I'm looking to get some real world input from the experts on this forum.

05TL 107k miles. While doing an oil change in July i noticed steel belts hanging out of the inside of the right front tire. Left front was worn as well but just not as bad. Put 2 new tires(Goodyear Eagle F1) and had it aligned. Tech indicated the toe was out of spec.

Fast forward to last week when i was doing the first brake job on the car only to notice the same problem. WTF, 8k miles later and the tire is shot. Bring the car back to same place only to be told the toe is out on the left front. Camber on the RF is still within spec. I failed to mention that when the problem was first identified i moved the rear tires forward and put the new ones on the rear.

Hope your still with my long post, is this the symptom of worn front bushings? I havent pulled the tire back off yet to see if they are torn but what else can it be. On the rack the alignment is good but real world use on the road the angle of the front end must be changing to wear a tire that quickly.


Any suggestions is greatly appreciated. One other thing, what tool is everyone using to brake the lower ball joint free?

 

My '04 at 100K does the same thing. I had the right front ball joint replaced at 54K because the part failed while driving. I have the alignment checked and rotate every 6 months/10K miles and it always checks out fine, but the right front tire wears abnormally on the inside of the tire.

Design flaw? Acura could never explain why the ball joint just failed (it wasn't the ball/socket interface, it was the metal connector from the ball). They also refused to cover the repair cost because the car was 4K past its warranty.

The right front went flat in the driveway last weekend because of a puncture and when I took the tire off to put the spare on, I noticed the abnormal wear. The tires (Yokohama A4S) had 41K miles on them and I was going to replace them after the winter season (I run snows in the winter) anyway. The left front didn't show anywhere near the amount of wear...the tread on the inside "shoulder" of the tire was completely gone on the right front...the left front was worn evenly.

I drive almost exclusively on the highway and average 22K - 25K miles per year for the last 3 years.

Any other high mileage drivers seeing the same?

 

There will be no uneven tire wear if the front suspension is in spec (alignment) and no worn parts. Get the printout for the alignment, and if all the specs are within the factory range, go to another shop, or return to the shop that did the alignment and have them take a look at the front end and tell you why the tire(s) are wearing. Have seen many racks not calibrated/set properly so that when the machine indicates the specs are within range, they are actually outside the factory specs. Have seen the same with wheel balancers also.

 

I suspect that the RF wears quicker than the LF because there is more weight on that tire due to the engine being closer to that side of the car. Considering the geometry and design of the suspension are identical from side to side this is the only explanation.

I have printouts from the 2 shops that have done the alignments so i am not sure i can blame their racks being out of calibration. Also visually looking at the camber in a static state it looks fine however i am wondering what is happening when there is a load on the pivot points of the suspension. My guess is that the bushings are deflecting and causing the inside of the tire to get abused. I've checked the ball joint by grabbing the tire at 12 and 6 and seeing if there is any play and also 9 and 6 to check all the joints. Everything is tight!!

 

To repeat, there should be no irregular tire wear seen at any corner. Also, on some cars the springs are different rates at the front corners to compensate for the additional weight loads to eliminate the suspension changes. Could you imagine the customer dissatisfaction with new cars if your theory were correct? On all the vehicles I've worked on, there is only one explanation when uneven tire wear is noticed.....Something is wrong.

 

Of course something is wrong, i realize that. This is why i am looking to others with the same car who may have had the same problems and have solved there's. You seem to think it has to do with the machine not being calibrated, this is a high mileage car dont forget that. Something is worn, question is which part? I'd rather not just throw parts on it just for the sake of changing.

 

is this place you're using a brake shop or tire/suspension place? If the latter, the shop techs should be able to tell you whether your problem is from bushings, mounts, etc.

Also, assuming your TL suspension is OEM and not modded, there was a TSB for the '04 TL rear axle bump stops due to incorrect suspension geometry under load: see https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-tires-wheels-suspension-97/too-many-04-05-owners-unaware-critical-tsb-have-done-601284/

 

You seemed as though you were saying that this is the only explanation and that it is considered normal. Sorry if I misinterpreted the comment.

That is what the alignment tech should be able to tell you, as not too much I can pin point sitting in front of the terminal. Did you check the ball joints unloaded? Place a jack under the LCA and raise the wheel off the ground and give the wheel a tug at 12/6, and 3/9 position and check for any loosness.

 

i've just done the first brake job on the car myself. This is when i noticed the RF tire situation again. The shop i picked the tire up is Mavis tire, they are a regional tire shop here in the North East. The car is completely stock with no mods.

I've done the 12/6, 9/3 checks and everything is tight. I also dont hear any noise when driving. I appreciate everyone's input. Real world advise is always better than what i have received in the past from any tech.

 

Yes, but was the suspension unloaded?

 

Yes the car was on jack stands.

 

If the jack stands were under the frame, the suspension is loaded. You'll need to place the jack under the lower control arm and raise the tire/wheel off the ground to relieve the weight on the components, then give it a try.

 

Do a visual on your LCA compliance bushing & put the front on stands and push on the sides of the wheels to see if the wheel bearing/s are shot. Also check the tie rod ends & ball joint for wear. Assuming your shocks are fine I would verify your tire orientation is correct & inflation is always in spec, just keep you eye on it every week or so after the new tires.

 

So why is the right side suspension causing the uneven wear? I've used 3different shops and all say there's nothing wrong with the alignment. Why did a ball joint fail at 54K miles? I drive like an old lady, almost exclusively interstate driving and use stock summer wheels and Acura-approved steel/snows in the winter. Acura did the repair on the ball joint.

Acura has refused to acknowledge there is a design flaw, but the DOT/NHTSA site shows quite a few 3G TLs that have had the right front suspension fail.

 

Maybe this has something to do with the front suspension issues?
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/04-08-front-lower-control-arm-bushing-failure-please-read-look-707888/