08 Explorer wearing inside of tires very quickly

[relentless85]

What would cause the inside of the tires on my 08 Explorer to wear very quickly?

It is All four tires but it Seems to be worse on the rear tires. Sometimes when I look at the rear, it looks like the tires are like this /——\. The font looks “normal” beside the wearing of the inside of the tire.

I put new tires on it about 3-4 years ago (Goodyear Fortera) and kept them rotated. I recently had to have the tires flipped on the rim where the outside of the tire that is not as worn moved to the inside so I can get some more life out of them.

Can an alignment be performed on the rear tires to correct the /——\ look? Or can a 4 wheel alignment be done on these explorers?

I have to get new tires very soon. Plan on taking it to the ford dealer so they can install the tires and preform the alignment. I figure they would know more about the alignment since they work on Fords all day. The other tire shops around me that perform alignments are not great.

What else besides alignment could cause the insides of the tires to wear so quickly?

 

[Rcflyer330]

You need an alignment and yes the rear is adjustable. Happened to me and wore a set of tires really fast. You should keep an eye on how your tires are wearing and you can see when they are out of alignment. Also a sagging suspension can cause the tires to wear on the inner side.

 

[relentless85]

What would be the cause or fix of a sagging suspension? Shocks/struts?

All bushings look ok. I’m not real sure about the shocks. The vehicle does not bounce like the shocks are worn out.

 

[Rcflyer330]

Yeah the coil springs can lose their spring over time usually its the drivers side that wears more because there is always someone in the drivers seat. Also leaking struts can do the same thing.
I bet if you took a measuring tape and measured to the top of each wheel well they would all be a little different in height.

You are probally fine i was just was answering your first question on other possible causes. An alignment is the most likely cause.

 

[azpima67]

On my '10 I had the same problem on the front 1st set of tires. Took it to a tire shop for alignment but they said it was within spec. In the old days a good alignment tech could correct the problem. But now with the liability problems no one can do anything out of spec. Now I rotate more front to back.

 

[relentless85]

How can I check the shocks/struts on the Explorer? Is there an easy way to check them? The vehicle has almost 80k on it and they don’t feel bad but I don’t know what a bad/weak shock would feel like though.

 

[dacaur2]

How can I check the shocks/struts on the Explorer? Is there an easy way to check them? The vehicle has almost 80k on it and they don’t feel bad but I don’t know what a bad/weak shock would feel like though.

When driving along and you hit abig bump in the road, not the kind that rattles your teeth, but rather the kind that if you hit it fast enough you feel weightless for a second before coming back down, you should feel the vehicle come back down and thats it, if it bounces up and down a few times, or if it feel like one corner comes down harder, you have one or more blown/bad shocks.
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