Windstar Suspension and Tire Wear

Last post on Aug 04, 2008 at 5:10 PM

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#1 of 1 Windstar Suspension and Tire Wear by old89lsc Aug 04, 2008 (5:10 pm)
I recently noticed quite a bit of outside shoulder wear on the front tires of our 2001 Windstar (101k miles). The van also pulls to the right. I took it in for a tire rotation and once the tires were off, the inside shoulder wear was even worse, especially on the front right tire. The conclusion was that the alignment was off. I took it in for an alignment at a different shop, and once they got it set up they showed me that the camber is off. The camber was about -1 degree for both front tires, which would explain the excessive inside shoulder wear. Initially, the suggestion was to cut the strut plate to adjust the camber but that turned into a recommendation to replace the springs and struts on the front. The total estimated cost was $1,035. At that price, it may be cheaper to eat up tires. I was just wondering if anyone else had this kind of tire wear and what they did for it. I had seen some scary posts about older Windstars breaking springs, but not so much on 2000 and newer models.

#1 of 1: Windstar Suspension and Tire Wear by old89lsc; Aug 04, 2008 (5:10 pm)

I recently noticed quite a bit of outside shoulder wear on the front tires of our 2001 Windstar (101k miles). The van also pulls to the right. I took it in for a tire rotation and once the tires were off, the inside shoulder wear was even worse, especially on the front right tire. The conclusion was that the alignment was off.

I took it in for an alignment at a different shop, and once they got it set up they showed me that the camber is off. The camber was about -1 degree for both front tires, which would explain the excessive inside shoulder wear. Initially, the suggestion was to cut the strut plate to adjust the camber but that turned into a recommendation to replace the springs and struts on the front. The total estimated cost was $1,035. At that price, it may be cheaper to eat up tires.

I was just wondering if anyone else had this kind of tire wear and what they did for it. I had seen some scary posts about older Windstars breaking springs, but not so much on 2000 and newer models.