Bad Tire Wear on 5100's

I've had Bilstein 5100's for the last 50k miles (I'm at 201k now). They are set on the middle setting. The BFG TA KO's have worn really uneven on the outer couple inches. (Inside and outside). You can see it visually and feel waves in the tread if you run your hand down it.

I'm thinking I have a suspension issue. I need new tires but dont want to ruin them shortly after install.

- is it plausible that the 5100's need replacing after 50k mikes? Aren't these premium struts? (Two tire guys said immediately that it's a shock issue). Is there a way I can verify that the strut has failed?

- I had my front rotors and pads replaced last week. The brake guy showed me up and down movement in the lower ball joint and said it needs replacing. Would this cause bad tire wear alone?

- Would you replace the upper ball joint at the same time? (Original equipment)

Thanks for any input from the experts out there. Just trying to go about this methodically. Pics to follow...

 

Here's a few pics...

 

..,

 

.,,

 

....,,

 

The ball joints can cause that.

How much tire pressure are you running?

 

If you have enough play in your ball joints yes you can get that kinda wear on your tires. If you are going to keep the truck for awhile most definetly I would replace the uppers and lowers at the same time.

 

Have you gotten an alignment? To me it just looks its feathering from a toe issue. I'm not an expert at the lift side of things but from what I've heard you need to replace your UCA's for it to be lined up properly. My truck is stock and I have a similar wear pattern. "Feathering" usually happens when your toe is off. I would see if its out of spec and go from there!

 

32PSI

 

I had it aligned when I purchased these tires but that was many miles ago.

Is there any test I can do on the front struts to confirm they are good?

I will replace the lower ball joint with OEM. What about the upper? I didn't see any obvious signs of disrepair, but are those known to fail at high mileage?

I am also on stock coils.

 

I have a nearly similar wear on my bfgs when i was stock. I just installed bilsteins in the middle and didnt get an alignment but it looks really good actually. I have that same wear on my inner fronts. Seems almost normal though.

 

Can you replace the stock upper ball joint or do you have to replace the UCA?

 

Tires with blocky tread are more prone to it.

I'm pretty certain that you can just press in the BJ

 

Did you get an alignment after your shock install?

 

This.

Alignment first.

LBJs second.

Outer tie rod ends third.

LCA bushings 4th but they should check them when they do the alignment. (along with the OTREs and LBJs.)

The coil is what supports the weight of the vehicle so I'm not sure why mechanics are attempting to steer you to the bilsteins being the problem.

I wouldn't worry about the UBJ unless there is excessive play in them as well.

 

If the lbj's are bad you won't get a good alignment. Replace these first before you get any alignment. Also if if thinking about replacing the outer tie rod ends those should be replaced before the alignment as well.

 

X2 ^^^^^^

 

Wouldn't you be able to feel the play in your balljoints? Anytime I've needed one/diagnosed one I've been able to feel play in the wheel with the car in the air. (or on the ground depending)

 

Yes you should but it may not just be his ball joints with that many miles and could be a combination of things. This is why I always recommend someone who is going to keep their truck for awhile to get a lifetime alignment especially if they offroad with their truck. With frequent alignments it is easier to catch a problem before it gets to the point like op's where his tires are worn now on the inside.

 

Which was my point about getting it into a good alignment shop. They'd be able to diagnose his problem better than a bunch of hobbyists staring at pictures on the intertubez.