Cupped Tires = Alignment Problem

[oldoutboardjim]

I have Goodyear F1 All Season tires on my SVTF (excellent grip for a tire that won't wear out as fast as most summer tires). I'd guess they have about 20,000 miles on them. I had the front end aligned not long before installing the new tires. The tech said that the alignment was only out about 1 degree, so it was apparently pretty close anyway. Previous tires wore pretty consistent.
Well, my tires are cupped (all four) on the inside, and they howl like the proverbial banshee! The Focus is no Lincoln anyway, but now it is painfully loud.
I haven't checked the rear alignment, although I've heard that there can be some issues with doing the rear.
Any thoughts?

[frankjt96]

Every MKI Focus eats through tires on the inside. At least as far as I've seen. It sucks, but it's very common.

Do you have a drop?

[Monkey-Gein]

mine wear outside in front and inside in back. a drop will change that.

[hermitmaster]

Keep up on your tire rotations. Another problem is the Goodyear tires, I worked at Norm's Tire Sales for five years and I saw more issues with Goodyear tires being defective and having wear problems than any other brand. Also, try to stay away from directional tires if possible, and when you rotate make sure to cross the fronts to the rear and move the rears straight forward (typically).

[KRYPTO]

Could also be blown shocks

[Steve@Tasca]

Could also be blown shocks

I just drove his car not long ago and I don't think it's blown shocks.

[Steve@Tasca]

Every MKI Focus eats through tires on the inside. At least as far as I've seen. It sucks, but it's very common.

Do you have a drop?

Funny, mine have really even wear on all four.

[oldoutboardjim]

I just drove his car not long ago and I don't think it's blown shocks.

My engine is blown (i.e.: Jackson Racing Supercharger), but I don't think the shocks are blown.

[oldoutboardjim]

Do you have a drop?

No suspension mods whatsoever.

[focinite]

ok the mk 1 focus has some goofy little things about it. the factory shocks will not cut it on a lowered car, they dont work at factory hieght neither.
the first mod i did was toss the springs in the junk bin in back of tousely, i have never had issues other than balance, with tire wear. the cupping is from the tire being out of balance( with a low pro tire it dont take much) the rear shocks wear out fast( by 65 k they are done even the svts), plus with the s/c on there your tail squats harder and more often.

i have run the cheapest of cheap tires and still have no issues with wear.
i see soooooooo many people with this sissue and every one tells me, them focus go through tires huh.
no they dont, im fing confused.
rotate every other oil change, run the tires at 34 psi like it says in the manuel, dont drive around wiff da big-uns in the back seat, but most improtant, you must beat the shit out yer car once a week, and it will last forever. dont belive me ask pappy.

[hermitmaster]

the cupping is from the tire being out of balance( with a low pro tire it dont take much)

Only extreme balance problems, we're talking like 5oz. or more, would cause any noticeable wear problems. A typical wheel and tire assembly on our cars shouldn't be that far off without balancing the tires at all. I have full stock suspension in my car and stock 17" wheels and my tires (Kuhmos) with 18k on them are wearing great rotating every 9k miles.

Like I said before, keep up on regular, consistent rotation. Avoid Goodyear and Goodyear off-brand (Kelly, Arizonian) tires like the plague. Have your alignment checked at first indication of a steering or tire wear problem. If you do these things your tires will last much longer and run much smoother. I also highly recommend buying tires from Discount Tire, they offer certificates (for a fee) for free replacement of any tire for any reason (premature wear, road hazard, intentional abuse) and it's not pro-rated.

[oldoutboardjim]

I finally got around to replacing the Goodyears (after an alignment, I might add). I replaced them with some used KUMHO's that I bought from Hermitmaster. Wow! I can't believe how much quieter this thing is! It's no Cadillac, but it's a dam-site better than it was!

[goinloco1]

theres a secret to curing the rear tire wear and the wagging ass on these. I have no tire issues whatsoever on either my svt nor my 07.
The rear from the factory is set with somewhat excessive toe and camber.
AN easy cure is a combination of things. camber bolts at the top of the hub and the big secret is modifying the lower arm slightly.
Remove the bolt from the lower arm and seperate it and the hub bushing. now comes the doh factor. simply look at the hole on each side, grab a die grinder and elongate them toward the center of the car about 3/8 of an inch (some cars require slightly more).
now reassemble and replace the bolt pushing the lower hub so the bolt slides toward the center of the car and tighten.
Youll find with the combination of these two, toe can be set near zero and camber can be eliminated or set where you want it,
My toe gets set at 1/32-1/16 and slight camber.
To those that think elongating the hole may let the bolt slip, I flog the hell out of my svt both track and mountain driving with absolutely no issue, if it does bother you tac it in place.

You can also do it the expensive way and get adjustable arms.

[Steve@Tasca]

I think it was the tires, Patalrob is having the same issue with severe cupping with his F1's.

[FocusMech.73155]

Going on what you said in your first post, that your alignment was only out a degree. A degree out in toe, camber, or caster is a lot. That would have caused a significant problem with your tires. I have the FRPP spring and strut kit which basiclly does a 4" body drop in the rear and that only changed my camber by 1 degree. Without actually looking at your tires I can't tell you what caused your cupping, however that alignment being that far out would definately cause it.