What Your Tire Wear Patterns Are Telling You

Your tires are a vital safety feature in your car, and keeping them in top condition ensures your vehicle handles well and runs efficiently. It’s good practice to have your tire treads checked after every thousand kilometres of driving. The wear patterns of the treads can tell you a lot about the state of your tires and alert you to issues with your vehicle. Here’s what your tire tread patterns can tell you.

Wear Along the Edges

Are your tire treads worn along both edges and less down the centre of the tire? This wear pattern indicates that you’re driving on underinflated tires, the most common cause of uneven tire wear. Underinflated tires make your car work harder and burn more gasoline, and they’ll make your vehicle harder to handle on turns and stops.

When putting air in your tires, don’t use the maximum psi (pounds per square inch) listed on the rubber. Instead, inflate to the manufacturer’s recommendations in the owner’s manual. You can also find it on a sticker on the driver’s door jamb.

Wear Along the Middle

Wear along the middle of the tires, and less wear on the edges probably means you’re driving on overinflated tires. Too much air pressure causes bulging, meaning most weight is on the centre of the tire instead of evenly distributed across the tire surface.

Wear Along One Side

If you notice wear along one side of the tire, your vehicle’s front suspension isn’t aligned correctly. When driving on the highway, your tires aren’t pointed perfectly ahead, which causes one side of the tire to wear faster than the rest. Driving with a misaligned suspension stresses your tires and shortens their lifespans. Get your car’s suspension aligned by a professional technician.

Uneven Patches

Problems with your suspension can also lead to patchy, random scuffs of wear, known as feathering. Feathering is caused by a suspension with a faulty shock absorber, spring or joint, causing the tire to skip along the road. Again, if you notice feathering on your tires, book an appointment with a professional auto technician for an inspection.

Affordable Auto Insurance in Halifax

At Eisenhauer Insurance Inc., our brokers can help you find a car insurance policy that helps protect you while you’re on the road. We also offer motorcycle insurance and high-risk driver insurance to keep you driving with peace of mind. For a no-obligation quote on an auto insurance policy, contact us in Halifax and Dartmouth.