Insight on alignment/tire wear.

[Marioh]

I got the car aligned earlier this year. I'm at 24.25 up front and 24.5 in the back. So obviously pretty low, and I was expecting some premature wear on the tires. When I got it aligned and got the specs back, the guy was pleasantly impressed. He said the rears are at -1.5* and the fronts are at -2.4* camber. He said Audi spec is max at -2.. so I was just slightly over the spec. He said he was able to add just a touch toe and that would even out my wear and shouldn't be that noticeable.

About 15k later, here's where I sit:



Does this seem a little out of place? I get that I'm low. I get some early wear. But an alignment shop telling me I have nothing to worry about just doesn't quite add up either. This is the passenger front tire. The driver side front tire is not as bad, but certainly not awesome either.

I am getting new tires tomorrow, and am going to throw it on the rack again to see where it sits. However, anything I should check specifically that might have caused this. Am I living a pipe dream and this is just going to be standard for tire wear? Or should I consider tie rods failing? Control arms are a year old, and while the suspension is a little clunky over bumps, nothing feels out of place.

[S4SHOES]

low tire pressure can cause something similar as well
i know on my s4, audi recommends 42 psi on the front tires! i didnt have it filled to that pressure because it seemed crazy but it caused what looks similar to your pics ( but not as severe)
ended up replacing the tires and bumping up the pressure, no issues since then
just a suggestion

[Marioh]

I'm all for suggestions. The tires weren't NOTICEABLY low on pressure, but I wasn't checking them weekly either. That's a great heads up, and no doubt I'll keep an eye on that next time around. Any suggestion is a good suggestion, thanks for taking the time. Cheers!

[LJH]

I think you are just too low and it is time for adjustable arms though the statement that he added a bit of toe has me concerned. If you are using your car primarily as a DD and want max tire life the toe should be set to 0*, toe is going to wear tires MUCH faster then camber. If you are tracking the car and do not care about tire wear toe can produce marked changes in how the car feels.

Cheers,
Jim

[fshowcars]

upper tie rod end is shot... I would confirm that you are not seized... and check the health of the tie rods.

[cj-S4]

Anywhere over -1 camber is going to where tires pretty bad. I have the front on my Z06 set at -1 and rear at -.75. I tryed -1.5 front and -1 rear for awhile. It handled incredable. But the tire wear was way too much.

This is a common issue on all Audi as far as I know, when lowered. There is no individual adjustment for the camber front or rear. And when you change one measurement of the geometry puzzle it changes other measurements. The only real solution is aftermarket adjustable arms. Or return to stock height.

That said, if you shocks are shot. Or even more common, if you have lowering springs on stock shocks. Then the car is riding alot lower in the stroke than it should, and with new proper shocks tuned for the drop, it will wear tires alittle less. But it will still eat them up.
A good setting on the S4 would be -.85 front and -.40 rear. That will still give some abnormal tire wear but nothing like that, it is about what the stock ride height sets the camber at.
Race cars run numbers like -2 to -3 front and rear,, they go through a set of tires every race or so.

[Marioh]

Thanks for the input guys. Will check the upper tie rod. FCP's are cheap. It's an H&R Sport / Bilstein combo. Shocks feel fine.

[fshowcars]

go ahead and check that upper lol... i have the HRs and bilsteins in a box waiting for some free time.

[jesters22]

also realize if u put on tires znd drive on them with ur car not aligned properly. and wear starts. their is no amount of aligning that u will ever do to havd those those tires wear even. they will continue to wear messed up. that could b ur case aswell.

[slow ride]

Mine wore like that with 26,xxx on the dam car with stock suspension. Tires were wide and seemed to make it worse. My winter tires 205's and 215's never seem to wear as bad as the summers. I slotted the upper shock mount to take out some negative camber and it did help some. I'm at 25-25.25" now and the wear is managable. I look for tires with a solid inside bar of rubber (sumi HTRZIII) that seem to slow the wear also.

[MDJ]

I didn't think about that tie rod, mario. Lets check that out.

Also, I got one motor mount and the snub put in yesterday. Gotta drain coolant and do the pita drivers side today....

If youre free, hit me up. Hope everything went smoothly yesterday buddy!

[S4 00 2.7]

Check air and tie rods.