls2 20" and the only thing I can think of is that the front struts are original and possibly causing excessive movement on the highway causing this.

It does feel like the tires are moving more than they should on the highway almost like they're bouncing slightly some of the time. Could struts cause something like that? All ball joints, tie rods etc are good and tight.



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Shot in the dark here, do you have any tire pressure sensor fault warning? Does your steering wheel vibrate?

 

[08navigator]

I don't have the tire pressure warning and all tires are at the recommended 35psi. Maybe they need to be a higher psi. The wheel does vibrate a bit off and on. It's not a tire balance issue as I just had that done and it doesn't feel the same. It kind of feels like the tire bouncing slightly more than it should over bumps esp on the highway.

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[Trainmaster]

How many miles on the truck? How many miles since you installed the tires?

If the struts are shot, they should have shown up on the inspection for alignment. Did a real shop do the alignment or some crack-head Pep Boys talent?

 

[08navigator]

125k miles. Tires were installed at 122,500 miles. The struts aren't leaking but are 10 years old at this point. Dobbs did the alignment which is a chain in Missouri. They're ok at best. However I had two different shops check the alignment with the same results.
One thing I think may have happened is mixing up the front and rear. I had them do an alignment and was told and shown on the printout that the rear was toed in very badly but the front was fine. The tire wear indicated the rear was perfect and the front was toed in. I think they mixed up front and rear and actually corrected the front toe in. The tires don't appear to be feathering much at all these past 200 miles. How you mix those up I don't know. I didn't talk to the tech who did the alignment just got the printout.

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[Trainmaster]

Find a real shop and watch the work.

 

[Adieu]

10 years and 120k on original motorcraft struts? Yeah they'll either be mostly done or getting there


Just cuz they aren't blown to **** or bent doesn't mean they're operating anywhere near as well as when new

 

[shinysideup2]

I've noticed the same taking turns too quickly, with too low a pressure, with not enough roll resistance (sway bar too soft - which you can't do anything about). Try a higher pressure. I run 50 psi+ - I like the feel of it. My tires are rated for up to 80 psi (load range E).

 

[08navigator]

I've already ordered new struts for the front with the whole spring and assembly all together. The rear shocks were just replaced(got rid of the air suspension). I'll also inflate to a higher psi. These tires are a Max of 44psi so I'll try 38 and see if that helps. Gas mileage has been really good for this vehicle. I easily hit 18 on the highway and usually push it close to 20mpg going 68-70mph. Thanks for the help!

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[08navigator]

Update:. I inflated the tires to 38psi and changed out the front struts with the easy strut from Monroe. I used the more expensive set since I read the Monroe Roadmaster was not a good option. The front tire feathering has stopped as well as the steering wheel jitter/shake(wheels were in balance). The suv feels fantastic not on the highway. Thank you for all of the help!

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