Treadwear Patterns Guide

There are so many different scenarios that can cause the tires on your

vehicle to wear unevenly or prematurely. Figuring out what is causing

uneven or premature wear is extremely difficult when you do not know

what to look for.

Center Wear

Center wear is exactly what it sounds like: the tire is worn down in the

center. There will be tread on the sides of the tire and a smooth, narrow

strip of wear around the center of it. This is mostly caused by tires that are

over inflated. When a tire is over inflated, the tire, in essence, bulges out

more in the center. The tire then rides mostly on that bulge and that bulge

wears faster than the sides of the tire. Keeping your tires properly inflated

can help you to avoid center wear. If you aren’t sure what the proper tire

pressure is for you, consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual or look inside the

driver’s doorjamb of the car where it should be listed.

Shoulder Wear

This is the exact opposite of center wear. Instead of a smooth, worn strip

down the center of the tire, the sides, also known as the shoulders, of the

tire will be worn. So the tire will have a smooth, narrow strip of wear on one

shoulder, a strip of normal-looking tread around the center, then another

smooth, narrow strip of wear on the other shoulder. Under-inflation is

shoulder wear’s most common culprit. When you drive on an under inflated

tire, more of the tire contacts the road, and this causes the shoulders of the

tire to wear prematurely. Similar to center wear, you can steer clear of

shoulder wear by making sure that your tires are properly inflated. Helpful

tip: your tires can lose 1 to 2 lbs. of air pressure for every 10° the

temperature drops outside so when it gets cold, check your tire pressure to

make sure your tires are properly inflated.

Camber Wear

“Camber” refers to how a tire tilts. If a tire has negative camber, it means

that the top of the tire is tilted towards the vehicle. If a tire has positive

camber, it means that the top of the tire is tilted away from the vehicle.

Tires on a everyday car (i.e. a vehicle not used for racing) should have little

to no camber at all; when you look at the tires from the front or back of the

vehicle, they should be perfectly vertical. Camber wear occurs when a tire

has positive or negative camber. With positive camber, the outer shoulder

of the tire will be a smooth, narrow strip of wear while the rest of the tire

will look fine. With negative camber, the inner shoulder of the tire will have

that smooth, narrow strip of wear. Camber wear can be caused by improper

tire pressure, misaligned wheels, or worn suspension components. If you

spot camber wear and the tires are properly inflated, having your vehicle

looked at by a professional is recommended.

Feathered Wear

Feathering refers to when the tread blocks of a tire have rounded edges on

one side and sharp edges on the other. While this can be spotted visually, it

is usually easier to feel feathering when you run your hand along the tire

tread. Feathering can be caused by misaligned wheels but is often caused by

high-speed cornering. When a vehicle rounds a corner at high speeds, the

road essentially rubs against the tire aggressively, resulting in feathered

wear. Obviously this can be avoided by slowing down and taking the corner

slowly but you can also invest in performance tires that have stiffer side

walls, which hold up better to aggressive driving.

Cupped Wear

There are coil springs in between the frame and wheels of your vehicle.

When you drive over a bump, the car bounces on the springs . Shocks

and/or struts keep the vehicle from bouncing continually, keeping the tires

connected with the road. When the shocks and/or struts are worn out, the

car continues to bounce, causing the tires to momentarily leave the road

surface. Besides being really unsafe, this bouncing can cause pieces of

rubber to be gouged out of the tires, which is referred to as cupping or

scalloping. Cupped tires will often have random smooth patches all over

them. These smooth patches are holes left by the missing rubber that have

been smoothed over by driving on them. Unbalanced tires or wheels can

also cause cupping.

“Flat Spot” Wear

This type of wear is also known as brake skid wear because if you brake

hard in an emergency situation and skid, the parts of the tires that are

contacting the road at that moment are rubbed away by the excessive

friction. In this case, the tire will have normal tread around most of its

circumference (that is, if it doesn’t have any other kinds of wear) and then a

sudden smooth spot where the tread has been scuffed away. Flat spot wear

is often caused when brakes lock up so if you find that your tires have this

type of wear, you might want to consider getting your brakes looked at to

make sure they’re working properly.

Toe Wear

The amount of “toe” a vehicle has refers to the angles at which the tires are

aligned. If a vehicle’s tires are “toe-in” (also known as positive toe), the

front of each tire is angled inward. If a vehicle’s tires are “toe-out” (also

known as negative toe), the front of each tire is angled outward. It is

actually normal for a vehicle’s tires to have a tiny amount of toe. The

amount of toe can increase due to wheels being out of alignment, and that

is when it can cause your tires to wear prematurely. A tire with toe wear will

typically be worn on the inside shoulder of the tire. That is, it will have a

smooth strip of wear around it on the side that is facing the wheel well.

Having your alignment checked and adjusted regularly can help you to

avoid toe wear.

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