So....... I've done 25,000km on my front tyres in about 6 months, and now they look like this:

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr102/Peter__Pan89/Verada/IMG_0344.jpg
http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr102/Peter__Pan89/Verada/IMG_0345.jpg

Problem 1: Tyre Wear
I know, I probably should have rotated them or something before they got this bad but anyway...

Most of my driving is to town and back, which is mostly a 90 zone on windy rural roads with long sweeping corners.... I'm guessing that's why the corners are showing exaggerated wear. The thing is, I keep these babies pumped up to 40psi (measured when wheels are warm, 30km from my house). I am not sure if they should have lasted longer, whether or not I need to modify my driving style (maybe take those corners at less than 90), or whether my alignment or other parts are somehow out of whack and are causing this problem.

The passenger wheel is a little worse than the drivers, I believe it's because it has developed a very slow leak and needs to be pumped up a bit about once a week.

Back tyres are still in perfect condition BTW 80% tread.

What I have had done:
- Brand new KYB shocks (early this year)
- Strut tops appear to be in ok condition (checked by mechanic)
- Sway bar bushes and links replaced when tyres went on
- Alignment after tyres were put on

So, what could it be?:
- Out of alignment?
- normal wear because of my driving style and conditions?
- premature wear because of suspension problems (see below)
- normal wear and I shouldn't worry about it


Problem 2: Suspension shuddering
For the past year, I have been getting clicking round corners, I am led to believe that means my inner CV joints are going...... boots are in good nic but im thinking the joints are on their way out. When I hit speed humps, I get a thud, not a metallic click like something metal is bashing something else metal, just a good clunk. I am thinking it might be the lower ball joint or lower control arm or something...... anyone have any ideas what that might be?

Well about a month ago, my front standard rotors got more and more warped and eventually it got damn unbearable to hit the stop pedal, so I swapped them with the ones off my KS ei, only to find the pads had worn those ones down differently and it gave me a nice grind for a week before I changed both the rotors to DBA slotted and pads to Bendix GCT. Brakes are 100% now.

Now, this may be a coincidence but about a week after that, I started getting a bit of shuddering under acceleration from the front end...... not heaps, but it's getting worse.

I did a 600km freeway trip over the weekend and the shuddering was terrible! I also believe that it is accelerating the wear on the outside of my tyres, as they have gotten DRAMATICALLY worse over the past month.

Some people in NSW know that one of my rear rims is out of shape but I know this is different, if I back off the gas, I can feel a SLIGHT shudder from that bad rear rim but as soon as I accelerate it's very bad up the front

So, could it be:
- Front wheels out of alignment from me hitting a pot hole?
- Front wheel dented from pothole?
- damage from driving with warped rotors some how?
- dead cv's?
- dead lower suspension components?
- rear wheel shuddering affecting driveability
- something else?

Sorry for all the text lol.... thought the full story was the best

I have thought about taking it to a suspension place, but TBH I don't trust any of those buggers, I understand they may have to change a few things before finding the real problem, but I don't really want to be billed for their learning experience.

Thoughts?????? Thanks in advance

Anyone?????

what tyres are they? you might of got some with a crap compound.... but you wouldnt think so with the tread pattern being a sporty tread.
Does your steerig wheel shake more then average when your driving??or turn to one side when no hands on the wheel?? if so ur wheels arnt inline

Doesn't pull to one side or anything but yes it shakes/shudders a little from side to side when driving.

Also seems to have a mind of its own when braking..... it will change lanes by itself if I'm not holding on

maybe piston/s in one caliper arnt pushing against the rotor causing it to turn??

Also seems to have a mind of its own when braking..... it will change lanes by itself if I'm not holding on
Shuddering and change of direction under braking usually means warped rotor

Hmmmmm not sure about that, it seems to go left and right, doesn't pull to one side specifically, it's just erratic

Shuddering and change of direction under braking usually means warped rotor

Doesn't shudder any more when braking, they are brand new rotors and pads.

You probably need a rear sway bar.

Typical outside of tyre wear as the weight is transferred onto the outside of the outer tyre when cornering hard.

I saw wear like this when I had a KS.
After fitting a rear sway bar was much better.

Also it may be possible that you have a bit of toe-in on your front alignment.

Gerry

maybe trying some new calipers... thats all i can of atm, brake master cylinder??

You probably need a rear sway bar.

Typical outside of tyre wear as the weight is transferred onto the outside of the outer tyre when cornering hard.

I saw wear like this when I had a KS.
After fitting a rear sway bar was much better.

Also it may be possible that you have a bit of toe-in on your front alignment.

