How do you wear down one tyre?

sogood · 27-01-2015 6:08pm #1

So, this is not a rant, nor is it sour grapes or the like. Just curious to know how do you manage to wear down one tyre to the extent that it's an NCT fail? Given the fact that four brand new tyres were fitted, together, at the same time, about 14 months ago.

Tyre pressures are correctly maintained and still, three are fine, no problem, but one is a failure.

Any thoughts?

Tea 1000 · 27-01-2015 6:10pm

Wheel alignment is most likely the issue.

MuppetCheck · 27-01-2015 6:11pm

Alignment out, not properly done in the first place or somethings worn.

Tropheus · 27-01-2015 6:17pm

Where is it worn - inside, outside or evenly across?

CiniO · 27-01-2015 6:22pm

Were they (all 4) the same brands?

Mech1 · 27-01-2015 6:26pm

wheelspin generally occurs on the same tyre every time. Anyone driving it hard?

CiniO · 27-01-2015 6:27pm

Mech1 wrote: »

wheelspin generally occurs on the same tyre every time.

Why?

Mech1 · 27-01-2015 6:29pm

front wheel drive usually have unequal length driveshafts the shortest one winds up less before breaking traction

CiniO · 27-01-2015 6:37pm

Mech1 wrote: »

front wheel drive usually have unequal length driveshafts the shortest one winds up less before breaking traction

Hmm that's interesting concept.
I though that the major factor here would be the difference in grip between left and right f.e. to different road surface, so it would be completely random.
I never though that lenght of drive shaft would matter, but maybe.

CiniO · 27-01-2015 6:39pm

sogood wrote: »

So, this is not a rant, nor is it sour grapes or the like. Just curious to know how do you manage to wear down one tyre to the extent that it's an NCT fail? Given the fact that four brand new tyres were fitted, together, at the same time, about 14 months ago.

Tyre pressures are correctly maintained and still, three are fine, no problem, but one is a failure.

Any thoughts?

What is the difference in thread between this one tyres and the rest?
Could be as well, that one tyres is 1.5mm while other three at 1.7mm.
That woulnd't be anything unusual, and would lead failing on this one only.

Bigus · 27-01-2015 6:51pm

If wheel alignment isn't out the front left tyre will wear most quickly in a fast urban roundabout scenario in a RHD country like Ireland , in a fwd car

sogood · 27-01-2015 10:46pm

Just to clarify and add some more, it's a rear wheel drive and the wear is on a rear tyre. It's even wear/ low thread depth. I tend to cruise and don't do wheel spins or the like and yes, all four tyres are the same brand.

Nothing about alignment on the test results. Thanks for the input.

blackbox · 27-01-2015 10:58pm

A few years ago I wore one tyre on a Ford Ka - front left.

It was caused by entering roundabouts too enthusiastically.

visual · 27-01-2015 11:39pm

sogood wrote: »

Just to clarify and add some more, it's a rear wheel drive and the wear is on a rear tyre. It's even wear/ low thread depth. I tend to cruise and don't do wheel spins or the like and yes, all four tyres are the same brand.

Nothing about alignment on the test results. Thanks for the input.

Is it the left rear wheel the wheel closes to the kerb

CJhaughey · 28-01-2015 12:20am

Bad shock can cause poor tyre wear. What was the imbalance between rear shocks?

sh1tstirrer · 28-01-2015 12:28am

sogood wrote: »

Just to clarify and add some more, it's a rear wheel drive and the wear is on a rear tyre. It's even wear/ low thread depth. I tend to cruise and don't do wheel spins or the like and yes, all four tyres are the same brand.

Nothing about alignment on the test results. Thanks for the input.

I had 2 Mazda 6's one from new both wore down passenger side rear tyre at a faster rate than the other tyres.

sh1tstirrer · 28-01-2015 12:30am

visual wrote: »

Is it the left rear wheel the wheel closes to the kerb

That would cause more damage to the tyre wall not the thread.

visual · 28-01-2015 12:56am

sh1tstirrer wrote: »

That would cause more damage to the tyre wall not the thread.

Didn't imply kerb damage
If it was the left rear wheel it would be driven on poor part of the road where verge is harsher than closer to centre of road. Probably wouldn't be noticeable on FWD car but would on RWD
Also shock and bushings on left would degrade quicker than right

As it's rear wheel drive unless the tyres are regularly rotated the rear should wear faster than front.

BreadnBuddha · 28-01-2015 12:45pm

visual wrote: »

Is it the left rear wheel the wheel closes to the kerb

Brake caliper causing pads to drag on the disk perhaps, maybe deteriorated fluid/air in the line close the caliper or a maladjusted handbrake cable being a cause? Might not be detected on the brake functionality test at the NCT and on the back end you might not really detect it under normal braking as it might not be enough to pull the car to the left. Different or more noticeable on the front.

Have you had the pads checked for uneven wear, inside and outer pads? Could also be a fault with the ABS servo block valve or just the bias valve on the back end leading to an higher force or longer duration to that side.

Just a thought.

Tea 1000 · 28-01-2015 1:29pm

CiniO wrote: »

Hmm that's interesting concept.
I though that the major factor here would be the difference in grip between left and right f.e. to different road surface, so it would be completely random.
I never though that lenght of drive shaft would matter, but maybe.

