Tire tread

[irvsmith]

Well this is off topic since it is not related to detailing specifically. I found that the tread on one specific tire is severely degraded whereas the others are looking reasonably ok. The front left isn't great but nothing like the front right. Is there anything I should be asking the dealership about why this is happening now? We try and replace them when they recommend so this level of damage was not the norm.

Front right


Front left


Rear left


Rear right

[Paul Mitchell]

Irv,

The front right tire is ready to blow out at any minute and the front left has the wear indicators showing so both of those tires should be replaced immediately. The rear tires look fine to me.

Have you ever rotated the tires from front to back? Have you ever had the front end aligned? How many miles do you have on this set of tires? If you haven't had an alignment I would recommend you do so when you replace the tires.

[FUNX650]

Causes of uneven tire wear:










Bob

[irvsmith]

Thank you both. I believe we have had them aligned and can't remember specifically the rotations that have been done. We only have 24000 miles total on the car. I don't think the front right is original and we typically replace at least two at a time if not all four. I am going to look up the service records and see what it mentions.

David

[brettS4]

Those front tires are so bad I wouldn't drive anywhere except to a tire shop on them. I'd say it's a 99% chance it's an alignment problem. Probably a toe out issue. If you put new tires on and don't correct the problem, they'll only last 2-3 months. Get it fixed tomorrow.

[irvsmith]

Going to price out the tires tonight and see where we should go tomorrow.

[2black1s]

Alignment doesn't seem to be a problem as the tire is worn pretty evenly across the tread. Alignment issues will typically show up as a tire worn more on the inner or outer treads.

Same can be said for inflation pressure... The even wear across the tire doesn't indicate this as a cause.

Actually the wear looks pretty normal to me. Obviously worn too far, but nonetheless, normal.

I'll make the assumption that this is a front-wheel-drive car and the tires have never been rotated. On such vehicles the front tires will always wear faster than the rears due the additional forces imparted on the fronts, i.e., acceleration, braking, turning. These forces are always greater on the front tires. And then to explain why one front is even worse than the other is simple - one wheel provides nearly all of the acceleration unless the vehicle is equipped with a limited-slip differential.

This car, or this thread, should be nominated as the poster child for rotating your tires as recommended.

There's really nothing you need to ask the dealer - you just need to follow the manufacturer's recommendation for rotating your tires in the future.

Hope that helps.

[brettS4]

If the car is awd you might need to buy a full set. If it's 2wd you can probably just replace the fronts.

[irvsmith]

It is front wheel drive. I went out to take some pictures of the sides and these are Pirellis 235/60 r18?!? I am very much out of my domain on this.

[brettS4]

Yep. 18" rims. 235mm wide. Sidewall height is 60% of the width. Gotta love how tire manufacturers give you measurements 3 different ways at the same time.