brake calipers and inner wear on tyres

[beach surfer]

My brother decided to fit some new calipers on my Surf and the difference is simply superb! For sometime he has been constantly cleaning them after the pistons on both sides kept getting stuck. I ordered both calipers from Milners and they arrived next day. Great service. At the same time we replaced the discs and pads.
The old calipers both had 2 pistons stuck on each one again. We had no luck in finding a refurbishment kit so decided new was the only option. Just under £400 for both calipers, discs and pads but a small price to pay when it comes to safety of myself and other road users.

The replacement has eleminated the wobble I was getting when braking and the slight pull to the left.

However, on removing both wheels we noticed excessive inner wear on both front tyres. Both tyres still have quite a bit of grip left on them apart from these inner edges.

So, is this just a case of wheel alignment, tyre balancing or something else mechanical going on? anyone else had similar problems? My Surf has now done over 150k miles.

regards

cheryl

[si tate]

Sounds to me like its the tracking that needs sorting out, if you take it to a garage that says they don't have the tracking info for a surf just tell them its the same a the UK 4 runner.

[asgawth]

Brakes aside I recently had a similar problem on my 2nd gen.

My experience is that the alignment places/garages rarely choose the correct settings - they seem to get horribly confused with Surfs.

The tyre specialist over here in Bristol and whose parent company gets generally good feedback on here seemed unable to select the correct model on there alignment computer, despite me pointing it out on the screen.

I would strongly recommend that you get the settings for your model (on this forum someplace) and take them, when you visit the alignment centre. Check and then check again that they have set them to the right settings before leaving....

[beach surfer]

Thanks Guys.

I'll see if i can find the settings for my 3rd Gen and phone a few places to see if they can help/know what they are doing.

Cheryl

[Vagrant No2]

Thanks Guys.

I'll see if i can find the settings for my 3rd Gen and phone a few places to see if they can help/know what they are doing.

Cheryl

3rd gen settings are completly different from 2nd gen . They are the same as Landcruiser Colorado (info from members on here).
I still not found a company that can do my 3rd gen yet .

[beach surfer]

So I take it that I have a 'camber' problem with the front end? Can the camber be adjusted on the 3rd Gen? My brother mentioned that on many cars the camber cant be adjusted and that if there is a problem with camber then it indicates that something else is worn or bent?

cheryl

[Vagrant No2]

So I take it that I have a 'camber' problem with the front end? Can the camber be adjusted on the 3rd Gen? My brother mentioned that on many cars the camber cant be adjusted and that if there is a problem with camber then it indicates that something else is worn or bent?

cheryl

3rd gen has 'snail cam' adjustment on front end so fully adjustable . Normally only need toe in and toe out (tracking) adjustment . If you need the rest adjusted from factory then something may be bent .

[Surfer Ross]

So I take it that I have a 'camber' problem with the front end? Can the camber be adjusted on the 3rd Gen? My brother mentioned that on many cars the camber cant be adjusted and that if there is a problem with camber then it indicates that something else is worn or bent?

cheryl

Almost certainly not. Incorrrect toe setting would cause wear on either inner or outer tyre edges. Its literally a 10 minute job to put right. Don't go worrying too much about camber settings.

[beach surfer]

Thanks Guys. What would I do without you!

i started to think about expensive mechanical repair bills. Apart from this tyre problem the rest of the car is running fine ( now I've jinx it).

So do i now just try to find a garage that can check the camber/toe settings ?

cheryl