Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: shanjon on 27 May 2008, 00:42:31
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my front tyres are wearing out on the inside edge, what im wondering is does anyone know what needs adjusting , im planning a trip to wim when funds allow but im thinking i could manually adjust something myself for the time being to slow the amount of wear, as my tyres have 5mm across the rest of the tread and are almost through to the metal on the inside edge
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In my experiennce it has been tracking or camber that needed adjustment. but worn front wishbone bushes could also be the problem.
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About to change my wishbones. First signs were when braking steering seemed to wander/pull slightly & need slight correction. Only really clocked extent of problemwhen i caught a glimpse of inner edge of tyre when car was parked up. Was through to steel & canvass in parts.Been parked up since waiting for new wishbones to land.
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Have a read of this thread aswell :y
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1211651944
I had a similar if not the same problem as yurself, had the geometry done on the car and appears to be OK now :y
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may need new wishbones, did all that on my 99 cdx. Do the rear joint first, i seem to remember. First i knew of prob was a ting ting ting when driving along. Only had car a couple of weeks, so did not know how it should feel at the wheel, but it was pulling majorly to the left. Ran my hand round inside edge of the tyre and was promptly stabbed in the hand by a bit of wire! It was waking the bottom of the spring cup. I had guessed shock replacement had not been done correctly on that corner as all 4 tyres where the same and half worn and other 3 where all fine.
New tyre and laser wheel alignment at Michledever tyres sorted it. The guy showed me, it was so far out the top of the tyre sidewall had been rubbing on the shock.
Completely dif. car afterwards, less twitchy drove straight, lovely. I still find omega steering a bit vague tho?
Anybody got thoughts on that?
Did the wishbones 40k later as bushes where well low, and took it back to laser
up. It was miles out, as you would expect.
So, my thinking, ANY work on your suspension, Get it checked for camber caster and trail as well as tracking.
It could well save you 2 front tyres.
The number of tyre people i spoke to about the problem that said get the tracking done! Bloody tracking was fine, it was everything else that had gone to cock.
WIM IT ASAP, happy motoring.
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Check out the steering idler arm for play whilst you are at it (on the near side). If this has failed you also get strange handling (very prone to tramlining) which causes you to constantly adjust the sterring wheel. This too will cause or add to the inner edge tyre wear.
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Forgot to mention that Lemfoder manufacture the original wishbones and steering idler for Vauxhall I believe. You can buy the wishbones for £50 each from Autovaux as opposed to £200 (retail) from Vx.
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well i have bitten the bullet and ordered 2x new wishbones, 2 new droplinks and 2 x complete track rod ends, and while i was there new front discs and pads, ,
there is a slight knock coming from the front somewhere when i start to brake and the other day when pulling off of a kerb i was getting a strange creaking noise so i hope the new bits will fix it [smiley=undecided.gif]
it better my mot is due in a little over a week, and yes i was planning having the geometry done after
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Ooooh, creaking noise could be a broken spring, they often break (given the fabulous state of our roads), the last inch or two which sits in the 'cup' on the strut assembly. Have a little poke around, just a thought.....but then, it could have just been flex in the body. Our estate creaks a little sometimes when towing.
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well i have bitten the bullet and ordered 2x new wishbones, 2 new droplinks and 2 x complete track rod ends, and while i was there new front discs and pads, ,
there is a slight knock coming from the front somewhere when i start to brake and the other day when pulling off of a kerb i was getting a strange creaking noise so i hope the new bits will fix it [smiley=undecided.gif]
it better my mot is due in a little over a week, and yes i was planning having the geometry done after
i have only heard it the once i assumed it was a rubber bush in the wishbone or summat , but i will check the spring
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Well, inner tyre wear is a camber issue.....
You could as a temporary setup apply a more positive amount by slackeneing the two lower strut to hub bolts off and pulling the hub upright (the top hole is slotted) and then back them off 2mm ish.......it wont be spot on but will slow the inner tyre wear as a temporary measure only.
Then get is set properly. :y
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Shoulder wear is always camber, as suggested. Worth getting sorted before tyres get wrecked.
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Well, inner tyre wear is a camber issue.....
You could as a temporary setup apply a more positive amount by slackeneing the two lower strut to hub bolts off and pulling the hub upright (the top hole is slotted) and then back them off 2mm ish.......it wont be spot on but will slow the inner tyre wear as a temporary measure only.
