Uneven rear tyre wear.

[MickJo]

My 2010 2.2diesel Rav 4 passed its MOT today. The only matter on Safety Sheet of note  is that both rear tyres have worn more on the inside than the outside. ROS is Outer 5.3mm, Middle 4.7mm and Inner 3.5mm.  The RNS is Outer 5.6mm, Middle 5.1mm and Inner 4.6mm.  As can be seen the ROS has worn at a taper of 1.8mm across the width and the RNS has worn by a 1mm. taper.  Both wheels are leaning inwards at the top. albeit only by a fraction. As far as I am aware the suspension is not damaged. Equally I don't think that there is any means of adjustment on the suspension.  Has anyone any ideas, or can this be classed as normal wear?

[roger_37]

you need to get 4 wheel alinement done,

soon sort the problem.

[RAV4-D4D]

If the wear is the same on each side (just mirrored) then chances are it's normal. Just look at the rear wheels of a BMW X5 to see extreme and perfectly normal camber.

How many miles have the tyres done from new and what sort of mix of urban/motorway do you do?

[roadster-rav]

Tyre wear is the result of so many factors that its pointless to guess. If the mileage that you get is reasonable then its probably not worth investing in rectification on a vehicle that is more than ten years old because you won't know if there is any improvement for 1000s of miles and on new tyres. If you actually have negative camber when static and not loaded its likely that springs and shock absorbers are tired but rebuilding rear suspension with new parts ( including soft bushes etc. ) would not be worth it unless you are sure that you will keep the car for another ten years.

[152bobby]

I had the exact same issue on my two rear tyres.  I had Toyota and a independent  check alignment, geometry etc and they both found nothing wrong.

Uneven wear on both tyres were almost identical, especially in the middle tread area.

I did not visibly notice this, I became aware of a possible issue because I started to hear a noise from the rear of the car.

I had both tyres replaced by Toyota (tyre match promise) and the noise immediately  went.

Nobody could really explain this, so I'm going to monitor this in future.

[Terry10]

Hi

Going over single speed bumps by bridging them is problem causing that!!!
with a wider track vehicle such as the rav4 it is the easy option to straddle them.

I am as guilty of this as anyone but you will pay the price in tyre wear.

regards Terry.

[TonyHSD]

Definitely an alignment issue or suspension problems, sometimes is better to visit a specialist suspension and all wheel alignment garages instead of main dealers, I have seen many RAV4 s with wrong rear wheels alignment, that bad you can notice while driving behind or next to them. Cars with independent rear suspension should be check for alignment every 2 years or more often if covered over 10k miles per year. 

[MickJo]

Can I first thank all those who have given their advice and comments. which much appreciated. I will continue with the following thoughts.

The shock absorbers were replaced about 2 years ago. I have discounted them as a problem as they only affect the ride, not the ride height.

The springs are original and are something to look at later in the year.  A point here. What is the ride height and at what point on the bodywork is it measured?

Neither the upper or lower control arms are adjustable. As the inner ( near the centre-line of the chassis) upper and lower control arm fixing bolts appear to be the same distance apart as the outer (at the wheel hub) fixing bolts, both the control arms act together like a pantograph as the wheel moves up and down. This means that as the wheel moves up and down the vertical plane of the wheel does not change, it always stays at the same angle in relation to the car body. This is obviously the original factory setting.

If the wheel is out of camber then the only means of adjustment is (1) replace the upper control arm with an aftermarket adjustable one, which are available but to be honest look flimsy,( Yes, they only hold the weight of the wheel in place, BUT they also hold up 1,500 kg of car as well.) and (2) pack out the hub to hub-carrier with washers or shims, which sounds a dangerous idea!.  ( have seen comments that this can be done !!) I'm not going down either of these routes.

The only other available adjustment is to the toe-in or toe-out by way of the tie rod. Mine appear to be the infamous ones epoxied to stop movement. I am assuming here that the rear wheels should run perfectly in line without any toe in or toe out. 

At the end of the day I am not trying to set it up to corner like a Porche, just to run straight and well.

There is a final problem. There is an inch of snow outside, it's below freezing and I'm shielding due to Covid 19. This is all going to have to wait. 

Again, thanks to all.

 

[bonjo]

as roger said you should have a 4 whell alignment. I would be surprised if the rear suspension is not adjustable. As a minimum, the camber adjustment should be possible

[MickJo]

Further update.

I took it to Formula 1 Autocentre, Geldard Road, Leeds yesterday and it was given a 4 wheel alignment check. Rear camber was  as near spot on as makes no difference. The rear toe in/out was a total of -4 degs. out, (-3.8 degs. on the nearside and -0.2 degs on the offside.)  They are now both at the Toyota spec of +0.8 degs .

The front wheels were also out by a total of -5degs, (-3.5 on the nearside and  and -1.4 degs on the offside.) They are now both at +0.3 degs.

As far as the reported 'epoxy' adjusters are concerned, they had never come across it in 20 years, Toyota apparently put a plastic or rubber cap over the lock nut on the adjuster which locks up the nut. Plus, the nuts rust up. He had to use a blowtorch to release mine.

Over time you don't notice how bad things get, it now steers as if its on railway lines.

Cheers to everyone.

[Avalon]

Did the 10 plate have any rear adjustment? I suspect the if the rear wear is continuing, it’s probably bushes.

[MickJo]

Hi Alex (Avalon)

There is no adjustment to the rear wheel camber (lean in or lean out of the wheel from vertical). I had assumed that the rear tyre wear was  due to bad camber, and I was all set to replace the bushes.  When I rang Formula 1 Autocentre to book a slot and explained the problem, the immediate response that the problem was toe in/out and not bushes.

The 4 wheel laser alignment check did in fact show the problem to be toe-in / toe-out, and this is adjustable. The adjuster bar runs across the front of the lower control arm. If you google 'adjustable rear control arm' for your model you will find out what they look like and You Tube will show you how to fit them. (The one by A1 AUTOS, an American video series, is good).

HOWEVER, take all You Tube videos on how to adjust them using a length of string or a plank of wood  or similar with a pinch of salt. You cannot measure degrees, or in my case 1/2 a degree, with a plank of wood, but a 'plank' with a piece of wood will try. Degrees are measured from the centre line of the car and not between each wheel. You could DIY and end up with the wheels in alignment to each other but not to the car, in which case the car will 'crab' as you drive it.

The alignment check plus all 4 wheels being adjusted cost me £67. It was worth every penny.

Cheers.