my 406 estate has absolutely munched its rear tyres to death - by that i mean legal tread on the outside, and air leaking through wire strands on the inside! It gets used to carry a hefty amount of tools.

Is this wear caused by the car having perminant excess camber/toe due to the weight, or is it more likely that some bushes have gone stale? It also suffers from what feels like rear wheel roll steer, causes it to wobble though corners. Its year 2000 with 130k on it.

Any thoughts anyone? Just got a pair of new tyres today, dont want to muller them too!

IIRC the 406 has a multi-link rear suspension with passive rear steering designed in. I'd be carefully checking the rear geometry and condition of bushes!

The 405 was notorious for this if frequently loaded up at the back --- often they needed a full torsion beam --- mega expensive.

Hi Joel

Rear track may need (serious) adjustment.

Maybe (very) worn tie bar ends.

Inboard bolts may need lots of heat/grinding through, but you can get a new set for £10 from a main dealer. Tie rods £12 each from motor factor.

Car will feel much nicer after rear tracking done.

Edit - I did the tie rods on mine for MOT, I thought I set the track fairly neutral. Not so, the odd oversteer I experienced, even at slow speeds was frightening. Different car after tracking done - especially over bumps.

[Edited on 27/1/06 by Mansfield]

This could be a problem with the rear suspension alinement or bushes. I have had two 406 estate company cars which spent most of their 100k miles loaded and it didnt effect either of mine but my work mates Vreg needed the back tyres replacing before the front for this very reason. It had done less then 20k at the time

The rear bushes also tend to need replacing. Not sure which ones but both my cars had them replaced by the garage when the car went for a service which surprised me as there was no knocks or rattles coming from the back end.

The weakest link is the hub end of the tie bar, its a ball joint. The play is VERY obvious if you jack the car up and check play like you would check a wheel bearing. If there is noticeable play, grab the tie rod, or the ball joint to see if this is the culprit.

If it isnt rear track adjustment and it is play in a joint or bush that is causing the tyre wear, then stop driving the car. That much misalignment from a sloppy joint probably means immanent tragedy.


Will be rear track misalignment causing most of your trouble.

cheers chaps!

Has it had rear suspension joints/bushes replaced fairly recently?
If so it could be the alignement as it uses eccentric bolts for adjustment.
Rear suspension is a right pain to work on because of all the links.

Terry

The large bearings on the end of the axle wear because their movement is very localised. This used to happen on the BX, 405 and 406.

The torsion bar then twists the free play out and gives loads of negative camber, hence the tyre wear.

Try http://www.sspengineering.co.uk/