Then get is set properly. :y
excellent m8 :y im with ya , so basically pull the suspension leg towards me as i look at it and it should give me either roughly about right or wear the outside edge (but hey at least id get to use more of the tyre lol)
i will fit the new wishbones first and then try to adjust it roughly, my aim is to get it booked in at WIM asap,well when funds allow
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If you're going to change the wishbones it is much easier if you unbolt the strut (i.e. the two bolts that also do the camber adjustment).
If you do this you will destroy any original camber setting (which sounds miles out anyway). But then you could set it roughly anyway.
If you can't get to WIM (the best) if you can get to someone who has computerised 4 wheel alignment and tell them the settings you want (NOT LET THEM USE THE MANUFACTURERS FIGURES) you probably be fine.
You're looking for a camber of around -1 deg 10 mins to -1deg 20 mins each side. And personally I set the toe in to close to the +ve limit (max toe in) which in mm is +0.9mm a side. Makes the car drive beautifully.
Correct suspension adjustment makes a huge difference to tyre wear, ride and handling on an Omega.
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Well, inner tyre wear is a camber issue.....
You could as a temporary setup apply a more positive amount by slackeneing the two lower strut to hub bolts off and pulling the hub upright (the top hole is slotted) and then back them off 2mm ish.......it wont be spot on but will slow the inner tyre wear as a temporary measure only.
Then get is set properly. :y
If in Notts with this camber issue where would the best place be to take it?
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Make the trip to tony at WIM mate, it will be the best £85 plus petrol you will spend on your omega belive me.
:y
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If you're going to change the wishbones it is much easier if you unbolt the strut (i.e. the two bolts that also do the camber adjustment).
If you do this you will destroy any original camber setting (which sounds miles out anyway). But then you could set it roughly anyway.
If you can't get to WIM (the best) if you can get to someone who has computerised 4 wheel alignment and tell them the settings you want (NOT LET THEM USE THE MANUFACTURERS FIGURES) you probably be fine.
You're looking for a camber of around -1 deg 10 mins to -1deg 20 mins each side. And personally I set the toe in to close to the +ve limit (max toe in) which in mm is +0.9mm a side. Makes the car drive beautifully.
Correct suspension adjustment makes a huge difference to tyre wear, ride and handling on an Omega.
don't worry about your original settings - whuch sound like they were bad, as soon as you change the WB's all will be miles out anyway :y
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Mr_P
If you want somewhere in Notts try these people http://www.alignment-services.co.uk/index.asp. I have only used them once 3-4 years ago and they did a good job but not exactly the friendliest bunch in the world (Basford at least). Lexus owners club seem to reccommend them too. Cost should be no more than £60 (it depends on exactly what needs to be adjusted) and they will provide a before and after print out. They will set it to the official Opel/Vx settings so if you want it different you will need to be specific.
Jon
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Mr_P
If you want somewhere in Notts try these people http://www.alignment-services.co.uk/index.asp. I have only used them once 3-4 years ago and they did a good job but not exactly the friendliest bunch in the world (Basford at least). Lexus owners club seem to reccommend them too. Cost should be no more than £60 (it depends on exactly what needs to be adjusted) and they will provide a before and after print out. They will set it to the official Opel/Vx settings so if you want it different you will need to be specific.
Jon
They are rubbish, hopeless and crap.......they cant be arsed!
I would go to Loughborough to Fleet Fit......
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Ouch. I wasn't overly impressed but I wouldn't have gone that far. Sounds like you have had a particularly painful experience. I was more put out by the fact that they seemed to consider me as something of an annoyance because I asked too many questions. Was not aware of Fleet Fit and as I work in Loughborough will give them a call. Had also heard Geoff Fowkes was good but you may know different?
Jon
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well i have bitten the bullet and ordered 2x new wishbones, 2 new droplinks and 2 x complete track rod ends, and while i was there new front discs and pads, ,
there is a slight knock coming from the front somewhere when i start to brake and the other day when pulling off of a kerb i was getting a strange creaking noise so i hope the new bits will fix it [smiley=undecided.gif]
it better my mot is due in a little over a week, and yes i was planning having the geometry done after
well i fitted the above today and well it is like i am driving a different car, it took me 3 hours to fit it all and over all im really impressed with the change in ride/handling
there was a bush gone on each wishbone as well as the balljoint where it bolts to the hub on each side had gone as well