What causes tires to wear out too quickly? There are a number of answers, but for the sake of this article, we will mention the top four reasons. They are: Improper air pressure, lack of rotation, improper wheel alignment and worn out suspension parts.
Improper air pressure
Improper air pressure will cause your tires to wear out prematurely. Under-inflated tires tend to show wear on the outside edges of the tread. Over-inflated tires show wear down the middle of the tread. Keeping your tires inflated correctly will help get you the mileage you expect from your tires.
Lack of tire rotation
Not rotating your tires in a timely manner can cause two of your tires to wear faster than the other two. On a front wheel drive vehicle, the front end of your car is heavier than the back end, Your front wheels are also the “drive wheels”, meaning they pull the car down the road. The rear tires on a front wheel drive vehicle are basically “free rolling” tires. They will not wear as fast as the front tires, however, since there is much less weight on the rear tires, they may suffer from “free rolling wear”, meaning they can acquire high and low spots (cupping) if not rotated in a timely manner.
A rear wheel drive vehicle will wear its rear tires faster than its front tires due to the drive (pulling) wheels being on the back of the vehicle.
Most vehicle manufacturers recommend rotating your tires every 5000 to 7500 miles. An easy way to remember to rotate your tires is to do it with every oil change.
Improper Wheel Alignment
Improper wheel alignment can be the worst culprit to cause premature tire wear. The term “wheel alignment” is in some ways a confusing term. The actual alignment of your wheels is a mechanical adjustment on your vehicle which causes your wheels to be set in a way to roll smoothly down the road. Wheel alignment consists of adjusting the angles of wheels so that they are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. In the image below, an improper alignment setting caused the inside of the tire to wear very quickly while the outside of the tire remains almost new.
Worn Out Suspension Part
Worn out suspension parts including front end parts along with shocks and struts can cause your tires to wear unevenly and too quickly. Loose or worn out front end parts can cause your wheel alignment to fluctuate. Worn out shocks and struts can cause your vehicle to literally “bounce” down the road. Continuous bouncing will cause uneven tire wear not to mention a rough ride.
These are just a few of situations which might cause you to not get the mileage anticipated out of a set of tires.
Contact Us
Our recommendation is to have your tires checked regularly, at least at every oil change, by a tire professional such as the ones at Postle Tire Barn.
Postle Tire Barn is a family owned and operated tire and service store in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We’ve been serving the West Alabama area for more than 35 years. We are located on Jug Factory Road behind McDonalds.
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