PonyLee

I have a 2005 Mustang GT. It recently went through the Virginia State Inspection and I was told by two different inspection stations that my lower rear control arms were loose and needed to be replaced so I could pass inspection. The car had only 45,000 miles on her. I thought this was cr*p but had no choice so I had the control arms replaced, the car aligned, and passed inspection.

Within 1300 miles I have gone through 4 front tires (two were brand new) due to excessive wearing on the inside. I've taken the car to several mechanics and dealers both inside and outside the state and everyone says the alignment is dead on.

What would cause the front tires to tow-in or demonstrate negative camber while moving and wear the tires but have the alignment dead on accurate while standing still?

67mustang302

Too much static negative camber, too much toe OUT, or a suspension configuration that generates additional negative camber on cornering BEYOND what the vehicle needs during cornering.

Did they give you alignment specs? You need to find out what they are. There's also a possibility of worn front suspension or steering components that are allowing the tires to move when the vehicle is in motion. Find out what the alignment specs are first, if those are good then I'd start looking for worn suspension and/or steering components in the front.

PonyLee

Apparently the Hunter alignment equipment that is used nationwide has the camber for the 2005 Mustang GT set for -.7. The factory specs from Ford have the camber to be set at 0. This is what has been causing the problem. And it took the dealer ALL DAY to do a comparison between equipment specifications and factory specifications. And yes, I meant toe OUT.

Thanks again!!

67mustang302

Depending on the suspension geometry -0.7 may be excessive. I've modified my 67 and -0.5 is too much on a street tire, so I have it at -0.25 now. If Ford says 0 then it should be 0, or probably no more than about -.05 if you drive aggressively. If the suspension geometry is good then it shouldn't need much if any - camber.

And just an FYI, toe changes radically when you turn the steering wheel. It's known as the Ackerman angle. Since one wheel is farther outside of the turn, the steering linkage is designed to cause the inside wheel to turn more sharply than the outisde to account for the differing arcs they travel in, so all cars toe out(relative to static settings) when you turn the wheel. If they didn't the car would understeer quite severely. With correct Ackerman angle you shouldn't get any wear from turning, but static toe settings will affect tire wear in a straight line.