Tire wear, what's causing this! ? ?

Well don't feel too bad, the new steering will really help you. Probaly not convenient to have to do all this, but it sure looks like it is badly overdue.

As for the rear, the drag shocks are not likely to be what you want on the street; I would not expect the compression/rebpound rates to be optimized for street use. If you have the $$, I would spring for some Bilsteins front and rear. Those heavier springs need a stiffer shock to keep the spring and shock rates matched for the street.

BTW, on the tools, the BJ boots sometimes are a challenge to get properly and fully seated on the BJ's; if you don't get the fully seated, you'll get dirt and water in the BJ's and they will wear out prematurely. I use a really big socket that I have for other things, but any short round metal tube with smooth edges will do as a toll to tap the boots home on their seats.