Irregular Tire Wear: Cupping

One problem that happens when tire rotation suggestions are not taken seriously is irregular tire wear. Irregular tire wear happens on the front tires of some cars, but usually happens on the back tires on vehicles with front-wheel-drive. If two tires remain on the rear of a car too long, they can develop humps and valleys in the tread pattern. This type of wears is usually called cupping. Cupping is also known as heal and toe or high low wear. This wear can cause a rough and noisy ride. The noise sounds like a roar from big mud tires. You can feel this issue with your hands when the problem is really severe. It isn't clear what causes this wear. The problem started appearing in auto shops during the eighties and some Denver auto repair shops say that the problem is caused by shocks, or car design. Although we do not know why this problem occurs, it is possible to know when it happens. Cupping occurs when the tires are run too long without being rotated How long is too long? This figure varies from car to car, but this wear usually shows up at 10,000 miles. The important thing to know is that proper tire rotation will almost always prevent this problem from ever occur.

If cupping happens to your tires, you should visit a Denver mechanic and  have them rotated right away. If you were hearing a roaring sound from the rear, you may find that it is louder after the tires are moved to the front. In fact, you may not realize your tires are cupped until you rotate them and be roaring sound from the rear of the vehicle, you may find that it is louder after the tires are moved to the front. Actually you may not realize your tires are cupped until your auto repair shop rotates them and begin to notice this roaring noise. You may also feel the roughness of the tread more than before, and it may feel like you are driving over small bumps at slow speeds. If you can live with these symptoms for a few thousand miles, they will probably improve. If however, these symptoms are too severe to put up with to put up with, you can live with these symptoms are too severe to put up with, you can either move the cupped tires back to the rear where they will get worse or you can replace the tires. Just be sure to keep the new tires rotated as needed. Although this type of wear is usually not considered a defect in the tire, some tire manufactures will warranty such a problem, especially if you can prove that you rotated them properly. It never hurts to check with the appropriate tire dealer before you buy new tires. Many rear-wheel-drive vehicles, such as trucks, are prone to cup the front tires. These some procedures should be followed on such vehicles.