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Step 1
Check your tires for undulating cups or scallops along the outside edges. These usually appear when one of your car's suspension parts are worn or bent.
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Step 2
Run your fingers across the tire's surface and see if the ridges have one sharp edge and one smooth edge. This is called "feathering" and indicates a toe-in problem with your car.
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Step 3
Look for second-rib wear. If the second rings of your radial tires are noticeably more worn than the others, then your tires may be too big for your wheels.
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Step 4
Watch the tires for one-sided wear. When one of a tire's sides is lower than the other, your wheel alignment's off and needs to be fixed.
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Step 5
Keep your tires inflated to their manufacturer-recommended air pressures. Improperly inflated tires often develop wear patterns that cause dangerous tread erosion and can lead to blowouts.
