[MomMad60030]

I have 27,000 and already need new tires due to wear on the inside of my rear tires. Both tires tilt and are not straight. Dealer first said I need alignment, then said tilt is correct and need tires. This is not a high performance vehicle nor does it have high performance tires......please advise with any info, tilt does not sound right for this vehicle and all other tire stores agree, tilt is not for this vehicle. ....Thank you,,,

 

[bluntman]

What "tilt" are you seeing?

A little bit of negative camber is common.

 

[Youknowit]

My 2012 SX AWD, Ive also noticed negative camber

 

[engineered]

Most cars have some degree of negative camber, especially with the rear tires. It helps add cornering grip, and in the case of the rear tires, prevent oversteer.
Toe is what actually what accelerates tire wear the most. It may be safe to reduce the factory toe in. Usually they add toe in to increase vehicle stability, so you would have to be comfortable with a slightly less stable car if you wanted to reduce tire wear.
Toe+camber makes the inside of the tire wear out, whereas toe with no cable would wear the whole tire.

 

[2x Sportage]

I have 27,000 and already need new tires due to wear on the inside of my rear tires. Both tires tilt and are not straight. Dealer first said I need alignment, then said tilt is correct and need tires. This is not a high performance vehicle nor does it have high performance tires......please advise with any info, tilt does not sound right for this vehicle and all other tire stores agree, tilt is not for this vehicle. ....Thank you,,,

Same thing happened to me. Tires eventually worn down to cords on the inside edges. (40,000 miles) I rotated front to back to buy some time. Our 2012 Sportage has similar negative camber but not as extreme.

http://www.kia-forums.com/3g-2011-sportage/77052-negative-camber-eating-tires.html

As a followup to my post... 4 wheel alignment showed rear wheels out both camber AND toe. Shop says tire wear was from toe being out more than negative camber. Specs say rear camber should be -1. So the factory specs call for a small amount of "tilt". Kia will NOT cover under warranty.

 

[spongebob218]

It may be possible to have a shop do a custom alignment(not follow factory specs), and set it to optimize tire wear. This could lead to directional instability and possibly an unsafe condition.

If the tires are regularly and properly rotated, though, the tires should not wear out prematurely from the alignment set to factory spec. By properly, I mean move the front straight back to the rear and crossing(LR to RF, RR to LF) the rear to the front. This ensures the tires end up in the original position every 4th rotation instead of every other, and that they get spinning different directions, which prevents cupping. You may notice some slight inside tread wear, but the rest of the tire should be worn fairly evenly.

Alignments are not covered by warranty after 12mos/12k miles.

 

[kevinforbes]

Hi, any luck getting your problem resolved? I'm having similar issues, described here:

http://www.kia-forums.com/3g-2011-sportage/81927-negative-camber-alignment-rear-suspension-issues.html

 

[andrea lynn]

2011 sportage EX AWD

My dealer just told me I need all new tires b/c my sportage is out of alignment. He said I should have them aligned every 15k miles. I took my car in b/c it doesn't ride smooth and vibrates. I guess that makes sense since my tires are shot and it's cambered. I have 55k miles on my sportage and have been disappointed since I purshased it.

Some of my other issues the dealer had to fix:
1. replace steering wheel. Material started to flake off.
2. Fan blower motor replaced.
3. also fixed something b/c it wouldn't start. starting to lose track of all the problems i have had.
4. my navigation/radio stopped working. After one dealer told me it would cost $2000 to fix and not under warranty, another dealer was able to fix it. Can't really remember that issue either. Trying to block it all out.

I think I am going to sell my sportage. I should have kept my acura.

 

[MikDee]

Most cars have some degree of negative camber, especially with the rear tires. It helps add cornering grip, and in the case of the rear tires, prevent oversteer.
Toe is what actually what accelerates tire wear the most. It may be safe to reduce the factory toe in. Usually they add toe in to increase vehicle stability, so you would have to be comfortable with a slightly less stable car if you wanted to reduce tire wear.
Toe+camber makes the inside of the tire wear out, whereas toe with no camber would wear the whole tire.

As explained here, some negative camber helps improve handling. If you rotate your tires every 5-6,000 miles there should be no problem (even tire wear).

 

[mcubed]

What sub-model and tire brand?

I have a 2011 LX that came with Nexen brand tires. Although nowhere near as soon as 28000, they wore out early... now have a new set of Hankook's.

Alignment, pressure and rotation are critical to tire longevity. Keep a constant eye on pressure (on the driver's door sill) and when you get your new shoes, look into a "lifetime alignment" at the tire store. They'll check alignment every time they're rotated. Have them rotated every time the oil is changed.

 

[Nyaim819]

i own a 2011 sportage, and have approximately 3-400 lbs of weight in the trunk from my aftermarket speakers installed, the rear tires had a very bad negative camber, i simply put it on a ramp, and cambered it back straight using what we call a "power handle" as the jeep is still sitting on its four wheels you might not have enough strength and would need to use a power tool.

my sportage will be two years old next month and i have just over 31000 miles on it, no problems so far, all i do is put gas and service it regularly...

 

[engineered]

Good point above. If you constantly carry excessive cargo in the rear, your car will gain camber and increase wear on the inside of the rear tires.

 

[TOSprtg12]

I have similar issues with inner rear tires completely worn down a few weeks after a very low speed bump into the curb. Dealer took one look at the rear from a distance and said I should contact the insurance co. as the rear tires should not tilt that way since they cannot see any physical damage and will need to take sometime to investigate the alignmnent and the entire suspension and drive system.

Did anyone resolve the issues that are posted here? Thx