Tyre Wear - 20" Wheels

[Adam H]

So the van went in for some work today, had it a few weeks now. They got it on the ramp and were greeted with this mess

Which obviously isnt good, these are 20" wheels, I have no idea what springs or anything is on the van but according to the sale listing, its been lowered 55mm on the front 30mm on the back ( apparently to level it out )

Am I looking at new tires every few months if i keep it like this ? Any advice ?

 

[Village]

It desperately needs a Hunter wheel alignment done in order to sort that out

 

[Adam H]

Not sure if this helps, got these photos of the tyres that are on the van ( cant go outside and look as its away until Thursday ) These the front and back tires on the van at the min.



Can a hunter alignment be done with standard springs etc ( which im only assuming i have, im not clued up with this stuff so assume completely novice ) ? Whats the cost of a 4 decent tires and alignment now days ?

 

[Village]

The alignment sorts out the geometry of the suspension components - you dont need to change anything to get one done - it will measure whether you are within spec and if not (which you clearly aren't!) they will make adjustments to (hopefully) bring you within spec. It usually costs about 80 ish, although some charge by the adjustment.

 

[Adam H]

The alignment sorts out the geometry of the suspension components - you dont need to change anything to get one done - it will measure whether you are within spec and if not (which you clearly aren't!) they will make adjustments to (hopefully) bring you within spec. It usually costs about 80 ish, although some charge by the adjustment.

Ok great, we've got a local performance company who mention Hunter alignment on their website so i'll give them a ring when i get the van back. I guess some tires also wear easier than others too given the weight of the van ( mines a T28 )

 

[Village]

Indeed; some makes definitely wear better than others, and 20" seem to wear the most too. Although no tyre should wear like that!

 

[dubber36]

Alignment really needs doing with new tyres fitted. The way yours are worn, they will not be sitting 'square' on the road, so that will have an effect of the datum the corrected geometry is set to

 

[Niknak]

Before you have it aligned make sure your bushes are in serviceable condition a four wheel align is pointless if your suspension bushes or ball joints are knackered

 

[Adam H]

Before you have it aligned make sure your bushes are in serviceable condition a four wheel align is pointless if your suspension bushes or ball joints are knackered

Are they expensive to have done ? Or is it something i might as well get done at the same time as the new tires and aligment anyway ? Van is a 2019 if that matters, 20k miles

 

[DaveD]

Are they expensive to have done ? Or is it something i might as well get done at the same time as the new tires and aligment anyway ? Van is a 2019 if that matters, 20k miles

The most expensive option is not getting the bushes checked out, tyres wearing prematurely at over a hundred quid apiece for a decent tyre is like having your central heating on and all the doors and windows open! The bushes might be fine and hopefully not need replacing but I'd ask a competent mechanic to check them before having the alignment done.

 

[Jlo]

So, I could do with some advise with regard to tyre wear with reference to the image below, the pattern would suggest over-inflation but I'm running between 36-38 Psi (tyre machine reading at BP) so am a little confused as I thought this was good. Thanks in advance!

Tyres have done about 10K miles, middle measurements 2-2.5mm, edge measurements 4-4.5mm, both fronts are the same, rears are worn less and are both the same.
Van: T30 T6.1 full camper conversion
Tyre: Goodyear Asymmetric 5 - 255/40/R20
Wheel: Inovit Blitz 8.5J width
Suspension: ST X 50mm down
Hunter 4-wheel alignment done about 6 months ago.

 

[JOG]

Everything about this pic is counter-intuitive!

The tyre face/tread appears to be concave yet you're quite close to the wear indicators in the middle. I'd also expect that "seam" in the middle of the face to have worn off by now. The tyres don't look like you throw the van through roundabouts/corners either.

Maybe visit a trusted tyre fitter to have a look? He could also check your tyre pressures with a maintained air-line rather than relying on supermarket/petrol station ones which are abused.

 

[Jlo]

Everything about this pic is counter-intuitive!

The tyre face/tread appears to be concave yet you're quite close to the wear indicators in the middle. I'd also expect that "seam" in the middle of the face to have worn off by now. The tyres don't look like you throw the van through roundabouts/corners either.

Maybe visit a trusted tyre fitter to have a look? He could also check your tyre pressures with a maintained air-line rather than relying on supermarket/petrol station ones which are abused.

I completely agree with your observations, I was also a bit confused by the middle seam also, hence why I posted here.

I certainly don't throw it about, so you're correct there! I will have to double check the pressures with decent machine I guess.

 

[dubber36]

The first set of Avons I had on mine wore just like that. 255-45-19. I found that 36PSI was the sweet spot too. I think that unless you fit rock hard, never heard of tyres, 10-12k is about all you'll get out of larger diameter wheels and tyres. Despite being load rated, I really don't think that what are essentially SUV tyres, are best suited to fitting on vans.

 

[GONA66]

The first set of Avons I had on mine wore just like that. 255-45-19. I found that 36PSI was the sweet spot too. I think that unless you fit rock hard, never heard of tyres, 10-12k is about all you'll get out of larger diameter wheels and tyres. Despite being load rated, I really don't think that what are essentially SUV tyres, are best suited to fitting on vans.

Just bought a set of Avon ZX7, 245/45 X 19, 102Y I'll set the pressure's to your recommendation and see how i get on. Cheers .

 

[Higgidav]

Just bought a set of Avon ZX7, 245/45 X 19, 102Y I'll set the pressure's to your recommendation and see how i get on.

I run Goodyear all season in 245/45/19 at 40PSI. I’ve done about 5k so far and all are wearing evenly.