Front tires feathering... - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

Coyotekiller · 08-13-2012, 08:04 PM

So my car has about 10,900 miles on it now and as I'm checking over my wheels and tires the other day while I'm doing some work to the car, I noticed that both of my front tires are feathering on the outside edges, across the entire outside block of tread.

These are the factory Pirellis btw, and from my previous dealings with Pirelli tires on my past two mustangs, I know they can be fairly cheaply made. Of course these are different but still not getting a good vibe from them. They are loud and overall grip is decent but not much better than my all season tires from the mustangs.

Now what I'm wondering is A) if this is normal for these tires? Or B) if this might be a suspension issue I take up with the dealer?

The tires don't look like they are leaning incorrectly but they sure are feathered on the outside edges... Might take it to the dealer for an alignment at the end of this week.

JimE · 08-13-2012, 09:07 PM

Typically an indication of an alignment issue.

I had a similar issue on my Silverado after installing my 20" wheels (stock were 17's), with a slightly larger tire diameter (approx. 1/2" if I recall correctly). In any case, with the factory alignment numbers, the outer edges of the tires were feathering. My tire shop ended up changing (reducing) the camber (I'm 99% certain it was camber and not toe, but I would have to check the calibration printout) and the wear issue went away.

Coyotekiller · 08-13-2012, 09:55 PM

I'm almost certain it's a camber issue. I'm just curious if this is a problem others are having as well? My suspension is all the way it left the factory so I'm hoping it's not a camber issue

Guzaku · 08-14-2012, 12:57 AM

had 18,000 miles on my pirellis and my front ones were worn to nothing after such a short time. My back tires were fine but idk what it was about the fronts.

Dennis SS · 08-16-2012, 10:04 PM

Same problem here...15000 miles

bw26ss · 08-18-2012, 02:44 PM

From the factory, the ss has negative camber

Coyotekiller · 08-19-2012, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 11fastss

From the factory, the ss has negative camber

This would not cause the tires to feather on the outsides...

shooters · 08-19-2012, 04:38 PM

I just replaced my factory wheels and had the tire shop do an alignment just because. After it was said and done, they told me it was wayyyyy out but he said it was the Toe.

JMAC2011 · 08-19-2012, 06:17 PM

It is always a good idea to take your car from the dealership after purchasing it directly to get an alignment... on any car that you buy. Factory alignments are rarely given much attention. For a street car with factory tires I would recommend a little bit of negative camber. Ask the alignment shop what the camber minimum and maximum(negative) alignment spec is. With stock tires tell them to put it at the maximum negative alignment spec. They will set the toe after setting the camber and you will start taking turns just a little bit faster without that much of a difference on tire wear.

Texhawk · 08-29-2012, 04:02 PM

If the tires are feathering on the outside, it is probably because the toe in is off... They may even be toed out.
You can easily measure the toe in close enough to tell if that is the problem in your garage.
Measure the distance between the tires on the tread toward the front side of the car by picking a spot on the tread. Then measure the same distance on the tread toward the rear of the car.. The difference is the amount the tires are toed in.. If the distance on the front tread of the tire is greater, the tires are actually toed out...
The toe in should be between zero and 1/8th inch.
My front tires were feathering just a little on the outside even with 1/8th inch toe in, so I reduced it to about 1/16th when I rotated them...

Generally, if the tires had too much positive camber, they would wear on the outside but would not be feathering. Some tires will feather a little even if the alignment is perfect when the tread is full depth...

discit · 09-01-2012, 05:02 PM

Same feather problem also at 17,000:(

Coyotekiller · 09-01-2012, 06:53 PM

I still haven't had time to take the car to get it checked. I'm leaning towards a toe in/out problem as well...

Coyotekiller · 10-01-2012, 06:00 PM

Ok, so update:

Took the car by the dealership for an alignment today. Explained what had been happening and showed them the tires. They checked it over good and came back and told me that the toe was out a bit but the camber was way out on the worst tire. I'm at ~14,000 miles on the stock tires now so they are about shot anyway so I didn't bother to try to get new tires out of it. This car has been like this from the factory, but unfortunately without havin it checked out earlier, I can't really prove it.

To summarize, my problem was both the toe and camber. Oh and another funny thing, my rear drivers tire was out of spec for camber also. Just found that odd. It's not really wearing funny so maybe it wasn't enough to affect it. Gotta look at the sheet again to see which way the camber was out though.

JusticePete · 10-01-2012, 06:47 PM

Alignment from the factory are in the green range. That is +/- a value. Driving your car changes the alignment. Vibrations, bumps, load, normal wear and tear all contribute to change the alignment. It is a great idea to get your new car alignment touched up and routine maintenance to get your car aligned once a year.

