10 Causes of Irregular Tire Wear

Set of tires

Every good mechanic should know how to read the type of irregular tire wear patterns as if it were an open book.

With a simple look at the tread and seeing how the wear on it is, you can take many clues that tell us what is causing that wear and where we should start looking to find the fault .

Circular with a depth less than 1.6 mm is subject to sanction in Spain as established in Regulation ECE No. 30 or Directive 92/23 / EEC.

Here are 10 types of irregular wear , their cause and how to solve them.

Regular tire wear1. Regular tire wear

Symptoms: The tire wears regularly on the entire tread but its drawing is less than the legal limit of 1.6 mm.
Causes: The tires have not been changed on time.

Solutions: Change the tires.

Irregular wear on the shoulders of the tire2. Irregular wear on the shoulders of the tire

Symptoms: Both shoulders are worn but not the central part.

Causes: The inflation pressure of insufficient inflation or circulation with excessive loads without adjusting the pressure.

Solutions: Adjust the tire pressure as indicated by the manufacturer and adjust it to the load with which we are going to circulate. It is convenient to check the tire to see if it has suffered any internal damage.

Wear in the center of the tire3. Wear in the center of the tire

Symptoms: The drawing of the tire in the center of the tread is smaller than on the shoulders.

Causes: Circulation with excessive inflation pressure.

Solutions: Adjust inflation pressure correctly.

The aquaplaning effect can be produced by circulating in this state in addition to increasing the braking distance.

Irregular wear on the outer shoulder of the tire4. Irregular wear on the outer shoulder of the tire

Symptoms: The outer shoulder of the tire is worn.

Causes: Excess positive fall, overloaded axes.

Solutions: Adjust the alignment parameters by adjusting the fall or camber

Irregular wear on the inner shoulder of the tire5. Irregular wear on the inner shoulder of the tire

Symptoms: The inner shoulder of the tire is worn.

Causes: Excess of negative fall, overloaded axes.

Solutions: Adjust the alignment parameters by adjusting the fall or camber.

Wear located on the tire6.  Wear located on the tire

Symptoms: A localized area of ​​the tire meets the worn pattern.

Causes: Emergency braking, skidding, brake failures.

Solutions: Check the brake system and verify that the tires have not been damaged.

Irregular wear in the form of saw teeth7. Irregular wear in the form of saw teeth.

Symptoms: The channels of the drawing of the tires responsible for draining the water are worn.

Causes: Shock absorbers in poor condition, poor adjustment of the alignment parameters.

Solutions: Check the damping, adjust the alignment parameters, check the tire pressure and check for damage.

Irregular wear in the form of saw teeth8. Wear diagonally on the tire

Symptoms: Wear appears diagonally on the tire.

Causes: The wheel is not rolling uniformly or may be bouncing on the sides. Possible causes are: loose taxiing, bad tire assembly, unbalanced, worn shock absorbers, etc.

Solutions: Adjust bearings, check the correct assembly of the wheel and the tire, check the proper design of the tire with the vehicle.

Flank of the flank9. Flank of the flank

Symptoms: The tire has a bulging on the flank.

Causes: A strong impact against a curb, a pothole or other item.

Solutions: Replace the tire.

Irregular wear of the tread10. Irregular wear of the tread.

Symptoms: The tread has irregular wear.

Causes: Faults in the ABS system, the brakes are blocked, unbalanced, deformed or eccentric tire, contamination of chemical agents, …

Solutions: Balance the wheel, check the suspension system and the alignment parameters.

We must bear in mind that it is very difficult for tires to wear out on a regular basis. Generally, the drive axle tires tend to have greater wear.

Knowing the causes that cause irregular tire wear  is very important to make a previous diagnosis and reduce the time in search of breakdowns in the workshop