TIRECRAFT Treadwear Diagnosis: 3 Signs It’s Time For A Tire Alignment
February 12, 2021
Tires
As with any automotive issue, it’s important to detect and treat tire alignment problems early. With that in mind, today’s post explains how to diagnose 3 common symptoms of tire misalignment so you can book a tire alignment service before it’s too late.
Read on to learn more or contact your local TIRECRAFT to book a tire alignment consultation straight away.
Tire Alignment Sign #1: “My Tires Are Smooth On One Side.”
If you notice a tire is wearing smooth on one side, you can safely assume that the worn area is where the rubber meets the road. Uneven contact like this is a serious cause for concern—not only is the tire wearing out way ahead of schedule, but you also get much less control and handling performance.
More often than not, smooth wear on one side of the tire is caused by camber misadjustment. The term camber refers to the inclination of the centerline of the wheel from the vertical, as viewed from the front of the vehicle. With positive camber, the top of the tire tilts outwards; with negative camber, the top of the tire tilts inwards. Accordingly, excessive positive camber wears the outside edge of the tire, whereas excessive negative camber wears the tire’s inside edge.
If your wheels were properly installed, the camber misadjustment may have been caused by worn chassis parts (e.g. springs, steering linkage, bushings, and ball joints). Sometimes this kind of wear can also be caused by incorrect toe adjustments.
To properly diagnose and correct this condition, book a tire alignment service at your local TIRECRAFT ASAP.
Tire Alignment Sign #2: “My Tires Show Signs Of Feather Edging.”
Are your tire tread ribs worn low and smooth on one side, but still high and sharp on the other? This is often referred to as feather edge tire wear, which may be caused by a combination of improper alignment settings, such as excessive toe and caster, as well as defective chassis parts and incorrect turning radius.
To test for feather edging, slide your hand across the tire tread surface. Depending on whether the toe is too far out or too far in, you’ll feel sharp-edged tread in one direction and smooth tread in the other.
When left untreated, feather edging will lead to dangerous direction pull, and your tires will wear out much sooner. Book a tire alignment service at your local TIRECRAFT to prevent any further issues.
Tire Alignment Sign #3: “My Tires Have A Cupping Pattern.”
Tires begin to develop a “cupping” pattern when the suspension is no longer able to deal with “jounce travel,” which is the upward movement of the tire in relation to the vehicle’s downward movement while driving. This is not always a sure sign of tire misalignment—weak shock absorbers/springs, overinflation issues, driving conditions, and unbalanced tires also factor in—but it’s definitely a sign your vehicle needs service ASAP.
Don’t worry! Whatever the problem, your local TIRECRAFT technician can find it and fix it, then recommend some maintenance best practices to help you avoid this issue again in the future.
Book A Free Tire Alignment Consultation At Your Local TIRECRAFT
Use the Find a TIRECRAFT tool for more help diagnosing your treadwear symptoms, and book your 100% free tire alignment consultation today.
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