excessive wear on front tires?
 

I've had my 98 Cherokee for about 18 months. I've only used the 4wd once. When I recently noticed my front tires being ate up at an alarming rate I was worried that I had been driving around stuck in 4wd for a long time. I'd been feeling a little resistance during hard turns occasionally, but nothing like what I've experienced in other part time 4wds that were in 4wd on the street. I took it out today and put it in 4hi on pavement for a couple feet. Good news is I'm pretty sure it's not stuck in 4wd. Does anybody have an idea why my front tires are looking all chewed up? Its an automatic with a 231j transfer case. Thanks for any help. Tom

have you had your alignment checked? chewed up tires can often be caused by your alignment being out of whack.

No, I haven't. After a little research I'm thinking they might be running under inflated. Wear is mostly on the inner and outer edges of the tires.

Under inflation, would be the cause. Also over inflation and worn suspension components will cause wear issues

Take a picture of both front tires tread so we can see the wear.

get the alignment checked..

That resistance could be a bad wheel bearing or sticking brake caliper. An infra-red temperature gun is helpful for diagnosing.
Also, break out the tape measure and angle finder to see where the alignment is. Or take it to a shop for a free printout.
http://go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoAlignment.htm

How under inflated were the tires?

Getting the tire pressure set correctly differs from tire to tire and car to car and not usually the pressure listed on the door jam or tire. It comes from the foot print of the tire, front or back.


There are numerous threads here about how to set the correct pressure. At times when you take one to have it aligned they put way to much air in the tires of an XJ for my liking to do one.