Microl Toyota

There are many other factors that can influence our tires. We will briefly cover a few of them. We may have heard that our tires are "out of alignment". Tires that are out of alignment will wear unevenly, reducing the life of the tire, creating drag and reducing miles per gallon on our vehicle. There are three primary ways in which tires need to be aligned.

If we look at our vehicle along the side, from the front or the rear and notice that a tire seems to be leaning in or out, the camber may be out of specification.

If the top of a tire is leaning away from the vehicle's body, it has a "positive camber". If the top of the tire is leaning towards the vehicle's body, it has a "negative camber".

Abnormal camber can result from worn out bushings (heavy-duty rubber washers that help hold our vehicle's steering and suspension in place, while allowing for a degree of cushion), or worn steering parts.

When this happens, the tires will often wear faster on the inner or outer edges, as shown below…

When looking at our vehicle from the side, if a wheel appears to lean forward or backward, the caster may be out of specification.

When this happens we may notice that the vehicle tends to drift or pull to one side while driving, like the vehicle wants to turn by itself.

This can result from worn or damaged steering or suspension parts.

Be careful here, because the pulling or drifting can also be caused by something as simple as one tire having a lower pressure than the other tire. We need to have our tire pressure checked regularly, or do it ourselves. It is easy.

The last of the common problems are "toe-out" and "toe-in". "Toe" problems can be noted on one wheel only, or both. Like other alignment problems, if the tires are not pointing in the right direction, the tires will wear unevenly, the vehicle may pull to one side or the other, drag is created and our miles per gallon will decrease.

Some of the more unusual looking tread wear patterns are "cupping", "feather edged" and "diagonal scuffing". We will take a short look at those and list the probable causes.

"Cupping" looks as if someone has cut small circular spots into the tread of a tire.

The most common causes of cupping are worn out steering and/or suspension parts.

Regular tire rotation can also help prevent this type of wear.

If noticed early enough, the tire can be saved. If not, this tire should be replaced.

A "feather edge" is created when the tire's "toe" is out of alignment, altering the turning angle of the tire. The tire will tend to drag sideways, creating the feather edges.

Lack of rotation can also play a role in feather edge tread wear, as some vehicles are preset with a slightly positive or negative toe angle to improve the vehicle's handling.

If noticed early enough, the tire can be saved. If not, this tire should be replaced.

"Diagonal scuffing" will occur when a rear tire is out of "toe". The tire is being pulled forward while it is pointed in a different direction causes the scuffing.

This wheel should be checked to see if it is mounted correctly to the vehicle, it is aligned with the axle and that the axle is straight.

If noticed early enough, the tire can be saved. If not, this tire should be replaced.

So, to wrap things up, we need to be sure to check our tire pressure regularly (at least once a month), rotate our tires about every 7,500 miles and inspect them for signs of abnormal wear. Because our front tires grind on the road when we steer, they will wear faster. Rotation evens out this wear.

Our tires are our contact points with the road. If we keep them in shape and drive safely, they will last longer, keep us safer and save us money.

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