Uneven tire tread wear reduces the life you get out of your tires. For example, if you bought a set of tires that had a 30,000-mile guarantee but the tread wears down unevenly, you won’t get 30,000 miles out of the tires. ER Auto Care explains how tire tread wears down unevenly below, and we also want to stress that once the tread or a portion of the tread reaches 1/16-inches, you must replace your tires.
Bad Inflation
Under or overinflated tires will cause the tire tread to wear down along the edges or center of the tires. If your tire tread is wearing down more on the edges or shoulders of the tires, your tires are underinflated. If the tread is wearing down more in the center of the tires, they are overinflated. You should check your air pressure about every two weeks and only inflate the tires if they are low. Never inflate the tires to anything other than the recommended pounds-per-square-inch (PSI).
Misaligned Wheels
If your wheels are not aligned properly, your tire tread will also wear down unevenly. Wheel alignment makes certain that your tires meet with the road evenly and as they should. If the tires are leaning inward or outward, think of it as feet being pigeon-toed or duck-footed, or, if they are leaning inward or outward from the top to bottom, not all of the tread is meeting with the road and you will end up with patches of tread wear or scalloped or feathered tire tread wear.
Unbalanced Wheels
Unbalanced wheels can chew up tire tread. If the wheels are not balanced across the vehicle’s axles, you will feel the vibration as you pick up speed. The more unbalanced the wheels are the more your vehicle will vibrate. You might also hear the vibrations and your vehicle’s road noise will be louder than normal. It’s important to get your wheels balanced right away if they aren’t in balance. Failing to do so, will, as we said above, chew away at the tread leaving patches of worn tire tread.
Zero Maintenance
Finally, if you ignore your tire maintenance schedule, you will cause the tire tread to wear down unevenly. Tires need to be rotated every 6,000 miles to ensure the tread wears down evenly. Each wheel causes the tires to meet the road a little bit differently, and each brake part also affects each tire a bit differently. Rotating the tires prevents uneven wear caused by the road and brakes. It allows each tire to have pressure points in different areas.
ER Auto Care is the best auto repair shop in Plain City, OH. We’re also the best in Columbus, OH. Stop by the shop in your area if your tires are wearing down unevenly.
