Car tyres

[kelack]

Right for the third year running, my car has just failed it's MOT on the tyres. The first year one of my front ones was just gone so I replaced it. Last year, both back ones were nearly gone. This year, both my front ones were on their way and only just failed.

I check them, I put air in them, or am I putting too much/too little air, the back ones went on the edges last year and this year, it's the centres on the front. I'm obviously doing something wrong.

Advice?

 

[dapprman]

How do you fill your tyres ?

If you do not have one, I'd advise you to get a digital tyre pressure gauge (a cheap one will be fine and will cost ~£5 from the likes of Halfords) and use this both before and after you fill your tyres to make sure

1. The tyres are matched pressure wise across the axis
2. The tyres are at the level specified by the car manufacturer for that wheel size

 

[Arkady]

Get the damn thing properly aligned and balanced...uneven wear is a sure sign something's wrong...

 

[essexguy78]

If the centres are worn and shoulders ok then it could be over inflation.

 

[kelack]

How do you fill your tyres ?

If you do not have one, I'd advise you to get a digital tyre pressure gauge (a cheap one will be fine and will cost ~£5 from the likes of Halfords) and use this both before and after you fill your tyres to make sure

1. The tyres are matched pressure wise across the axis
2. The tyres are at the level specified by the car manufacturer for that wheel size

At the local petrol station, you set the pressure and it beeps when you've reached it. Maybe I'm using the wrong limit then :shrug:

Get the damn thing properly aligned and balanced...uneven wear is a sure sign something's wrong...

I'll get them to have a look on Monday when I take it to the tyre place then, thanks

If the centres are worn and shoulders ok then it could be over inflation.

As above, maybe I'm not reading the chart right then.

:bang: typical woman!!!

 

[billybob99]

If the centres are worn and shoulders ok then it could be over inflation.

Yep under inflation edges wear over inflation center wear, with 99.9% of cars now having power steering a lot more tyre wear occours as people tend to turn the wheels with the car being stationary which will in turn cause more wear

 

[Arkady]

If they're wearing out in just 12 months, something's not right - this should have been picked up during your service inspections as well as your MOT inspections...I'd worry about that as well...

 

[Gary]

if the rear tyres are wearing on the outer edges then something is very wrong.. rear tyres should never do that.

as said before, under inflation wears the outsides, and over inflation wears the centre..
Misalignment wears one edge of a tyre, but not both.. Rear tyres shouldnt be misaligned, because only front wheels are adjustable.

Definitely get it checked out. Could be something broken in the rear suspension.

 

[billybob99]

. Rear tyres shouldnt be misaligned, because only front wheels are adjustable.
.

Not strictly true some vehicles also have rear tracking adjustment it could be worthwhile having a four wheel alignment done

 

[dapprman]

At the local petrol station, you set the pressure and it beeps when you've reached it. Maybe I'm using the wrong limit then :shrug:

The pressure gauges on these are normally both inaccurate and often broken. It's always worth getting your won gauge. The £5 one from Halfords has seen me fine through many track days (where tyre pressure balance is very important).

 

[who?]

I agree with most of the above.

As a basic starting point:
over inflation (too high pressure) : Wear in the middle of the tyre
under inflation: wear on both edges of the tyre
Alignment out: wear on one side of the tyre

Obviously you can have more than one problem.

However, could you tell us the car (including engine) and what mileage you do in 12 months?

I get only about 15months out of a set of fronts on the volvo diesel - the backs last ages. Conversly rears on the porsche didnt last long at all.

Proper alignment is important - I wouldnt rely on any of the quick fit places, find an independent that has a 4 wheel laser alignment thing. If you need to find somewhere then try registering on a forum like pistonheads.com and ask in the right locality section for a recommendation.

And never trust the petrol station gauges.

When we first bought an a4quattro (which had adjustable rears) I found the rears wore very quickly on the inner edge - it turned out that someone had aligned them using a bog standard alignment kit mounted on the rear wheels. Result was that instead of toe in, it had toe out. I realised this when I watched the local garage check it for me and tell me it was spot on.

