I have an 03 Escape w/3.0, 127k+ miles. I'm on my 2nd set of Continental tires and I think I have a problem with the left rear wheel/axle. Each tire on that wheel has developed uneven wear. It's very noisy and rough. I just had the alignment ck'd and was told everything ck'd out fine- no adjustments required. Has anyone else had this problem? Does anyone have a suggestion?

 

I wonder if you might have a weak strut that is impacting tire wear.

 

If you are going over 5k between rotations and not keeping air pressures up,may be cause if not get rear suspension upgraded.With that mileage get new rear shocks, and have rear sway bar link pin bushings upgraded to polyurethane.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I admit I rarely rotate they tires-- I never think about it.

 

Exactly, these trucks are sensitive. Doing the 5K rotate and balance thing is crucial to even tire wear. Contitracs seem to be the worst about the wear and noise thing. Firestone on the other hand seems to have a tire that works better than any tire that Ford puts on these trucks.

 

Get rid of the Continentals as soon as you can and you won't regret it.

 

dosent matter what tire you use , the wear is going to be the same on a $50 tire or a $200 tire there is an allinement problem with all of them get used to it.

 

I have 160,000 miles on my '02 and 22,000 miles on my '09 and have never had an alignment problem.

 

DO the tire rotation at the same time as oil change... This habit will help you remember

 

Thank you, now I know I am not the only one, my wife thinks I am **** about tire rotation...

Don't have to worry about balance, installed beads inside tires 3 yrs ago. Has increased tire life 20%, re-balances every time I stop.

 

I get inside tire wear (04 tribute) with second set of continentals. My mechanic has suggessted new struts but I don't know about this as a fix. I replaced the rear shocks and continued to see the wear on the back even after an alignment. Many people have this problem with the contitrac tires. Just look around when you see escapes and tributes (I have been looking around and in the last week I have seen 5 escapes and tributes with the conti's with the same wear issues as me) If you ask me there is a problem. I have owned many cars and suv's and never had issues like this.

I will soon replace tires with quality michelins and go to a specialty alignment shop to see if there is a problem. Some suggest camber kits as a fix as well. Other forums I have read lead me in the direction that there is a problem with the oe tires, the suspension or both. Others on this forum solved the wear and horrible noise issues with michelin tires. I rotate at every other oil change (6000 miles).

Check out these links to read about this problem

http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/T5UB6MFBE58IJ38E1

http://mazdaforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20619

http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/for...2FDOFIHJJU8/p5

 

Jechternach,

Just FYI on the tires I've had on for about the last 56,000 miles with zero problems are the Michelin LTX M/S 2. There is also an all terrain version of this tire Michelin LTX A/T 2, but any all terrain tire is going to be more noisy with the way tread wear is designed. The difference with my old tires and the Michelin LTX M/S 2 (Discount tires) was night and day, and with 145,000 miles I have had no suspension problems except replacing the sway bar links, and zero uneven wear on these tires.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas!

Scott

 

I finally had my dealer check the alignment and it was in fact out of alignment.

Next time I buy tires I doubt I get Conti's. ALthough I did get nearly 80k on the original tires. But the Conti's are noisy.

Thanks for all of your replies!

 

That is quite rare that the rear axle went out of alignment, but anything is possible. I would like to hear how this goes and if you have any more problems with that same wheel.

I am thinking that the wheel itself got damaged somehow and was terribly out of balance. That would also cause the same problem you had. But Ford says it was the alignment, so be it.

 

I finally broke down and bought 2 new 65k mile Yokohoma's last week. It is unbelievable what a difference it made. I kept 2 Conti's that still have good tread(moved them to the back). The ride AND road noise is soooo much better. It's like a new car. I got a lot of miles, almost 80k, from the Conti's but I'll never buy another one: too much noise