Abnormal Tire Wear: What is Looks Like, and How to Prevent it

The old "penny trick" is a common way of measuring the current depth of your car's tires. 2/32nd's is the depth in which it is recommended to purchase a new set of hoops, and is a measurement backed by government regulations. When you do in fact get a new set of tires, stretching your dollar the furthest means you need to be cautious, and take care of your new set of tires. In this week's blog post, we will show you examples of what abnormal tire wear looks like, and how you can be proactive in preventing this from happening!

Toe Wear- This is primarily caused by an alignment issue with the vehicle. The tire will show wear on one of the edges of the tire, but not the other. Have your vehicle's alignment done when getting your new tires, but also have it checked periodically to ensure the vehicle is properly aligned!
Camber Wear- The photo to the right illustrates both positive and negative camber. Essentially, one side of the tire is being stressed heavily, while the other side has minimal contact with the ground. To prevent this, an alignment should be checked and/or performed to ensure a neutral camber. Alignments can be completed at any local Bob Sumerel Tire location!
Center Wear - Over inflating your tires is the what causes center wear on your tires. Get in the routine of having your air pressure checked to ensure your tires are at the correct pressure. Your local Bob Sumerel can take care of this for you free of charge!
Edge Wear- This is the opposite of center wear, and is caused by having under-inflated tires. The majority of the stress is being put on the edges of your tires when they are under inflated, also resulting in poor handling.
Patch Wear- When a tire is not balanced properly, it is subject to "hopping" while on the road. Usually, these patterns are erratic and have no consistency with how they form. Any local Bob Sumerel Tire location will balance your tires with purchase, and can be checked periodically upon scheduled maintenance checks!
Cup Wear- These consistent bald spots in the tire usually stem from your shocks, struts, or stabilizer links going bad. A simple inspection can be done at any Bob Sumerel location to check to see if the suspension parts are holding up.

Something else to keep in mind is regularly rotating your tires, which is a free service at your Bob Sumerel Tire location with any tire purchase. By rotating your tires, you allow for the tread to be worn evenly, and preventing any wear from alignment/suspension issues. Simple checks can be done to see if your suspension is tight, or to see if your alignment on your vehicle is off. If your vehicle "pulls," or has abnormal shakes at highway speeds, contact your local Bob Sumerel for a complimentary vehicle inspection.

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