 

[nilagin]

I'd get the wheels rotated every couple of months to even out front to back. Make sure tyre pressures are spot on, over inflated will wear out the centres, under inflated will wear out the centres. Is your car front wheel drive (FWD)or rear wheel drive (RWD). If FWD it may well need 4 wheel tracking. Not all tyre places do this. If you're only wearing out both edges or the centre then it is an inflation problem not tracking.
Before having your tracking done have a look at your current tyre wear, if you have any uneven wear already on any of the tyres, it may be worth having them replaced now (even if they are still legal) and then having the tracking done. At least the adjustments will have been made on even tyres.
After that make sure you keep to the correct pressures and everything should be ok.
I don't think you have anything to worry about in your car as they would have found that in your MOT's.

 

[nilagin]

I get only about 15months out of a set of fronts on the volvo diesel - the backs last ages. Conversly rears on the porsche didnt last long at all.

You should be rotating your tyres too. you'll get more life out of your tyres.

It may also pay to find a brand of harder wearing tyre. Especially for the Volvo which won't be requiring a softy tyre for grip like a Porsche.

 

[inaneredstripe]

if tyres are wearing out in the centre of the tread, theyre overinflated.
inner OR outer edges, you may have alignment problems.
and sorry, but on some cars , rear alignment IS adjustable.

 

[whitewash]

can i put forward a recommendation of getting decent tyres as well (if you dont already) they are the 4 things that your car relies on more than anything as they are the only part of the car that is in contact with the road, its good to read a review of the tyres as well to get something that suits your needs.

theres some good reviews on blackcircles.com, ive used them to buy tyres and have them fitted and ive always been impressed on the price and service, allows me to get decent tyres alot cheaper and keep the bank manager happy.


get it aligned 4 wheels and keep an eye on the pressures with an accurate guage not the forecourt one.



can i ask if when you check the tyre pressures do you have to put alot of air in? you may have corroded wheels which lead to a small airleak so your tyres are always running under inflated as the air escapes, leading to your wear on the outer edges. wear in the centre is a surefire sign of over inflation though.

 

[Arkady]

You came to the right place, you notice - this site has more petrolheads than many car forums...lol

 

[nilagin]

can i ask if when you check the tyre pressures do you have to put alot of air in? you may have corroded wheels which lead to a small airleak so your tyres are always running under inflated as the air escapes, leading to your wear on the outer edges. wear in the centre is a surefire sign of over inflation though.

Also if the rims aren't cleaned properly before the new tyres are fitted this can lead to a poor seal, which also allows air to escape. I had this after an unfortunate forced visit to kwack-fit (SP intended ) as they were the only tyre place open.

You came to the right place, you notice - this site has more petrolheads than photographers...lol

 

[Ian D J]

I'm wondering if driving habits may be a factor. I used to get through tyres on my old Ford Escort 1.8 turbo diesel as if there isn't a tomorrow because I tended to be "quick" off the mark when I try and move on from being stationary (no, I wasn't a boy racer). It was only because I enjoyed this turbo thing after years of owning bog standard engined cars! That makes of car was also known for it's front suspension and wheel alignment issues.
Also, do you have a habit of "mounting" the kerb when you move bonnet first into a parking space (instead of reverse parking?) as I was told it doesn't do wheel tracking much good.
Are you a high mileage driver? And the quality of tyres makes all the difference (would be false economy to keep buying cheap budget tyres).
I'm only a meteorologist, not a mechanic but I have a feeling that your wheel tracking may need looking at. Especially when you factor in the front wheels having to cope with steering, driving the car forward and braking. I can imagine a lot of force goes into those two wheels.

 

[dapprman]

You came to the right place, you notice - this site has more petrolheads than many car forums...lol

I found out about here from the infamous Pistonheads forum

 

[digitalfailure]

I found out about here from the infamous Pistonheads forum

We have a few members on here from Pistonheads.............myself included

 

[Yves Geza]

Kelack, it might help of you told us what car? What brand of tyres? But, most of all, how many miles you drive in a year, because tyres wear out with mileage use rather than time.

