Silicon 〈111〉 single crystals were implanted with 70 keV Ar ions to the dose of 1017 ions/cm2. Next, the friction coefficient between a Si crystal and a hard steel ball was measured using a pin-on-disk setup in air and in vacuum. The wear tracks were measured using a surface profilometer. For measurements performed in vacuum, a strong influence of implantation on friction force and wear tracks was found. The microstructure of the samples was subsequently investigated using RBS, ERD, and x-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Micro-RBS measurements showed that Ar had been removed from the wear tracks, despite their continued exhibition of low friction.