mass-hole

This is actually in regards to my Jeep Liberty but that forum is rather slow and figured axles are axles. This all started because I was having an issue with my wrangler duratracs wearing unevenly in the front. I've gotten many alignments and rotated the tires but never really solved anything.

Today I took the Jeep to a specialty alignment shop in Salt Lake City to see if they could really work it out. Ultimately what he told me is that the rear axle housing was bent such that the rear wheels were toed in a total of .4 degrees. He said he didn't think it was due to rear end accident because that would normally cause the tires to toe out.

What are people's thoughts on this? Would the axle really be bent without some kind of major hit? I certainly never had anything happen since I've owned it. Could the wheel bearings go bad and cause this?

bubbabud

Did you mean .4 or 4 and are they talking degrees or inches? Toe is generally measured in inches .4 is nothing 4 you would not need a shop to see it either way would not affect front tire wear. If the back axle was bent it would be on one side or the other and jeep would dog track.

mass-hole

No dog tracking that I can tell, but this is why I asked. To see if the guy is talking out of certain places.

Here is the rear results from yesterday:

Phyer Phyter

Above is the rear wheel alignment specs for your Jeep.
Technically you are with in specification. However I would like to see the toe settings both the same. Your left side is toed in twice as much as the right side. This could indicate a bent axle housing but I doubt this is the case here. Your thrust angle ideally should be 0. This shows that the rear tires are not "square" to the front tires. In other words your rear axle is very slightly pointing to the right. Which could also account for the higher toed in left wheel. I suspect something has shifted in your rear suspension. A worn bushing, seized or bent spring hanger. Axle may have shifted slightly on the springs - either right side back a little or left side forward a little. If you can get your thrust angle straightened out - I expect your rear toe angles will move to more equal.

NOW***** After I have written all this above I noticed your left wheel camber is -0.6. If you were to "eyeball" both rear tires you should be able to see that the left wheel is leaning in at the top slightly more than the right. This could be from a bent housing however -0.6 is with in specs and not terrible. The high toe in and negative camber could stack up and contribute to tire wear on that axle (LR).
If you can correct the thrust angle as mentioned above this may likely be enough to remedy your issue.

That being said your complaint was premature wear on the front tires. I doubt that your rear end will contribute to front tire wear. It would be interesting to see your front end alignment measurements to see whats going on there. If course I am assuming all your front end suspension components are in proper operating condition and not worn out.