Tire Wear Patterns

…lifetime. When road-going tires are pinched or stretched on wheels that are beyond their design range they can develop cracking, unusual or rapid wear patterns, or other failure conditions. Tires used only off-road or for track and competition environments typically wear out the tread very quickly,…

…sipes molded into the tread to fine-tune noise, handling, traction and wear. Tire tread patterns feature different basic designs to help them meet anticipated driving conditions. Symmetric Tread Patterns A symmetric tread pattern is the most common and features continuous ribs or independent tread…

…diagonal tread wear pattern. Minimizing Diagonal Tread Scuffing / Diagonal Tire Wear Maintaining the vehicle alignment is critical, especially the toe settings. Periodic tactile tire inspection (running your hand around the circumference of the tire) may reveal developing wear patterns sooner than…

…etc, can cause rapid or uneven tire wear. An accurate tread depth gauge can detect developing wear patterns earlier than simply looking at the tread. This often allows the cause to be identified and corrected before excessive or irregular tread wear ruins the tire. Test Report Video: Panic Stopping:…

…have climbed, it's probable the first tire rotation will be required as a stand-alone service. NOTE: Skipping tire rotations is likely to promote irreversible irregular tread wear patterns that will increase noise over time. Related Links * Noise Reducing Tire Technology * Tire Rotation Instructions

…of age. Incorrect alignment settings will usually result in more rapid tire wear. Therefore, alignment should be checked whenever new tires or suspension components are installed, and any time unusual tire wear patterns appear. Alignment should also be checked after the vehicle has encountered…

…with Tire diagnosis chart. If available, use on-the-car spin balancer to fine-tune tire balance. No Yes No Yes No Yes Were tires & wheels rebalanced when they were rotated? Check suspension tightness. Check suspension bushing wear. Continue with Tire diagnosis chart. Continue with Tire diagnosis…

…have suspensions optimized for even tire wear across the whole tread area. The result is usually a band of heavy wear on the outboard shoulder, especially on the front tires. Use visual change in the remaining tread pattern as your guide to judge tire wear. Once the lateral grooves in the shoulder…

…the ability for multiple tire rotation patterns instead of the restrictive front-to-back with directional tires. On a staggered car, you can go side-to-side to try and help with uneven wear issues that are very common on those set-ups. In summary, the asymmetric pattern is meeting and exceeding the…

…excessive tire noise is heel-to-toe wear. What is heel-to-toe wear? Taking a look at my running shoes can help explain. Notice how the back of each "tread block" is worn more than the front? If your noisy tires have a similar wear pattern, you've got heel-to-toe wear. How do your tires…

…Width Tire Specs Explained: Tread Depth Tire Specs Explained: Tread Width Measuring Tire Specs: Globalized Standards Tire Tread Markings Tire Tread Patterns Tire Warranties Trailer Tires Trailer Tires vs. Passenger Vehicle Tires Tramlining: Coping with the Ruts in the Road Tread Pattern Noise…

…positions on the car to help equalize tire wear by using a crisscross or "X" rotation pattern. When using this pattern, the right front tire is exchanged with the left rear tire and the left front tire is swapped with the right rear. This helps balance tire workload from front-to-rear and…

…to a Friend Tire Tech: Mixing Tires As a general rule, tires should not be mixed on any vehicle unless specified as acceptable by the tire or vehicle manufacturer. Drivers should avoid mixing tires with different tread patterns, internal constructions or sizes, and use identical tires on all of…