Quick ? about alignment using tires w/uneven wear

[themaxx69]

I finally got every thing I need for home alignment. Steel plates with steel rods, spicer 6122025 adjustable bushings, and steel bar for magnetic digital angle finder that fits right on the lips of the rim not touching tire.

I know I need new tires, but until then....I was going to put the best tires up front, but the tread is uneven, like whoever had them before had bad camber problems. Looking at the top of the tire as it sits on the truck the tread slops from left to right, more tread on one half.

My question is, which way would it be best to put the tire on and align it. More tread on the inside or outside? I was thinking more tread on the inside just because I was having such a bad problem with negative camber before I got the bushings, it seemed like if there was more tread on the inside, that would make adjusting for 0 or 1/4 positive camber easier vs if more tread was on the outside then it seems like it would lean inward automatically making negative camber.

Am I right?

 

[srteach]

It's a TTB front end, right? Bad shocks and sagging springs will cause the wear pattern you describe if both front tires have less tread on the frame (inner) edge of the tires.
I don't believe the alignment will be affected by the amount of tread left on the tires if you are actually using the steel wheels to align it.

 

[mentalbreakdown00]

The tires will not affect alignment. Now that said they can cause wander and / or a pull, even on a perfect alignment.

 

[themaxx69]

I probably should have elaborated my thinking. The camber bushing can only be adjusted so much. I was thinking, the camber was already way negative with even wear tires and no aftermarket bushings. So, if I put tires on with more tread on the outside, wouldn't that make it EVEN more negative, possibly beyond what the bushings could correct?

I'm just trying to avoid having to possibly do this twice.

 

[4x4junkie]

I would put the more tread on the outside, reason being, forces from cornering tend to wear the outer edge of the tire very slightly faster than the inside.

On a TTB frontend, the crooked tread can very slightly affect the height of the suspension due to the lever action the beams have, which in turn would affect the alignment. This is due to the slight shifting of the contact point of the tire on the road inward or outward (similar to if you install different offset wheels). It's very slight however, probably only barely enough to be significant (I'd still recheck the alignment again after the new tires are on though)