It's a fact of life that car tyres will wear down as time goes by. After all, they are made from a certain type of rubber designed to "grab" the road surface for stability and ride purposes. The resultant friction will eventually remove most of this material and prompt you to buy new ones. Yet, this wear and tear should be uniform in an ideal world, and deterioration should be predictable. So, if you've noticed some strange wear patterns on your current tyres, what could be causing this, and what should you do to try and rectify it?

Setting up for Good Performance

When your tyres were first fitted as new, the technician would have gone to great lengths to balance the tyres and adjust their position when fitted to the vehicle. This takes into account the suspension and steering geometry as these components can pull, push and twist the wheel and tyre combination during motion. It's essential to adjust angles and distances so that the tyre is in the ideal location for optimal tyre wear and safe driving.

Those adjustments can slip due to driving conditions as time goes by. While this will typically happen slowly, it can nevertheless make a difference to how each tyre wears and how long they will last.

Dealing with Excess Wear

If you look at a tyre when it is new, you will see that there are a large number of tread blocks protruding from the primary surface. Inside these blocks are grooves and tiny slits known as "sipes" that work together to process standing water and help you avoid aquaplaning. These blocks will move when the vehicle is in motion, and they will deform, compress and bounce back to their original shape each time the wheel turns. The blocks will eventually wear down due to contact with the road, and you will see evidence of this under the leading edge of each block. However, you may notice some more extensive wear patterns, which could be due to an excessive "toe" adjustment.

Checking the Angles and Rotating the Tyres

You are best advised to take the vehicle back to a tyre fitter from time to time, so they can check the toe adjustment and other angles and make changes as necessary. It is also a good idea to rotate the tyres at specific intervals as this can help make wear patterns more uniform. In this case, the front tyres should be fitted to the back and vice versa, or sometimes swapped to their diagonally opposite position.

Looking after New Tyres

If you find that your tyres have been worn down excessively, you may need to get them replaced. However, more careful attention to detail in the future may allow them to last much longer next time. For more information on new tyres, contact a professional near you.