How to Read Uneven Tire Wear

Uneven tire wear can be an indication of not only the alignment, but the tire pressure, integrity of the tire, faulty shocks or struts, hub bearing wear, faulty steering components and the balance of the tires. Tires are amazing considering all the abuse they are subjected to on a daily basis. Like anything else on the vehicle, they need proper care in order to provide longevity as well as safety for the period advertised by the manufacturer.

Things You'll Need

• Floor jack
• Jack stands

Instructions

1. Raise the front of the vehicle and place jack stands under the subframe. Lower the vehicle so it rests on the stands. Turn the ignition key enough to release the steering wheel and turn the wheel all the way to the left.

2. Check the tire for a separation of the tread to the carcass. Slowly spin the tire by hand while keeping an eye on the very center of the tire. Watch for the center of the tread to jump more to one side of the tire and then come back to center. Just pick any tread groove and watch for the uniformity as you rotate the tire. A separated tire is very common. It is caused by age-caused dry rot, overheating due to misalignment or balance, or hitting a curb or pothole. A separated tire causes a side-to-side wobble at low speeds, that tends to become less noticeable as speed increases. Look at the sides of the tires. You are looking for a bulge or bubble on the side. This indicates that the tire hit something solid and tore the fabric in the sidewall of the tire. Air gets between the carcass and the sidewall, creating a bubble that could easily blow out.

3. Inspect the tire for greater wear on both outside edges of the tread, indicating low air pressure, or wear in the center of the tread only, indicating too much air. Inspect the tread for uneven cupping, which would indicate a bad shock or strut.

4. Rotate the tire and look for flat spots or cupping on one area of the tire and not on any other, indicating an out-of-balance tire. Inspect the treads for similar wear on only the inside or outside of both front tires. This indicates the toe or camber is off in the alignment. Toe-in is much like standing with your toes pointed toward each other (pigeon toed). Toe-out is just the opposite. Camber can also cause this type of wear. Camber is the leaning of the tire as viewed from above, either in toward the vehicle or out away from the vehicle.