tires are cupping

[jrey09]

can anyone point out what are the possible causes of uneven tire wear. my front tires are cupping from the inside.
rotated every 6-7k miles. just had front shocks replaced because originals were leaking.

 

[briwayjones]

The center of the tires are wearing less than the edges? Sounds like you're not running enough air pressure in them.

 

[jrey09]

no. just rotated tires and noticed the cupping on the inside of the tires. the inner most tread now looks like mudd tires on my rear tires.

 

[heathmo]

Hmm

Well if it's wearing more on one side or the other then it's probably alignment or ball joints, if the center is worn out then probably too much air, if the sides are worn and the middle looks better, then you've got too little air. My brother's tires wore on the inside only (part closest to engine) seems like either alignment or ball joints too me. But no squeaks and no wobble that I can tell of so hopefully just alignment. Happens a lot here in the midwest, gotta love potholes.

 

[ludecraze93]

your alignment's toe angle is off. get an alignment and they'll even out eventually.

make sure your tire pressures are correct if you havent done so already.

 

[ludecraze93]

The center of the tires are wearing less than the edges? Sounds like you're not running enough air pressure in them.

if the innermost tread was wearing, it would be caused by over inflation, not underinflation.

 

[jrey09]

cupping explained

"Cupping can be caused by an unbalanced tire condition, faulty wheel bearings, loose parts, fatigued springs or weak shock absorbers. Check the condition of the shock by forcefully bouncing the front end of the car several times and releasing it on the down stroke. Failure of the vehicle to settle after two strokes suggests worn shocks or struts."

hopefully, the fact that I replaced the front shocks will solve my problem. I will be getting new shoes and don't want cupping to develop on them so i will likely also get a 4 wheel alignment. I don't get any pulling or vibrations, just sensation of tire rubbing when I even turn slightly on reverse or forward.

 

[ludecraze93]

u dont have to get pulling for toe to be out of alignment. if both sides are evenly faced inwards you wont notice it. factory alignments typically call for a small amount of toe for highway speed stability. too much will cause cupping of tires. not saying this is guaranteed to be the problem. but 95% of the time it is.

 

[briwayjones]

if the innermost tread was wearing, it would be caused by over inflation, not underinflation.

Yeah, I had my words mixed up at first.

 

[ajfish]

While this is a month later, I thought it worth it. There is an entire thread about this here: http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/ford-explorer-sport-trac/TLVTPQ2FDOFIHJJU8

I've had the same problem and no matter what brand of tires or how well it's aligned or how often I rotate the tires, my front driver's side tire shows severe inside wear after about 5K miles. I'm still looking for a solution and would welcome hearing if anyone else has found one.

 

[jrford]

Seems you fixed the most common problems, Shocks could very well be the main cause.
However if your still getting ‘rubbing’ it might be the Wheel Bearings. Hopefully a 4W alignment will tell if its shot or not.