Just curious - why do SUV tires (front) wear so much on the outer portion of the tread? 1

[BrianE22]

I've had small and large SUVs all do the same thing. Seems like there is a preset camber that wears the outer portion of the tread. I haven't noticed it so much on cars. Maybe I'm just cornering too fast?

 

[BrianPetersen]

What the vehicle is called or classified as, makes no difference. Suspension geometry and alignment - and driving habits! - and tire construction and inflation pressure, make a difference, just as with any other vehicle.

Which vehicles have you had this experience with?

 

[BrianE22]

Chevy S10 Blazer, Ford Explorer, Ford Expedition, Chevrolet Tahoe. Had a Corvette for 5 years also - did not have the same problem with the outer portion of the tread wearing quickly. I keep on eye on the tire pressures. If anything I've had them over pressurized for the last 2 years because of bead seat leaks. I just rotated them front to back and had the bead seat leaks fixed. I don't think it is solely tire pressure though - the inner portion of the tread doesn't see the same way. Current Tahoe tires are low profile but that didn't seem to make the problem better or worse.

Must be me though because I don't see anyone else in the Google world that is talking about it.

 

[CWB1]

Sounds like you need to find a good chassis tech and ask for an alignment.

 

[GregLocock]

Some random thoughts.

The current fashion for wide tires with low aspect ratios probably doesn't help, you tend to get a very square profile.

I have noticed that whereas I am used to a fair bit of static negative camber and toe in at the front, we seem to be running more neutral now. Is that because the the wheel travels are greater? I don't know.

Vehicle weights are higher, EPAS makes it easy to crank lock on.

Well I've got an Everest with 30000 miles on it, I should go and have a look.

Cheers

Greg Locock


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[cibachrome]

I've owned most of the vehicles you mention. Solid axles save the rears. Understeer hurts a bit. But I do .7g at expressway exits just to watch the Jeeps, Mustangs, BMWs, Audiis, and Porches apparently hit their reverse gears as the turn begins. Won't do it to Hundais because it scares the crap out of them. Air pressure helps, a tire mounting machine is the way to go.
A general rule around here is that the yellow Recommended Exit Speed posted is about 1/2 of what a decent vehicle can handle.

 

[GregLocock]

Id say on my Everest the shoulders are wearing a bit faster than the center, but not by much. There again I rarely push it, haven't heard tire squeal in years.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

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[BrianE22]

Some pictures:

Front left tire

Rear left tire

Tire shop did alignment when installing the new tires (they insisted since the new tires were so soft). Tires are Michelin Blizzak. Total mileage on 2015 Tahoe is 34,000 - maybe 20,000 on the originals and 14,000 on these. One of the originals actually wore down to threads in one spot.

Tires are rotated so the worn "fronts" are now on the "rear".

I checked out some of the SUVs in the grocery parking lot last night. Didn't notice the same wear. Beginning to think it is just me. I did see the maximum air pressure rating was 44 psi which is quite a bit higher than I thought it would be. This is my first low profile tires for an SUV, are pressures generally higher for low profiles?

 

[gruntguru]

Your image suggests perhaps toed-in a bit. Possibly some camber compliance and - as you said - driven pretty hard. A good wheel alignment guy could customise the settings a little to better suit your driving style if that is the problem. Less camber, less toe-in, more caster, more tyre pressure.

More tyre pressure is an easy place to start. That will probably improve everything except ride quality.

je suis charlie

 

[LionelHutz]

Check the alignment, it's likely off. I was thinking toe out causes outside wear and toe in causes inside wear. At any rate, toe will wear a tire quicker than anything else because toe makes the tire have to slide sideways slightly even when going straight.

See that the numbers are good, not just within the spec range. Sometimes, the machine has a window as wide as the ideal alignment number. I generally say a bit of negative camber and a little toe in works. Caster can be up to as much as you can get, possibly a little more on the passenger side to help with road crown.

 

[Tmoose]

Running genuine hi-tek snow tires in warm weather supposedly means the fancy rubber is at a disadvantage.

 

[geesaman.d]

Some of these vehicles can suffer from worn suspension bushings. You can realign it on the rack and on the road it won't be the same. I've had a couple and struggled with sawtooth wear on the outer tread blocks more than I expected.

I'd take it to an alignment shop and ask for a custom alignment with more negative camber. The justification is right there in the tread.

Also, there can be a very large difference between max tire pressure for carrying the rated load and tire pressure for normal usage. Pickups and SUVs especially, which can have very little or very much rear axle weight.

 

[Guest102023]

A general rule around here is that the yellow Recommended Exit Speed posted is about 1/2 of what a decent vehicle can handle.

That’s always been my guideline too, but occasionally you meet a sign that is accurate!

"If you don't have time to do the job right the first time, when are you going to find time to repair it?"