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Tire tread wearing down quickly? Less than 200miles
I have a 2008 GS350 RWD, with the optional 18” rim package. I just bought 4 Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus, and had them mounted/balanced at Americastire. A few days later (less than 150miles driven) I notice my car was pulling to the right a bit, so I went to Big O for an alignment. I was given an inspection report which shows the tread on my tires has worn, from the original 10/32”, down to 7/33” in some areas.
Im very concerned and confused about this… is it really possible for these new tires to be wearing this fast? I don’t drive the car recklessly, and I’ve had them for less than 200 miles. (On top of that, my car still pulls to the right after the alignment)
Last edited by rickochey; Nov 16, 2023 at 11:19 AM.
Sounds like you have a bad suspension bushing somewhere. A common bushing to replace on all GS is the front lower control arm big donut bushing. So I would order two of those, oem bushings only, if you plan to keep the car awhile.
As for the suspension issue and the car drifting right, you need to lift the car on jack stands. Or take it to a shop that will inspect each bushing, the way you check these bushings. Is you need two people! Once the front end is raised, have someone strong grab the tire from 9pm and 3pm position and forcefully jerk the wheel left and right. At the same time, shine a flash light on the suspension bushings and you want to look for any noticable movement in the bushing. Check the tire rod ends, check the inner tire rods. Then do the same for 12am and 6pm position on the wheel. Look for loose ball joints or even loose bolts. If all this is good and you do not find nothing noticable, then you can lower the car on the ground and have someone in the car with it running and turn the steering wheel.
After you have done all this, and you couldnt find any issues, and replaced that donut bushing. Then right away I would take the car to another alignment shop. Preferably one that has a good hunter alignment rack. After you finish post the results curious to see how it looks.
Sounds like you have a bad suspension bushing somewhere. A common bushing to replace on all GS is the front lower control arm big donut bushing. So I would order two of those, oem bushings only, if you plan to keep the car awhile.
As for the suspension issue and the car drifting right, you need to lift the car on jack stands. Or take it to a shop that will inspect each bushing, the way you check these bushings. Is you need two people! Once the front end is raised, have someone strong grab the tire from 9pm and 3pm position and forcefully jerk the wheel left and right. At the same time, shine a flash light on the suspension bushings and you want to look for any noticable movement in the bushing. Check the tire rod ends, check the inner tire rods. Then do the same for 12am and 6pm position on the wheel. Look for loose ball joints or even loose bolts. If all this is good and you do not find nothing noticable, then you can lower the car on the ground and have someone in the car with it running and turn the steering wheel.
After you have done all this, and you couldnt find any issues, and replaced that donut bushing. Then right away I would take the car to another alignment shop. Preferably one that has a good hunter alignment rack. After you finish post the results curious to see how it looks.
I purchased the car in June when it had ~110,000 miles, and the previous owner gave me a list of the maintenance records. The odometer currently reads ~112,000.
Apparently the records show at 90,000 miles they replaced the control arm bushings, ball joints, and rear sway bar links. They also put Meghan camber arms in the front/rear, along with Meghan toe arms in the rear.
It seems that already replaced the parts you mentioned, but yet the still pulls and the tires are wearing fast.
Last edited by rickochey; Nov 16, 2023 at 01:06 PM.
The parts that were replaced were they oem or aftermarket?
Regardless, you should test the suspension bushings by putting them under stress. Carefully look at each bushing! I am suspecting bad tie rod, end or inner. Because it seems like the toe is off, which is why your chewing up tires and drifting. Or take to a good mechanic or alignment shop that specializes in suspensions
The parts that were replaced were they oem or aftermarket?
Regardless, you should test the suspension bushings by putting them under stress. Carefully look at each bushing! I am suspecting bad tie rod, end or inner. Because it seems like the toe is off, which is why your chewing up tires and drifting. Or take to a good mechanic or alignment shop that specializes in suspensions
Im not 100% positive but I assume they replaced them with OEM, since the shop it was done at only works on toyota/lexus/scion vehicles.
Ill be taking the car to my local mechanic soon, so I can get to the bottom of these issues. Ill have them inspect the components you mentioned. Appreciate your advice and help! Will update this afterwards with results
Any link or part numbers for those bushings? i have a RWD. thanks
Sure thing! This bushing also helps tighten up the suspension, if you run over uneven road and the steering jerks. Super easy to install, I think I did mine by barely lifting the car off the ground. I simply unbolted them and bolted in the new ones. But you have to do an alignment right away, as it will throw off the alignment. There a left and right part numbers, even though they may appear to look the same.
Sure thing! This bushing also helps tighten up the suspension, if you run over uneven road and the steering jerks. Super easy to install, I think I did mine by barely lifting the car off the ground. I simply unbolted them and bolted in the new ones. But you have to do an alignment right away, as it will throw off the alignment. There a left and right part numbers, even though they may appear to look the same.
Thank you, i have a clunking noise when I come to a complete stop and maneuver at low speed, i will replace those bushings.
I would test the suspension, similiar to how I suggested in the above post. A clunk could easily be just a loose control arm bolt. Stuff like this can come loose.
Ill be taking the car to my local mechanic soon, so I can get to the bottom of these issues. Ill have them inspect the components you mentioned. Appreciate your advice and help! Will update this afterwards with results
Went back to the same Big O and had them check my tread/alignment again. The employee said the original paper I received is wrong; My tire tread is actually 9/32” - 10/32”. They also re-adjusted the alignment, but upon leaving I noticed my car STILL pulls to the right.
Just for a second opinion, I went to the Americas Tire where I had them installed. The employee said my tires are practically brand new still, and he even showed me the numbers after each reading; They all showed 9/32”-10/32”.
Needless to say, I’m glad to hear that my tires are still good…But I am very much concerned on why the car still pulls to the right..? I don’t want this to have any negative effect on my tire tread down the line, so I’m making an appointment with my mechanic to have him inspect the parts that have been mentioned. Will update again.
Quick question. Would going to another shop for an alignment be a good idea? or at this point should I solely be looking at the suspension components?
The only reason I ask is because I’m skeptical about Big Os work, especially after reading all the negative reviews online for my local shop. Im wondering if the problem is simply they didn’t do the alignment correctly, even though it’s all done by machine machine
Tire tread wearing down quickly? Less than 200miles