Length of the drive shaft has the biggest influence, surprisingly. You can see it a lot on some tractors, some brands had the front diff to one side, and that wheel would always be first to spin.
That's why Subaru make a point of highlighting that their system is a symmetrical AWD one, equal length drive shafts, front to back also.

sogood wrote: »

Just to clarify and add some more, it's a rear wheel drive and the wear is on a rear tyre. It's even wear/ low thread depth. I tend to cruise and don't do wheel spins or the like and yes, all four tyres are the same brand.

Nothing about alignment on the test results. Thanks for the input.

How big is the difference? If the other side is at 2mm for example and your failed one is 1.5mm, then it's not a massive difference. But if the rest are all over 3mm and the worn one is down at 1.5 or something then there's an alignment issue. The NCT won't detect small alignments, but a tyre over many thousands of kilometres will.
Also, maybe google it. Some brands of cars are known to be a bit harsh on one wheel sometimes. Might be the case here.

superfurry1 · 28-01-2015 1:32pm

You either have a fat baby or Girlfriend you have to lug around

H3llR4iser · 28-01-2015 1:32pm

CiniO wrote: »

What is the difference in thread between this one tyres and the rest?
Could be as well, that one tyres is 1.5mm while other three at 1.7mm.
That woulnd't be anything unusual, and would lead failing on this one only.

This is the key - if it's a case where one tire is bald and the other three have a lot of thread left, then there's certainly an issue - most likely with the suspension.

But if the situation is as Cinio proposes, with the others barely above the legal limit, I don't really see a problem.

That said, if the tires are around 1.6-1.7mm, I'd change 'em all - the legal limit is actually too low.

sogood · 28-01-2015 1:40pm

CJhaughey wrote: »

Bad shock can cause poor tyre wear. What was the imbalance between rear shocks?

That's true, butI did both rear shocks and bushes not too long ago and all was well in that department.

Tea 1000 · 28-01-2015 1:43pm

sogood wrote: »

That's true, butI did both rear shocks and bushes not too long ago and all was well in that department.

Typically alignment would need to be done straight after that. Also, sometimes fellas make a balls of alignment.

sogood · 28-01-2015 1:51pm

Many thanks for all the thoughts and suggestions. I made an appointment to go see my "tyre man" on Friday and maybe he can shed some light on it. Funnily enough, he asked was it the rear passenger side! Which it is. He suggested it's "nearer the ditch" ( I live in rural Kerry).

I'll know more when I get the thread depths looked at in detail. Braking and suspension all passed well within acceptable tolerances.

Thanks again for the responses.

sogood · 30-01-2015 3:38pm

Well, I got the tyre replaced as the worn one had some wear along the inner edge. It wasn't excessive according to the tyre man. He looked at the NCT results and it showed suspension and tracking/alignment as being well within acceptable levels.

As an aside, I had two other fail items. One being headlight alignment, but upon checking this, my man couldn't see any appreciable difference. He showed me the results and explained same and I had to agree.

The other fail item was the fact that the tester couldn't find the VIN number on the engine. He found it on the windscreen, on the bodywork and I told him where it was on the engine, but he didn't seem to be terribly interested and suggested that I point it out on the retest. Incidentally, this is the third year that I've had the car tested at the same centre and there was never any issue with the VIN in the past.

Anyway, we shall see how it goes........................

H3llR4iser · 30-01-2015 4:29pm

This...

sogood wrote: »

That's true, butI did both rear shocks and bushes not too long ago and all was well in that department.

Plus this...

sogood wrote: »

Well, I got the tyre replaced as the worn one had some wear along the inner edge. It wasn't excessive according to the tyre man. He looked at the NCT results and it showed suspension and tracking/alignment as being well within acceptable levels.

And we have our culprit...tyre wear doesn't happen "suddenly", it had been there for a while. Before you replaced/reconditioned bushes and shocks, that tire was wearing out more than the others. Now that the suspensions are balanced, the tires are wearing evenly - but that one was already worn more than the others

sogood · 31-01-2015 12:31am

H3llR4iser wrote: »

This...

Plus this...

And we have our culprit...tyre wear doesn't happen "suddenly", it had been there for a while. Before you replaced/reconditioned bushes and shocks, that tire was wearing out more than the others. Now that the suspensions are balanced, the tires are wearing evenly - but that one was already worn more than the others

I see where you're coming from, but the new tyres were fitted after the shocks and bushes were done, along with alignment etc. Alignment is still fine as shown in the NCT results. Could it have been a bit of a "dud" tyre?

Thanks for the input.

H3llR4iser · 31-01-2015 11:56am

sogood wrote: »

I see where you're coming from, but the new tyres were fitted after the shocks and bushes were done, along with alignment etc. Alignment is still fine as shown in the NCT results. Could it have been a bit of a "dud" tyre?

Thanks for the input.

It could have certainly been that the specific tyre was somewhat "weaker" than the others; Also, it could be due to the specific routes you drive - just like race cars tend to wear down one specific tire more than the others depending on the track the same applies, scaled down multiple times, to road cars.

Just keep an eye on the new tires and see if it happens again - the only other things I can think about is a chassis bend/unbalance, but I hope that would have been caught in the NCT!

How do you wear down one tyre?

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