Gerry

Thanks mate, yeah I have been wanting to pick one up for it, and I was suspicious that it was too many fast corners contributing to making the tyres wear like that

Pete,
Given the front left looks a lot worse then the right, my guess is wheel alignment and or suspension (coil or strut failing). How are the pads wearing? even on both left and right?

PS if you want to go around corners at 90 get a AWD :facejump:

Lol, I would love one

Pads are wearing evenly

Can anyone recommend a suspension place in Sydney they trust? I might just take it to my usual mechanic

Have the wheel bearings ever been replaced? Jack up the car and try to pull the wheel towards you, if it moves I think it means they're stuffed. AFAIK.

Have the wheel bearings ever been replaced? Jack up the car and try to pull the wheel towards you, if it moves I think it means they're stuffed. AFAIK.

I checked the hubs for movement when I did the brakes and they seemed fine, although that's a possibility I suppose. There wasn't any obvious movement

Can anyone recommend a suspension place in Sydney they trust? I might just take it to my usual mechanic

heasmens suspension.. its all they do... one of the only places around that will do evo's (and no how to)..

id recommend them

Thanks gremlin I will look them up,

will this be suitable for my car? (swaybar)
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/TR-TS-Magna-Sedan-91-96-Rear-Heavy-Duty-Selby-Sway-Bar_W0QQitemZ190320613751QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Car _Parts_Accessories?hash=item2c4ffe1977&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

Thanks gremlin I will look them up,

will this be suitable for my car? (swaybar)
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/TR-TS-Magna-Sedan-91-96-Rear-Heavy-Duty-Selby-Sway-Bar_W0QQitemZ190320613751QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Car _Parts_Accessories?hash=item2c4ffe1977&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

yeah

and selby sway bars are actually whiteline ones...selby sway bars took over the sydney whiteline offices and workshop. and took over the sway bar lines they had..

heasmens suspension.. its all they do... one of the only places around that will do evo's (and no how to)..

id recommend them

I concur, Heasmans did a great job on my magna. I think this may be two seperate issues Pete.

1) I suspect under-inflation is the cause of that wear, looks consistent with that
2) Random pulling to and fro on anything but silk smooth roads might be a sign that suspension bushes are on their way out. I think that is what is wrong with mine too

Which bushes you talking about Dave?

Forgot to mention one big clue......

Whenever I go up bumpy hills, I get a real good clanking noise, it's been there forever, sounds like something in the suspension is banging around but no idea what it is.

I mean like going up a steep hill with pot holes, or rocky driveways

What about the shuddering under acceleration though? CV's?

Second pic is simply under inflation, the tyre is not sitting flat on the ground

The first Pic I would say is either a camber or toe issue, it will not show up in the second pic due to the inflation issue however if the second pic was showing a tyre that had been treated correctly you would most likely find the outside edge worn from too much toe in

As I said, could also be an issue with positive camber on that wheel as well???

Forget about your brakes, if you have warped and glazed rotors, just get new ones, they are note expensive for std rotors, have myself just put on 4 new rotors on the TS wagon we have.

Thanks Mal.

I dunno where you guys are getting ideas about bad brakes, I changed them to brand new slotted rotors and brand new bendix pads (pretty sure it was mentioned in OP).

I hit quite a few damn big potholes, there is not much you can really do to avoid them on Sydney's shitty roads and living out my way the roads are just terrible! Perhaps I have knocked the front wheels out of alignment (is that even possible?)

What are your thoughts on the suspension issue? I am really not sure what all the parts down there are called, and which ones make what noises when they are stuffed

Do you think the shuddering under acceleration could simply be the wheels out of alignment (hence the premature wearing) or is it something else?

Thanks!

1) you need to rotate tyres often, isnt it every 10K? that spreads the wear.
2) get them balanced. they are probably really outta whack.
3) alignment I *think* you get done every 25K but not 100% on that. did you get an alignment done when you changed the shocks? You need to get one done everytime you disconnect the shocks from the hub, I waited 4 days before I got mine done, anything else and I reckon you'll start eating into them.

and yes clicking is CV's just did both my driveshafts yesterday for piece of mine. very easy job mate, literally 10-20mins a side if you have another driveshaft ready to go.

Yeah I've got other shafts in the other car I might whack them in.

That's a good point about the shocks, I don't think they were realigned after they were changed..... Hmmmmmmmmm

Yeah, should probably start rotating tyres.

Is that a good price for the rear sway bar?

Yeah I've got other shafts in the other car I might whack them in.

That's a good point about the shocks, I don't think they were realigned after they were changed..... Hmmmmmmmmm

Yeah, should probably start rotating tyres.

Is that a good price for the rear sway bar?