Unknown SSRS · 10-01-2012, 07:29 PM

Camber will not cause feathering.... your Issue is the Toe ....

Coyotekiller · 10-01-2012, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unknown SSRS

Camber will not cause feathering.... your Issue is the Toe ....

Well according to the sheet they handed me, the toe was out, but the camber was out farther. Both were out of spec.

Fish-man · 10-01-2012, 08:58 PM

Just wonder if you ever did side to side rotation? Also, can u post pics of exactly what u mean by feathering?

Coyotekiller · 10-01-2012, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish-man

Just wonder if you ever did side to side rotation? Also, can u post pics of exactly what u mean by feathering?

No I did not and no I can't. Or rather dont want to.

The whole outside tread block on my front tires was tapered away and had uneven wear on the blocks also; one side was more worn than the other of the same tread block.

jdenotter · 10-01-2012, 10:00 PM

Atleast yours wasnt like this! After 33k on stock tires though...

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

JusticePete · 10-01-2012, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdenotter

Atleast yours wasnt like this! After 33k on stock tires though...

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

Outside front shoulder???

jdenotter · 10-02-2012, 09:26 AM

Nope inside..camber it looks like. Factory alignment

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

Coyotekiller · 10-02-2012, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdenotter

Atleast yours wasnt like this! After 33k on stock tires though...

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

Mine is almost that bad but not worn as much and it was on the outside front.

Nasty1970 · 10-02-2012, 01:50 PM

mine is feathering too, 15,000K....crap first the top, now the tires...

can someone tell me why I have no rubber on my rear tires???

Enforcer · 10-31-2012, 10:13 PM

Well I just spent the last three weekends at my dealership...My 2SS was pulling bad to the left and right. Didn't make sense to me but I though maybe it needed an alignment. I had 13,500 ish on the miles and it was bought new. They said it was early for an alignment so they balanced the tires...still really bad, mostly on the interstate at higher speeds. Finally go up to 14,000 miles and it was getting so bad it would almost jerk the wheel out of my hands if I hit a bump in the road. They aligned it, still did it. Finally today they decided to look at the tires, they showed me where it was wearing uneven and warranted the two front ones. the back ones looked fine. I don't think i'll buy Pirelli tires after these wear out. After reading on here it looks like they are having this problem a lot...think they might want to do something before it causes someone to wreck...It jerked the wheel on the interstate once with me and I almost side swiped a tractor trailer.

Coyotekiller · 11-01-2012, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enforcer

Well I just spent the last three weekends at my dealership...My 2SS was pulling bad to the left and right. Didn't make sense to me but I though maybe it needed an alignment. I had 13,500 ish on the miles and it was bought new. They said it was early for an alignment so they balanced the tires...still really bad, mostly on the interstate at higher speeds. Finally go up to 14,000 miles and it was getting so bad it would almost jerk the wheel out of my hands if I hit a bump in the road. They aligned it, still did it. Finally today they decided to look at the tires, they showed me where it was wearing uneven and warranted the two front ones. the back ones looked fine. I don't think i'll buy Pirelli tires after these wear out. After reading on here it looks like they are having this problem a lot...think they might want to do something before it causes someone to wreck...It jerked the wheel on the interstate once with me and I almost side swiped a tractor trailer.

So was your alignment out of spec?

If so, your bad alignment caused the tires to wear funny. I think I had that problem as well but I don't have a dainty grip on my steering wheel, so no side swiping of tractor trailers for me...

08-13-2012, 08:04 PM	#1
Coyotekiller Account Suspended Drives: 2012 AGM 2SS Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Beaufort, NC Posts: 1,389	Front tires feathering... So my car has about 10,900 miles on it now and as I'm checking over my wheels and tires the other day while I'm doing some work to the car, I noticed that both of my front tires are feathering on the outside edges, across the entire outside block of tread. These are the factory Pirellis btw, and from my previous dealings with Pirelli tires on my past two mustangs, I know they can be fairly cheaply made. Of course these are different but still not getting a good vibe from them. They are loud and overall grip is decent but not much better than my all season tires from the mustangs. Now what I'm wondering is A) if this is normal for these tires? Or B) if this might be a suspension issue I take up with the dealer? The tires don't look like they are leaning incorrectly but they sure are feathered on the outside edges... Might take it to the dealer for an alignment at the end of this week.

08-13-2012, 09:07 PM	#2
JimE Drives: 2013 2SS/RS/1LE Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: St Louis, MO Posts: 1,030	Typically an indication of an alignment issue. I had a similar issue on my Silverado after installing my 20" wheels (stock were 17's), with a slightly larger tire diameter (approx. 1/2" if I recall correctly). In any case, with the factory alignment numbers, the outer edges of the tires were feathering. My tire shop ended up changing (reducing) the camber (I'm 99% certain it was camber and not toe, but I would have to check the calibration printout) and the wear issue went away. __________________ Perm-a-grin in place.....