 

[nilagin]

We have a few members on here from Pistonheads.............myself included

But this site was started by members of Mondeo Enthusiasts Group which is where I found out about it.

 

[nilagin]

I'm wondering if driving habits may be a factor. I used to get through tyres on my old Ford Escort 1.8 turbo diesel as if there isn't a tomorrow because I tended to be "quick" off the mark when I try and move on from being stationary (no, I wasn't a boy racer). It was only because I enjoyed this turbo thing after years of owning bog standard engined cars! That makes of car was also known for it's front suspension and wheel alignment issues.
Also, do you have a habit of "mounting" the kerb when you move bonnet first into a parking space (instead of reverse parking?) as I was told it doesn't do wheel tracking much good.
Are you a high mileage driver? And the quality of tyres makes all the difference (would be false economy to keep buying cheap budget tyres).
I'm only a meteorologist, not a mechanic but I have a feeling that your wheel tracking may need looking at. Especially when you factor in the front wheels having to cope with steering, driving the car forward and braking. I can imagine a lot of force goes into those two wheels.

Knocked out tracking will only lead to the inside or outside edge of a tyre wearing. If both edges of the tyre wear or just the centre it is wrongly inflated tyres.
A tyre is designed to drive across it's full surface width. If you're only driving on the outside edges (tyre is under inflated) or on the centre (tyre is over inflated) the tyre will wear quicker over the same distance travelled by a properly inflated tyre.
A budget tyre does not necessarily mean a tyre that will wear out quick. Some well known makes of tyres are softer than others and will wear quicker.

 

[Suvv]

Most tyre inflation figures are for when the tyre is cold.
If you inflate at a garage when the tyre is hot then the tyre will be underinflated leading to wear on the edges.

 

[Matt]

But this site was started by members of Mondeo Enthusiasts Group which is where I found out about it.

very true, without those first hundred or so members we wouldnt have got out the box so fast..

i do between 17 - 20k a year and dont go through tyres that fast!

 

[digitalfailure]

But this site was started by members of Mondeo Enthusiasts Group which is where I found out about it.

Last time I checked I was still a member of MEG....thats where I met Matty

 

[arclight]

Never felt comfortable wearing tyres right down to the legal limit. Tyres are your only contact with the road so they need to be good.

 

[Matt]

Last time I checked I was still a member of MEG....thats where I met Matty

way back in the mists of time eh! im still a member, I browse often too!

 

[inaneredstripe]

12,000 miles out of aa tyre.try riding a bike.
my old spoerts tourer may manage 7000 out of a front. less out of a rear.
my mate kills a rear on his sportsbike in less than 3000.
his cost £150 for a rear.

 

[Arkady]

way back in the mists of time eh! im still a member, I browse often too!

hahaha...me too...lol
and the UK Cougar forum, even though I'm banned there...

The mods there ganged-up on me after one of them removed a very funny George Bush animation that I'd posted without informing me (I had a bit of a rant about it...) and then censuring me for daring to suggest that 4-pot owners were less well-endowed...the mod who removed my post drove a 4-pot...lol...
phukkem...

 

[russdaz]

Agree with alot,

You should be rotating your tyres too. you'll get more life out of your tyres.

It may also pay to find a brand of harder wearing tyre. Especially for the Volvo which won't be requiring a softy tyre for grip like a Porsche.

DOnt know about that personally i always get tyres based on there pure grip, with there wet weather performance being highest on my list, id rather have a tyre that will stop faster then last long. I do rotate though still struggle to much more then 15months or about 20K a set last set lasted 17K Conti Sports.

Now got some Michelin Premacy HP's reportly more grippy (which i agree with particularly in the wet) and longer lasting only 1K miles so far but look new.

The company van i have had a tyre change for some very long life tyres bearing in mind its an unloaded Astra van the stopping distance now is scary in the wet, even the fully loaded Transits stop faster, as i found out after nearly running up the back of one my colleages i was following.

