Uneven Tire Wear

"You have just planned a long drive with your friends. Just a few minutes to hit the road and you are loading all your stuff onto your bikes. Once all set, you and your pool drive away. Midway, your bike goes bonkers and starts to skid. You halt. As you start analyzing what has gone wrong, the tires of your bike catch your attention. Uneven tire wear!"

Well, don't worry! Many people face this nettlesome condition at some time or the other. Uneven tire wear is bound to happen if your vehicle maintenance cycles are irregular.

Reasons for Uneven Wear of Tires

• Tire Inflation (Hard Cornering): Check the tires for inflation. The tire is overinflated if the tread is deeper on the edges of tire than in the middle. Similarly, if the case is otherwise with the tread being deeper in the middle, then your tire is under inflated. These are some of the common tread wear patterns which must be investigated from time to time. Tires if not inflated to the recommended pressure, are more susceptible to uneven wearing as the tread flexion increases with the rotation of tire. In both conditions, uneven tire wear worsens with prolonged use.
• Rotation of Tire: Check for raised bumps on the surface of your tire. If your tire is not rotating well during the motion of your vehicle, the tire is bound to get uneven surfaces and scallops, which cause uneven wear. One can check this by placing a penny with Lincoln's head upside down between the treads. If you are unable to see the top of the Lincoln's head, your tire is fine else it needs an immediate replacement.
• Tire Misalignment: Improper tire alignment is one of the tangible causes for an uneven tire. Ideally, the inner tire rod sockets, on pinion and rack steering gears are enclosed in bellows. If the bellows are made of rubber, this condition can be checked by squeezing the bellows. If there is looseness, it implies that the sockets are loose. Over a period of time, tire rod ends of the steering linkage of your front tire bend or wear out. This kind of misplacement is also called toe misalignment. Such conditions can worsen further by sagging springs and bent suspension parts.
• Cupping (Worn Shocks): Usually, shocks and struts help the tires of your vehicle on road with effective vehicle handling and control. But if these components wear out due to fluid leaks in the shocks or some damage in the shock components, uneven tire wear is caused. More signs like loss of tire contact with road, excessive bouncing, weakened braking ability and sudden increase in vibration, confirm a tire wear.
• Worn out Components: Uneven wearing of the tire can also be caused by worn out or damaged components. These may include broken mountings, worn ball joints, bent rods, cracked rubber mounting bushings, physical contact with exhaust pipes and fluid leakage.
• Aggressive driving: This is one of the major causes for an uneven tire wear. Teenagers with high adrenaline surges, drive the vehicles rashly, causing the tires to tread over rough and uneven surfaces. So, drive at a moderate speed and safely!

How to Fix an Uneven Tire

Fixing an uneven wear in the tire is an essential task after identifying the above causes. Regular maintenance of the vehicle is quite mandatory. Here are some tips for tire safety and maintenance to check for worn-out tires and fix them on time.

• Check the tire pressure regularly as listed in the manufacturer's specifications. This activity can be done once a month, especially, when there is change in weather conditions.
• Check for the worn out tread of your tire. If outer tread has worn out more than the inner tread, it is a strong indication towards alignment problems. Inner tire wear can be inspected by lifting the vehicle on one corner with the help of a jack stand. The front tires are more susceptible to uneven wear and tear, and hence, make sure to get them replaced instead of letting the tire damage itself completely.
• Check for smooth rotation of the tire. One can use tread depth gauge to check for this problem. Place the gauge inside the groove of tread across the tire and take a few readings along the tire circumference. Less than 4/32 of an inch in tread will indicate the worst form of uneven tire wear.
• Any slipped or faulty belt in a part of the tire can be spotted by checking if the tire is bouncing excessively on road. Broken tire belt, poor suspension components, worn out steering components and improper toe and camber alignment can be easily identified by a thumping noise when rotating the wheel. Replacing these components or oiling them time to time can reduce the chances of tire replacement.

With the above checkpoints, one can easily identify damaged tires and fix it on time. Nowadays, vehicles are equipped with tread wear indicators, which help in determining when to replace tires. Vehicles too need care and maintenance for a hassle free and long life. Uneven tire wear if ignored can, compromise on your safety. Driving safety should be the first thought on your mind when you ride vehicles. So, keep checking intermittently for any uneven wear and tear on your vehicle tires, else you will end up paying a bomb for the tire replacement, which could have been avoided.