08-16-2012, 10:04 PM	#5
Dennis SS Always Lookin Drives: 10 SS/RS 6M Blk/Blk Silver Stripes Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: La Grange NC Posts: 133 View My Garage	Same problem here...15000 miles __________________ -Custom grind Crane Cam with 3 bolt conversion, Lunati springs, harden rods, SLP oil pump, LS2 tensioner - Kooks Custom Headers. X-pipe, mufflers, high flow cats, -Tuned by National Speed in Wilmington N. Carolina, HP Tuner 476rwhp and 453rwtq -Skip shift eliminator -RX Catch Can -CAI intake -Hurst Shifter, with custom Speed Dawg

08-19-2012, 06:17 PM	#9
JMAC2011 MONGOOSE Drives: 2011 SS Camaro M6 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Buford, GA Posts: 175	It is always a good idea to take your car from the dealership after purchasing it directly to get an alignment... on any car that you buy. Factory alignments are rarely given much attention. For a street car with factory tires I would recommend a little bit of negative camber. Ask the alignment shop what the camber minimum and maximum(negative) alignment spec is. With stock tires tell them to put it at the maximum negative alignment spec. They will set the toe after setting the camber and you will start taking turns just a little bit faster without that much of a difference on tire wear. __________________ _________________________________ MODS: 470 RWHP / 447 RWTQ [COLOR="Gray"]Lethal Racing Night Fury 231/242 113-111, C5R chain, dbl springs, Comp pushrods. ARH 1-7/8" Headers and complete exhaust - NO cats! Varraram CAI - Vmax throttle body ATI 10% underdrive pulley Mantic ER2 clutch MGW Shifter DSS 1000hp axles (I broke the factory ones on Road Atlanta) PFADT - Stage 4 Camaro Road Racing Kit - 8" springs 325# and 600# - ZL Spec Sway bars - Strut Tower Brace - Camber plates. Street: Forgestar F14 20x9 and 20x11, 275/315 Nitto Invo's, Track: TOYO R888 285/35 on 4 corners

08-29-2012, 04:02 PM	#10
Texhawk Drives: 69 Camaro, 87IROC, 96 SS, Z06 & 2LT Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Longview, Tx Posts: 269	If the tires are feathering on the outside, it is probably because the toe in is off... They may even be toed out. You can easily measure the toe in close enough to tell if that is the problem in your garage. Measure the distance between the tires on the tread toward the front side of the car by picking a spot on the tread. Then measure the same distance on the tread toward the rear of the car.. The difference is the amount the tires are toed in.. If the distance on the front tread of the tire is greater, the tires are actually toed out... The toe in should be between zero and 1/8th inch. My front tires were feathering just a little on the outside even with 1/8th inch toe in, so I reduced it to about 1/16th when I rotated them... Generally, if the tires had too much positive camber, they would wear on the outside but would not be feathering. Some tires will feather a little even if the alignment is perfect when the tread is full depth... Last edited by Texhawk; 08-29-2012 at 10:14 PM.

08-13-2012, 09:55 PM	#3
Coyotekiller Account Suspended Drives: 2012 AGM 2SS Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Beaufort, NC Posts: 1,389	I'm almost certain it's a camber issue. I'm just curious if this is a problem others are having as well? My suspension is all the way it left the factory so I'm hoping it's not a camber issue

08-14-2012, 12:57 AM	#4
Guzaku Drives: Black 2011 2LT/RS Join Date: May 2011 Location: InYourEyelids, AR Posts: 122 View My Garage	had 18,000 miles on my pirellis and my front ones were worn to nothing after such a short time. My back tires were fine but idk what it was about the fronts.

08-18-2012, 02:44 PM	#6
bw26ss Drives: ss camaro Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: usa Posts: 739	From the factory, the ss has negative camber

08-19-2012, 04:38 PM	#8
shooters Drives: 2012 Camaro SS Transformer Package Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Southern California Posts: 105	I just replaced my factory wheels and had the tire shop do an alignment just because. After it was said and done, they told me it was wayyyyy out but he said it was the Toe.

09-01-2012, 05:02 PM	#11
discit Drives: 2010 Camaro 2SS/RS, 1992 GMC Pickup Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Salina, KS Posts: 51 View My Garage	Same feather problem also at 17,000:( __________________

09-01-2012, 06:53 PM	#12
Coyotekiller Account Suspended Drives: 2012 AGM 2SS Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Beaufort, NC Posts: 1,389	I still haven't had time to take the car to get it checked. I'm leaning towards a toe in/out problem as well...

