What Your Tire Wear Is Telling You
Your tires wear a little every day, but they're supposed to wear evenly. When they don't, the pattern usually points to something specific. Here's how to read it.
By the ATS Auto Repair team in Harahan ·
How to look
Turn the steering wheel all the way to one side so you can see the whole front tire tread. Run your hand across it (carefully, there can be wire showing on a badly worn tire). You're looking for one part of the tread that's lower than the rest, or a pattern of high and low spots.
Common wear patterns
Worn in the center
Usually too much air. An overinflated tire bulges in the middle and rides on the center of the tread. Check the pressure with the tires cold, and use the number on the sticker inside the driver's door, not the max number on the tire sidewall.
Worn on both outside edges
Usually not enough air. An underinflated tire sags in the middle and rides on its shoulders. It also runs hotter and wastes gas. If one tire keeps going low, it probably has a slow leak, often a nail or a bad valve stem.
Worn on one edge only
This one usually means alignment. If the wheel tilts in or out too much (camber) or points in or out (toe), one edge wears faster. Hitting a pothole or curb hard can knock it out. See wheel alignment.
Feathered tread
Run your hand across the tread. If the tread blocks feel smooth one way and sharp the other, like the edge of a feather, that's usually a toe alignment problem.
Cupping or scalloping
Dips scattered around the tire, often with a rhythmic hum or wobble while driving. That usually points to worn shocks or struts that let the tire bounce, or a tire that's out of balance. See suspension and steering repair.
A flat spot
One worn patch, often from a hard stop that locked up the wheel, or a car that sat in one spot for a long time.
How much tread is left?
The penny test still works: put a penny in the tread with Lincoln's head pointing down. If you can see the top of his head, the tread is getting low. Tires also have wear bars, little raised strips across the bottom of the grooves. When the tread is level with those bars, it's time for new tires. Low tread matters a lot around here, because thin tread can't clear water off the road in a heavy rain and the car can hydroplane.
Keep them wearing evenly
- Check air pressure once a month, and when the weather turns cooler, since pressure drops as temperatures fall.
- Rotate them on the schedule in your owner's manual. It's easy to do with an oil change.
- Get the alignment checked after a hard hit or if the steering wheel isn't straight.
- Don't ignore the tire pressure warning light.
Bring them by
We're a tire shop and a repair shop, so we can tell you whether it's the tire or the car causing it. Stop by 6229 Jefferson Hwy in Harahan or call (504) 737-4096. See tires in Harahan.
Questions we get
Can an alignment fix tires that are already worn unevenly?
No. An alignment stops the uneven wear from getting worse, but it can't put tread back. If the tire is badly worn, it may need replacing.
Why does one tire wear faster than the others?
Often it's a slow leak, an alignment problem on that corner, or a worn suspension part. Rotating on schedule spreads normal wear out.
What tire pressure should I use?
Use the pressure on the sticker inside the driver's door or in your owner's manual. The number on the tire is the maximum, not the recommended pressure.
Related
This is general information, not a diagnosis of your car. Every car is different, so call us with your year, make and model, or bring it by.
Ready to get it looked at?
Call (504) 737-4096 or book online.