hey all. the title pretty much explains it. i know nothing about the world of suspension so be gentle.
i check the wear on my tires about once a week and my right front went from good to nearly bald on the outside in that time period. is that just ball joints going bad or is there something else that needs checked out? what is the method for checking ball joints/u-joints/trac bars?

thanks for the help

-shawn

 

Sounds like the camber angle is off...

Do your wheels look like this: |-o-| or this: |-o-/

 

Well you opened a can of worms, but I can give you some ideas since I am an old Moog Man. First lift one tire off the ground at a time enough to put a pry bar under the tire. Either look your self or have some one look at the lower Ball Joint and see if there is any vertical movement as you lift the tire with the bar. You don't have to try to turn the truck over but you will have to put out some effort to lift it enough to do the trick. Remember the front springs are tough.

Then you can pull your truck up to a curb, chocking both tires firmly, while someone jently turns the steering wheel back and forth to see if there is any play in your idler arm or tire rod ends. If everything is tight you should have it checked for toe or camber problem's all of which can be solved by a good alignment man. Keep in mind that radial tires will mask an alignment problem sometimes until it is too late. And yes everything I have mentioned will eventually cause tire wear. A good rule of thumb is to rotate tires everytime you change your oil or at least every 5K miles.