10-01-2012, 06:00 PM	#13
Coyotekiller Account Suspended Drives: 2012 AGM 2SS Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Beaufort, NC Posts: 1,389	Ok, so update: Took the car by the dealership for an alignment today. Explained what had been happening and showed them the tires. They checked it over good and came back and told me that the toe was out a bit but the camber was way out on the worst tire. I'm at ~14,000 miles on the stock tires now so they are about shot anyway so I didn't bother to try to get new tires out of it. This car has been like this from the factory, but unfortunately without havin it checked out earlier, I can't really prove it. To summarize, my problem was both the toe and camber. Oh and another funny thing, my rear drivers tire was out of spec for camber also. Just found that odd. It's not really wearing funny so maybe it wasn't enough to affect it. Gotta look at the sheet again to see which way the camber was out though.

10-01-2012, 06:47 PM	#14
JusticePete Needs Lowering Drives: Pedders USA Camaro Justice Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 13,682	Alignment from the factory are in the green range. That is +/- a value. Driving your car changes the alignment. Vibrations, bumps, load, normal wear and tear all contribute to change the alignment. It is a great idea to get your new car alignment touched up and routine maintenance to get your car aligned once a year. __________________ Camaro Information \| Buy Pedders Parts \| Pedders Dealers \| The 5th Gen Book \| GMPP \| SEMA Hot Wheels Camaro Brochure \| EOD Fund Facebook Pedders Head Office 248.522.8021

10-01-2012, 07:29 PM	#15
Unknown SSRS Drives: 2011 VR SS/RS Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Long island,NY (nassau) Posts: 239	Camber will not cause feathering.... your Issue is the Toe ....

10-01-2012, 08:58 PM	#17
Fish-man SS HWSE Drives: too many to say! Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: S.E. Michigan Posts: 403	Just wonder if you ever did side to side rotation? Also, can u post pics of exactly what u mean by feathering?

10-01-2012, 10:00 PM	#19
jdenotter Drives: 2010 2SS/RS,M6,Black w/CGM Stripes Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Nashville, NC Posts: 1,831 View My Garage	Atleast yours wasnt like this! After 33k on stock tires though... Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2 __________________ 3" RDP Motorsports aggressive cat-back exhaust w/ x-pipe, Vararam CAI, Hurst's short throw shifter, Gary's Customs painted bowties, Ofer's HID DRL/Fog Light wiring harness, Kelvin 8K HID DRL bulbs, ZL1 grille. Johnson's window tint film, LSR lowering springs, Metra dash kit with Pioneer In-Dash DVD head unit.

10-02-2012, 09:26 AM	#21
jdenotter Drives: 2010 2SS/RS,M6,Black w/CGM Stripes Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Nashville, NC Posts: 1,831 View My Garage	Nope inside..camber it looks like. Factory alignment Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2 __________________ 3" RDP Motorsports aggressive cat-back exhaust w/ x-pipe, Vararam CAI, Hurst's short throw shifter, Gary's Customs painted bowties, Ofer's HID DRL/Fog Light wiring harness, Kelvin 8K HID DRL bulbs, ZL1 grille. Johnson's window tint film, LSR lowering springs, Metra dash kit with Pioneer In-Dash DVD head unit.

10-02-2012, 01:50 PM	#23
Nasty1970 Drives: 2011 Red 2SS RS Convertible Join Date: May 2011 Location: Houston TX Posts: 341	mine is feathering too, 15,000K....crap first the top, now the tires... can someone tell me why I have no rubber on my rear tires??? __________________ 1970 Camaro 427, 4 SPD, 411 pyle brothers rear 2011 Red Convertible 2SSRS Camaro, 6.2M 1998 Dodge Dakota RT

10-31-2012, 10:13 PM	#24
Enforcer Drives: 2011 Camaro 2SS/RS Inferno Orange Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: USA Posts: 23	Well I just spent the last three weekends at my dealership...My 2SS was pulling bad to the left and right. Didn't make sense to me but I though maybe it needed an alignment. I had 13,500 ish on the miles and it was bought new. They said it was early for an alignment so they balanced the tires...still really bad, mostly on the interstate at higher speeds. Finally go up to 14,000 miles and it was getting so bad it would almost jerk the wheel out of my hands if I hit a bump in the road. They aligned it, still did it. Finally today they decided to look at the tires, they showed me where it was wearing uneven and warranted the two front ones. the back ones looked fine. I don't think i'll buy Pirelli tires after these wear out. After reading on here it looks like they are having this problem a lot...think they might want to do something before it causes someone to wreck...It jerked the wheel on the interstate once with me and I almost side swiped a tractor trailer.