Escape Alignment Controversy
 

I have had my '03 Ford Escape Ltd for about 11 months now and have learned a lot about this neat little truck. So far I have replaced right and left front control arms (including the ball joints), the anti-sway bar linkage on both sides, the drivers side axle hub and bearing assy and axle shaft, a tie rod end and took it in for an alignment. For the most part, I am very happy with the Escape but one thing that is proving to be a bit frustrating to me is tire wear.

I just replaced the Conti's that were on the Escape when I bought it. (From the previous owners records - it looks like they went through quite a few sets of these.)The tread was very worn on the inside of the tires that were primarily used on the front and one of the tires had severe cupping. Obviously the cupped tire was very noisy. I am well aware that these issues seem to be common on this vehicle, having researched this quite a but - but I am not finding a solid stated reason and fix for the premature tire wear condition.

My theory is that Ford designed the Escape with a camber negative condition built in to improve handling and help to prevent roll overs and that this was most likely spurred by the nasty roll over issue they had with the Explorer. I can understand this from a pure corporate liability reason but as the owner of this vehicle, I am a bit frustrated with the premature tire wear this causes. (Tires are not cheap.)

Having just spent North of $550 for a new set of Cooper Tires and hoping to get 60,000 mi out of them, I am on a mission to try to get to the bottom of this and see if others can confirm my theory. If so, I am wondering what the negative ramifications would be to purchase a camber bolt kit that will allow the front camber to be set to Zero degrees and also what measures (such as adjustable upper control arms?) would be required on the rear end to prevent the cupping that I noticed.

Would setting the front camber to Zero adversely effect the performance of the vehicle to the point of being dangerous? If not, I would prefer to maximize tire life and set it to Zero as I would with what ever condition on the rear is causing cupping.

Hopefully someone who is an expert in either the design of this vehicle or an alignment professional can provide some answers. Thank you in advance for your help! :-drink

Cupping is common on rear tires of front wheel drive vehicles, regardless of make or model. The use of soft-carcassed tires, which the Continentals certainly are, only increases this tendency. The solution is to use sturdier tires, ensure that rear toe is set perfectly, and rotate the tires at no more than 10k intervals.

As for the front camber, setting it more toward positive will not do anything other than introduce torque steer. Setting it outside specs isn't necessary for good wear characteristics.

I certify a dozen or two used Escapes each month for our dealership's used car department, and it is clear that the vehicles that didn't have rotations performed as required will have the wear problems you pointed out. The others will have some minor feathering of both shoulders and will be evenly worn.

If you could provide the data from the alignment printout, we could probably provide further guidance.

Jay

Thanks Jay!! I will see if our friends at Belle Tire have the records of the alignment. They did not provide them when I picked it up and shame on me for not asking. I can see the negative camber with my eyes so it seems a bit excessive. However, let me try to get the documented results.

BONDODEN
 

My guess is that over time,these escapes develop an inward sag of the strut towers.May want to try a 10 ton porta power between the 2 towers If you can find the correct measurement from strut to strut,that would tell you for sure! If this is the problem,maybe after you push them back,maybe someone sells a strut to strut brace like you've seen on performance cars.

How do people find these 9 year old threads and bring them back to life? :confused:

Gotta hand it to him for using the search function.
Don't think it's that, these aren't 90's Sentras or rusted out Fiats.
More than likely if there is an inside tread cupping issue, especially if it is every other tread block, it is a wheel bearing or active alignment issue(alignment shows good statically, on the rack). Wheel bearings are usually worn out by 100Kmiles. If you are a spirited driver 60-80K miles the bearings can be worn out. Same with rough or off road travel.

'10-12 Escape has a similar wheel bearing setup like early 00's Imprezas. The front bearings don't really wear out, its the hubs themselves get chewed up because they are so small. The front wheel bearing does come with a new hub, it's not a one piece design. Biggest PITA with this type of bearing is that it can be hard to determine if it is gone bad unless it is really worn and making noise. Lots of newer sealed bearings stay quiet even when toasted. I like to loosen and re-torque the CV stub nut. If the nut moves forward several degrees and the road noise changes, then the wheel bearing is most likely done. If there is a smooth paved(concrete) parking lot/garage nearby, after a tire rotation go drive on that. Then look at the back wheels(that were on the front). If the tread shows an equal scalloping of every other inner tread block, I would suspect wheel bearing.

Good point. It's just odd, to me, when someone finds a thread like to make a comment and not ask a question.

IMO, Contin Tires are one of the worst tires on the market.. They were on our new 2015 Escape AWD and they cupped the wore out at 20K and noisy.. Switched to Michelins... Problem solved !! Got 52K now..