Theres your issue then, no alignment....would of worn it way earlier, make sure when you get a new set of tyres, you align them :)

Sway bars go for around the $200 mark, possibly the best handling mod you can do to a 2nd gen.

I dunno where you guys are getting ideas about bad brakes, I changed them to brand new slotted rotors and brand new bendix pads (pretty sure it was mentioned in OP).
That doesn't mean diddly squat. If the new brakes weren't bedded in correctly they can quickly get warped and cause the symptoms you described in some earlier posts.

That doesn't mean diddly squat. If the new brakes weren't bedded in correctly they can quickly get warped and cause the symptoms you described in some earlier posts.

:stoopid:

Hey mate, had quite similar problems to you, i guess you probably corner hard like me. I had that exact same tyre wear before, I upgraded the suspension (KYB shocks, king lows, and whiteline rear swaybar), and swapper the front and rear tyres around, but seemingly almost as quick I got that same tyre wear again. I tried investigating a bit, but in the end I guessed that magna's were never designed to be sports cars and corner fast, and they seem extremely front end heavy, and was probably just their inherent design that resulted in excessive front tyre wear if cornered hard.

However I replaced the tyres with Kumho KU31's at the end of last year, and have probably done about 10,000km since then, and they actually seem to be holding up quite nicely. Bit hard to tell because there is a fair bit of tread, but it actually seems to be wearing very evenly. So I am guessing perhaps the design of the tyre has something to do with it also, maybe you need a stiffer or less stiff shoulder. I have 18's and inflate my fronts to 42psi and my rears to 38 psi, from dead cold.

On a side note, when you turn the wheels on a 2nd gen full lock, have you noticed how the tyre still sits fairly flat? Most cars it will be leaning the wheels in or out quite heavily at full lock. I think this is called active camber or something. I thought the lack of it while cornering may be part of the problem causing tyre wear.

As for the shuddering, when I got my car lowered, at first I had king super lows at the front. I brought the car back because it was causing a few problems, one being that the car had a shudder when accelerating, especially noticeable when taking off from lights etc. It happened as soon as it was lowered, but I thought it was something else like the auto box. But after changing back to King lows, the problem completely went away. The suspension guy said that it was probably causing the cv shafts to sit at too much of an angle instead of straight. Springs 'settle' in with time, so if you have lowered your car, it may be that the car has got slightly lower with time and maybe now you are getting this problem as well?

Ollie

What you have is a combination of many things really. What you need to do, and what i found useful is to take it to Pedders and do the $20 suspension 18point check. They normally tighten anything that is loose underneath, but they also can tell you if it is ball joints that is giving the thud. That is a normal wear and tear. Also, i think when you got the new shocks put in, you probably did not get an alignment done. also make sure you do the camber, because most alignment jobs does not include camber adjustment. Well, your day to day driving does not sound too tame to me, that is also a contributing factor.

Which bushes you talking about Dave?

Forgot to mention one big clue......

Whenever I go up bumpy hills, I get a real good clanking noise, it's been there forever, sounds like something in the suspension is banging around but no idea what it is.

I mean like going up a steep hill with pot holes, or rocky driveways

What about the shuddering under acceleration though? CV's?

Shuddering and clunking under acceleration sounds like engine mounts might have had it too, i'd torn two of mine and the motor was dancing around the engine bay under load.

I have a similar problem on my TH.

Vibrations under load but only at certain speeds. When vibration is happening, and I take the foot off accelerator, the vibration stops instantly. So, I've done the following...

- bought new rims with new tyres
- changed drive shafts
- wheel allignment done
- 1 engine mount changed as it was torn

And it is still happening. Im out of ideas, and am thinking that perhaps the rotors are causing it as they are now 6 years old. But that would not explain why they would cause vibrations only during acceleration / load. They shoudl vibrate when rolling also.

I was suggested to take the car to driveline in Brisbane. Apparently they are experts with gearboxes, suspensions etc etc. Hope fully they can tell me quickly.

EDIT: Sorry, wasn't meant to take over your thread. Just wanted to share what i have done with similar issue you have, and still not fixed :(

just because rotors are six years old dosnt mean they are crap, they might just need skimming........

eh also depends on how hard the tyre compound is. LCA bushes?

id check your lower ball joint for wear, with a flat bar lever between the bottom suspension arm and the steering knuckle and see if there is any movement. also check to make sure your bump stops are intact, as i had a thumping problem over large bumps and potholes and my bumpstops had gone. the tyre wear will be inflation or mechanical issues as according to workshop manual, front camber is not adjustable in these cars and any change indicates bent or worn components. the shudder under acceleration sounds like CV's to me.

so the internets have spoken. in total, it appears your whole car is broken haha

so the internets have spoken. in total, it appears your whole car is broken haha

Yeah I agree there are a number of issues here (what I presumed).

