1. Treadwear Patterns Guide
There are so many different scenarios that can cause the tires on your
vehicle to wear unevenly or prematurely. Figuring out what is causing
uneven or premature wear is extremely difficult when you do not know
what to look for.
Center Wear
Center wear is exactly what it sounds like: the tire is worn down in the
center. There will be tread on the sides of the tire and a smooth, narrow
strip of wear around the center of it. This is mostly caused by tires that are
over inflated. When a tire is over inflated, the tire, in essence, bulges out

2. more in the center. The tire then rides mostly on that bulge and that bulge
wears faster than the sides of the tire. Keeping your tires properly inflated
can help you to avoid center wear. If you aren’t sure what the proper tire
pressure is for you, consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual or look inside the
driver’s doorjamb of the car where it should be listed.
Shoulder Wear
This is the exact opposite of center wear. Instead of a smooth, worn strip
down the center of the tire, the sides, also known as the shoulders, of the
tire will be worn. So the tire will have a smooth, narrow strip of wear on one
shoulder, a strip of normal-looking tread around the center, then another
smooth, narrow strip of wear on the other shoulder. Under-inflation is
shoulder wear’s most common culprit. When you drive on an under inflated
tire, more of the tire contacts the road, and this causes the shoulders of the
tire to wear prematurely. Similar to center wear, you can steer clear of
shoulder wear by making sure that your tires are properly inflated. Helpful
tip: your tires can lose 1 to 2 lbs. of air pressure for every 10° the
temperature drops outside so when it gets cold, check your tire pressure to
make sure your tires are properly inflated.

3. Camber Wear
“Camber” refers to how a tire tilts. If a tire has negative camber, it means
that the top of the tire is tilted towards the vehicle. If a tire has positive
camber, it means that the top of the tire is tilted away from the vehicle.
Tires on a everyday car (i.e. a vehicle not used for racing) should have little
to no camber at all; when you look at the tires from the front or back of the
vehicle, they should be perfectly vertical. Camber wear occurs when a tire
has positive or negative camber. With positive camber, the outer shoulder
of the tire will be a smooth, narrow strip of wear while the rest of the tire
will look fine. With negative camber, the inner shoulder of the tire will have
that smooth, narrow strip of wear. Camber wear can be caused by improper
tire pressure, misaligned wheels, or worn suspension components. If you
spot camber wear and the tires are properly inflated, having your vehicle
looked at by a professional is recommended.
Feathered Wear

4. Feathering refers to when the tread blocks of a tire have rounded edges on
one side and sharp edges on the other. While this can be spotted visually, it
is usually easier to feel feathering when you run your hand along the tire
tread. Feathering can be caused by misaligned wheels but is often caused by
high-speed cornering. When a vehicle rounds a corner at high speeds, the
road essentially rubs against the tire aggressively, resulting in feathered
wear. Obviously this can be avoided by slowing down and taking the corner
slowly but you can also invest in performance tires that have stiffer side
walls, which hold up better to aggressive driving.
Cupped Wear
There are coil springs in between the frame and wheels of your vehicle.
When you drive over a bump, the car bounces on the springs . Shocks
and/or struts keep the vehicle from bouncing continually, keeping the tires
connected with the road. When the shocks and/or struts are worn out, the
car continues to bounce, causing the tires to momentarily leave the road
surface. Besides being really unsafe, this bouncing can cause pieces of
rubber to be gouged out of the tires, which is referred to as cupping or
scalloping. Cupped tires will often have random smooth patches all over
them. These smooth patches are holes left by the missing rubber that have
been smoothed over by driving on them. Unbalanced tires or wheels can
also cause cupping.

5. “Flat Spot” Wear
This type of wear is also known as brake skid wear because if you brake
hard in an emergency situation and skid, the parts of the tires that are
contacting the road at that moment are rubbed away by the excessive
friction. In this case, the tire will have normal tread around most of its
circumference (that is, if it doesn’t have any other kinds of wear) and then a
sudden smooth spot where the tread has been scuffed away. Flat spot wear
is often caused when brakes lock up so if you find that your tires have this
type of wear, you might want to consider getting your brakes looked at to
make sure they’re working properly.
Toe Wear
The amount of “toe” a vehicle has refers to the angles at which the tires are
aligned. If a vehicle’s tires are “toe-in” (also known as positive toe), the
front of each tire is angled inward. If a vehicle’s tires are “toe-out” (also
known as negative toe), the front of each tire is angled outward. It is

6. actually normal for a vehicle’s tires to have a tiny amount of toe. The
amount of toe can increase due to wheels being out of alignment, and that
is when it can cause your tires to wear prematurely. A tire with toe wear will
typically be worn on the inside shoulder of the tire. That is, it will have a
smooth strip of wear around it on the side that is facing the wheel well.
Having your alignment checked and adjusted regularly can help you to
avoid toe wear.
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