Other thing to remember try not changing just one tyre at a time, much better to get matching axle pairs otherwise you can get odd handling issues more so when wet.

Tyre pressures front to rear are different, the rears can also be effect more by load, the rears can also wear on the inner edges if your carrying a heavy load most of the time if you havent got a self leveling system as it alters the camber settings. The reason most modded cars that have been lowered.

 

[whitewash]

i had the original fitment conti eco tyres on my focus when i bought it. they were quite frankly frightening in the wet and im glad ive changed them, ive now got p2000s all round which are much much better, feel more confident and they appear to be reasonably hard wearing, i had the rears done in january and they've still got the molding sprews on

 

[kelack]

Thanks to all for your advice, glad I asked now . Will see what the garage say tomorrow when I get my new tyres. It could well be the steering thing as well. :nono: Oops, don't think I do it but there is a possibility that I have done.

I will get myself a gauge too. And I'll put myself some recurring reminders in my calendar to get them rotated.

I don't normally have to put a lot of air in, and I don't have to do it that often, I do check regularly though.

I drive a 1.6 Peugeot 307. I do about 8-9,000 miles a year on average

Arkady - it's 2 years since I changed the front ones. It wasn't picked up in my service in March :nono: annoying, will have words

 

[nilagin]

I drive a 1.6 Peugeot 307. I do about 8-9,000 miles a year on average

Arkady - it's 2 years since I changed the front ones. It wasn't picked up in my service in March :nono: annoying, will have words

It's all those wheel spins you've been doing since.:nono:

 

[kelack]

Just got back from the garage to get my new tyres and asked them to have a look at the old ones etc.

It's general wear and tear on them, my tracking is fine and I haven't over-inflated. On average, they should last 15,000 miles so considering I've probably done more than that, they're okay.

They weren't fails in the eyes of the tyre place but they told me they would be due for a change anyway. So maybe it's the garage covering their backs.

Thanks all for the helpful advice though and I'm still going to follow it.

ETA: Oh and they said they would have noticed on the tyres if I had been steering whilst stationary as it would wear in spots rather than even wear all over.

 

[kelack]

It's all those wheel spins you've been doing since.:nono:

 

[russdaz]

i had the original fitment conti eco tyres on my focus when i bought it. they were quite frankly frightening in the wet and im glad ive changed them, ive now got p2000s all round which are much much better, feel more confident and they appear to be reasonably hard wearing, i had the rears done in january and they've still got the molding sprews on

Conti ECO's are pants, there suposed to be very hard wearing but dont generate much heat in the wet.

Conti Premium Sport, (or something like that where good) standard fitment on my car, tried P2000's on another car didnt like them, just didnt inspire much confidence. Eagle F1 GSD's are very grippy but wear rate is very high on them.

12,000 miles on a set of fronts does sound like the norm.

 

[singlespeed]

Standard advice from tyre manufacturers ( especialy Michelin ) is to put the newest tyres on the rear axle ( whenever possible). This is to prevent the rears having less tread or being aged and therefore less resistance to aquaplaning or just having less mechanical grip. This should mean that any loss of traction would be felt as understeer through the steering and is generaly safer for most drivers.

 

[who?]

You should be rotating your tyres too. you'll get more life out of your tyres.

It may also pay to find a brand of harder wearing tyre. Especially for the Volvo which won't be requiring a softy tyre for grip like a Porsche.

You're making assumptions about how the volvo gets driven there...

I've never seen the point with rotating tyres, tbh. The total amount of wear isnt going to change.

When I replace the new ones go on the back and the part worns move from the back to the front. My way I am never running with worn tyres on the back end.

Differnt cars respond better to diff tyres. I'm happy with pilots or contisport.

I've had very poor experiences with pirelli.

One of the problems is that you buy tyres and then you're stuck with them for ages. By which time the linups have all changed. Very difficult to get meaningful reports on tyres.

ADAC does fair reports.