tire wear on 2002 zr5 crew cab

[2002ZR5]

my tires are wearing on the outside front and i have a little play in the steering and when i jack it up both tires are tight up and down but they have a little slop side to side what could it be? i was thinking tierods or balljoints i am puting new tires on it and would like to fix it asap b4 i mess up the new tires

[riceburnr2005]

Ball joints!! Worn ball joints can cause sloppy steering and mess up you're allignment. I know this cuz my truck did the same thing. You have too much positive camber causing wear on the outside of the tire. Get those lower ball joints replaced and when you get new tires you need an allignment ASAP!! While your inspecting you're front suspension be sure to check everything else too, depending on you're mileage it may be time for a front end rebuild.

[F9K9]

Our token active duty Leatherneck is spot on!! I would go on the cheap and have a good alignment shop inspect your junk. If, they won't do that for free then just schedule an appt for the alignment. They will tell you what needs to be replaced before they will align it. Thank them very much and go do it your self. Search youtube, forums. google....etc on the "how to"s. I know it is really much harder than what I am describing but, it can be done.

I have $169 worth of "free loaner tools" from Advance sitting here right now. I need to replace my ball joints this weekend and the quicker that I do it, the faster that money is placed back in my account.

Schedule an appointment before you get the tires installed and fix it beforehand.

[riceburnr2005]

remember if you're ball joints have never been replaced on your rig, the factory ones are riveted in. so if you do them yourself be ready to drill the old ones out, for some not so painful. But i've seen some of my friends spend hours on this. I didn't do mine personally because i had to be on the road for a trip to ohio the next day and i needed an allignment. The shop charged me about 400 dollars for parts and labor. If you do them yourself the price would be however you wish to spend on parts, and maybe a six pack...or two

[rlrnr53]

Drilling out the rivets is not a bad job if you have a sharp drill bit and center punch as close to the center of the rivet as you can.