Extreme Front tire wear.

[Shelby58]

I have a lowered 2003 Mustang SVT Cobra convertible that seems to eat the inside of the front tires. All the suspension is in good shape and I believe the alignment to be good. I'm wondering if it's because of an unseen issue with lowering the car. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions.

 

[RaggedGT]

Was it aligned after it was lowered?

 

[Shelby58]

Was it aligned after it was lowered?

Yes it was. I should clarify. The car was lowered using HRH springs approximately three years ago. It's had a few alignments since it was lowered.

 

[2Blue2]

Not enough info for proper answer but...

After lowering the stock control arm which was mostly level is now at a angle
But if the control arm’s inner pivot point is lower than the ball joint, it decreases the amount of negative camber the tire gains while cornering.
Thus scrubbing the tire edges off.

solutions
Maximum Motorsports K member with improved mounting points for their lower tube arms to improve the geometry of lowered stangs.

Post a pic of car and a pic of how the lower arms sits looking from front at rest.

 

[LILCBRA]

Did you have caster/camber plates installed? Inside scrubbing can come from 2 possible causes: negative camber or too much toe out.

Mustang Caster Camber Plates, 2003-2004 Cobra

 

[Mustang5L5]

Did they provide alignment specs or just tell you that you were good to go?

You may need the aforementioned caster Camber plates to properly dial in Camber after lowering the car

 

[Shelby58]

Thanks for all your responses.
The cars suspension is basically stock except for the HRH springs. MM caster camber plates were a consideration to remedy the problem. I was also considering MM Bumpsteer kit to correct the tie-rod arm to control arm angle, etc.
The alignment was done by my son who's a certified mechanic. I believe that the alignment was done to stock settings. Which probably means the settings did not consider the lower spring height.
Thanks again to you all.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Inside wear can also be attributed to too much toe-in or toe-out.

In fact, improper toe will wear the front tires down quicker than improper Camber angle. Bad Camber takes a while to materialize in the tire. Bad toe can happen in a few thousand miles if it’s severe enough.

It can be aligned correctly, but old worn bushings can allow flex in the a arm as the car pushes forward. This can cause the wheels to toe out. Dial in a little natural Camber (I believe factory spec is about 0.5* in) and it will chew up the insides in no time.

Given the car is 17 years old, you’ll want to check the condition of the bushing and put a pry bar on the arm to see if there is excessive movement

 

[2Blue2]

Thanks again to you all.

We still want you to pose with stang for a picture!

 

[Shelby58]

OK, so here's a photo of my Cobra taken last summer.

20th
Here's my 20th Anniversary GT350 taken last summer.

 

[Shelby58]

Inside wear can also be attributed to too much toe-in or toe-out.

In fact, improper toe will wear the front tires down quicker than improper Camber angle. Bad Camber takes a while to materialize in the tire. Bad toe can happen in a few thousand miles if it’s severe enough.

It can be aligned correctly, but old worn bushings can allow flex in the a arm as the car pushes forward. This can cause the wheels to toe out. Dial in a little natural Camber (I believe factory spec is about 0.5* in) and it will chew up the insides in no time.

Given the car is 17 years old, you’ll want to check the condition of the bushing and put a pry bar on the arm to see if there is excessive movement

Thanks for the info. I'll definitely look into this as soon as the snow melts! LOL

 

[2Blue2]

Good Stuff Thanks

 

[KRUISR]

If camber/caster was set right during alignment, you could have hit a pot hole or curb and knocked the toe out as well. Could do a quick tape measure check on front side and rear side of the front tires. Its not an alignment but could show if there is an issue.

 

[Shelby58]

Thanks for the advice. I'll check it out.

 

[2Blue2]

Really like that 350

 

[Shelby58]

Really like that 350

Thanks. It was my very first, brand new car.