darkfrost

iTrader: (1)

Passenger side ^



Driver side^

How about these outer tie rods?




Passenger ^



Driver side ^

Reason I'm asking is that I'm trying to diagnose really bad tire wear up front. The inside of both front tires are worn flat, where the outside is pretty much brand new:




Hoping you guys can provide me with some insight!

bshusted

iTrader: (1)

In my experience it is pretty hard to get very much camber on these cars. Instead of looking at bent lower control arms I would suggest the alignment. More specifically, toe in. If your wheels were toed out, you would see inner tire wear like this. Take it to an alignment shop and have the alignment done. You can do it yourself too if you have the tools.

elwood

iTrader: (1)

I agree with getting an alignment done. If you're tight on cash, you can get a pretty good reading on camber with a framing square:

1. Put your car back together
2. Put in on flat ground (at least from side to side, the garage is probably fine)
3. Roll or drive the car back and forth to set the suspension to its natural level
4. Put a framing square on the ground next to each front wheel and measure between the rim and the vertical arm of the square at top and bottom

If the measurements are equal, you have zero camber. If top > bottom you have negative camber.

If it turns out you do have negative camber, realize that most performance drivers think this is a good thing. You may want to leave it that way if it's even R/L.

As for what hardware causes camber change, it's usually bent strut housings, not control arms (the steering linkage won't affect camber). Often times they were intentionally bent for performance reasons. If they are bent, you can sometimes see it in the strut housing, just above the spindle. The tube will look slightly bent at that junction.

Have you owned the car since new? If not, can you contact the previous owner?

1985RX-7

Hey dude I know what you mean my car hasn't had had any suspension mods or been wecked but mine wears tires the same way. But I would really like to know too if you find out!

SPERRYsan

iTrader: (1)

yes

steve84GS TII

I agree on the alignment,specifically the toe.
Nothing looks bent,but its tough to judge based on 2D pics.

Camber alone doesnt cause edge wear (within reason).......but camber combined with bad toe angle, causes the tire to scrub as it contacts the road.This will concentrate wear on the edge of the tire that is in the heaviest contact with the road (usually the inside).

aussiesmg

iTrader: (1)

alignment will identify the source of the wear issue

darkfrost

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the replies! Unfortunately it will be a while until I can check the alignment as I'm in the process of doing all the brakes, ball joints, bushings, suspension all at once and it will be a while until the cars all together.

I will definitely update this thread once its all together and I check the alignment.

Thanks again!

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

the control arms do not look bent to me. you do need some new sway bar end links and bushings and outer tie rod ends to say the least. but you already know it needs some suspension work. in my experience with rx-7's, which has been 10 years and owning 24 over the years, i have never bent or have seen a bent control arm on an rx-7.

darkfrost

iTrader: (1)

Update:

Just got around to working on the car, replaced the balljoints, control arm bushings, tie rods, idler arm (moog heavy duty), pitman arm, the links, sway bar bushings and links, put in RB springs, as well as tokico blues. While I was there, I put in brembo rotors, new pads, rebuilt the calipers and installed SS brake lines.

For people who have a T2 engine in place, or are considering it - I highly recommend the Moog heavy duty idler arm, it helps with the clearance for the turbo to fit, and seems much harder to cook as it doesn't have the bushings like the stock one.

Steering feels super tight now! Going to get it insured and registered again this week, and will let you all know how she drives after this. Can't wait to go out for a spin!