Sitting in the waiting room at Pedders Artarmon awaiting the bad news (the bill)

Anyone remember this...... Peter Griffin: "Hey, is that the cost, or my phone number?"

Yeah I agree there are a number of issues here (what I presumed).

Sitting in the waiting room at Pedders Artarmon awaiting the bad news (the bill)

Anyone remember this...... Peter Griffin: "Hey, is that the cost, or my phone number?"

You mean, "Is this the price of my bill or my phone number?"
Receptionist "your phone number"
Peter " hehehehehehehehhehe *in peter griffin voice*

So, turns out a multitude of things needed doing:

New tyres (obviously) Going with Maxxis V1's
Lower control arm bushes are.... well there aren't any left.... hence the clanking up bumpy hills. Both bushes each side are being replaced with nolathane stuff
Crank seal
Passenger side rack end needs replacing
Passenger wheel bearing
Getting CV's done too as they are clicking around corners
Wheel alignment
Full service

Looking at about $1500-1800 all up incl labour, this will teach me to get things fixed before everything is broken

Oh well, this work, plus the Dynamat I'm getting my hands on will hopefull make the car a bit more pleasurable to drive up and down the freeway to my new place 3Hrs away :happy:

Thanks for everyone's suggestions in this thread

So, turns out a multitude of things needed doing:

New tyres (obviously) Going with Maxxis V1's
Lower control arm bushes are.... well there aren't any left.... hence the clanking up bumpy hills. Both bushes each side are being replaced with nolathane stuff
Crank seal
Passenger side rack end needs replacing
Passenger wheel bearing
Getting CV's done too as they are clicking around corners
Wheel alignment
Full service

Looking at about $1500-1800 all up incl labour, this will teach me to get things fixed before everything is broken

Oh well, this work, plus the Dynamat I'm getting my hands on will hopefull make the car a bit more pleasurable to drive up and down the freeway to my new place 3Hrs away :happy:

Thanks for everyone's suggestions in this thread

Hehe skitzing, i dont even wanna take mine to get checked because it will probably have heaps wrong too:(

Yeah I knew it would be alot of work needing to be done, but I'm not planning on getting rid of this car for a while so I may as well get it all done

damn mate hopefully this fixes her up, isnt the repairs more than what the cars worth?

Probably

They wanted to replace the whole steering rack as a precaution (about another $800 including labour) but I said no way.

The car doesn't really need anything else though, and I don't fee like buying a new one at the moment.

I do alot of kays in it so I don't mind throwing a bit of money at it to keep it going

Do the driveshafts yourself (get some swapover units) and wont take very long. Crank seal is timing belt off job so when was that done last? might wanna consider getting the timing belt and W/P done too while the belt is off

DONT USE nolathane, it is hard, does not allow for the proper movement and will be stuffed again by 12 months

The Nolathane and Urythane is not made the same as the genuine bushes, the genuine bushes are bonded to the rubber, the others are not.

If you are going to keep the car for a while as you stated, go genuine, is expensive but well worth it

Tuffy, I CBF. I have taught myself the hard way too many times not to work on anything more than a simple job on my car. It easier for me to just fix a few computers and pay a professional to do it. Apparently my last mechanic did the timing belt when the new engine was dropped in 60,000k ago, so not worried about that just at the moment.

Mal, thanks but it's too late now unfortunately, I will see how these go, see if I like them or not, and if they die in a year I will replace them with genuine.

Unfortunately it has been losing a little bit of water after the overheating incident when a hose blew a few months ago, performance has also seemed to drop a bit. It seems to empty out the overflow bottle about once or twice a week, so I suspect some form of damage has been done (head gasket leaking possibly?)

I am just babying it and seeing how long this engine will last, I have another one exactly the same from the ei that I can throw in in a day if I need to, or I might look for a DOHC of some description if I can find a suitable one for the right price.

This car is really only a daily for me, in reality it's a depreciating asset, so I'm not really in a position to be throwing money at it for a big HP engine build if/when this one gives way

dare you to turbo astron it.

lol I was talking to someone the other day with Tejas who was telling us about his son who Supercharged an asstron lol

Also reckoned he had a supercharger suitable for the V6 :hmm:

lol I was talking to someone the other day with Tejas who was telling us about his son who Supercharged an asstron lol

Also reckoned he had a supercharger suitable for the V6 :hmm:
ha i was thinking of buying my mates supercharger off a 4agze and putting in on my astron :woot: