C O M M E R C I A L B U S I N E S S

K E V I N R O H L W I N G T I A s r v i c e p r e s i d e n t o f e d u c a t i o n a n d t e c h n i c a l s e r v i c e s

Cause and Effect

Finding Reasons For Irregular Wear Saves Downtime and Money

What causes a tire to develop an pressure and wheel width are just a few line haul application, a typical radial irregular wear pattern? Often, the of the issues that can cause a tire to truck tire will deliver up to 200,000 answer depends on axle position and experience accelerated irregular wear. miles on the original tread and up to the conditions under which the tire From an engineering standpoint, any 200,000 additional miles on each suboperates. changes to the tires footprint will have sequent retread. Most uneven tread wear conditions a direct impact on performance and Unfortunately, this longevity actually on drive and trailer axle tires are usual- wear characteristics. Todays radial tires works against truck tires because many ly attributed to improper irregular wear patterns inflation pressure. The cannot be reversed, and effects of underinflation often results in some form are well documented, and of ride disturbance in steer the transportation indusand drive positions. Howtrys reluctance to pay for ever, if everything is coreffective inflation presrect from the start, the sure maintenance prochances of achieving the grams basically ensures it lowest lifecycle cost possiwill continue to be a proble increase dramatically. blem for years to come. In order to educate the On the other hand, irregtire and transportation inular tread wear patterns dustries on the causes of on steer axle tires generirregular tread wear, the ally get blamed on worn American Trucking Assocor misaligned front-end iations Technology and components. Maintenance Council (TMC) Recent studies have Cupped diagonal wear on trailer tires, due to worn or loose wheel developed the Radial Tire shown that cost-per-mile bearings, is often aggravated by high speed empty or light load hauls. Conditions Analysis Guide. almost doubles when This useful tool includes original or retreaded tires are pulled are designed to evenly distribute load detailed photos of the most common early because the tread is worn uneven- across the face of the tread when the types of irregular wear patterns and ly or rapidly. Of course, most fleets tire contacts the road surface under the outlines the probable causes for such blame the tire and immediately weight of the vehicle. Overinflation ty- wear on tires in steer, drive and trailer demand an adjustment which they pically causes a majority of the load to positions. usually get if they control enough be carried in the center of the tires By using the TMC guide to diagnose wheel positions. Rather than argue footprint, while underinflation results wear problem, commercial tire dealers with a customer, too many tire dealers in more load concentrated on the can offer solutions without making offer some form of compensation so shoulders. unnecessary concessions or adjustthat future business will not be jeopments. ardized. But that doesnt solve the real Education Needed problem. Continuous improvements in tire Inflation, Alignment Problems Tread wear patterns are determined and manufacturing technology have The most obvious place to start by a variety of factors. Alignment, bal- led to a uniform and incredibly durable when diagnosing the cause of an irregance, fifth wheel placement, inflation product. Under ideal conditions in a ular tread wear pattern is inflation.
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MARCH 2003 www.tirereview.com

When steer tires exhibit an erratic wear pattern known as rib depression or punch wear, one possible cause is improper inflation. Drive tires with heel-and-toe or alternate lug wear can be attributed to different inflation pressures in dual positions. Trailer tires are also susceptible to erratic wear patterns when inflation pressures are mismatched or below recommended levels. If uneven tread wear is severe and relatively consistent around the circumference of the tire, the likely cause can be linked to mechanical problems. Steer, drive and trailer axles must be properly aligned for tires to maintain the correct footprint. Any deficiency in the suspension or steering components will also translate into an irregular wear pattern. When it comes to steer tires, one of the most common tread wear problems is caused by improper toe adjustment. If the wheels on an axle are closer together in the front than they are in the rear, the result is toe-in. Most tire and vehicle manufacturers recommend a slight toein for a loaded vehicle. If the opposite is true, the vehicle has toe-out when unloaded. When the outside shoulders on steer axle tires are worn more than the inside shoulders, the vehicle may have excessive toe-in, while worn inside shoulders are common when excessive toe-out is present. Feather wear can also be attributed to improper toe angles. But shoulder wear is not restricted to toe-in and toe-out issues. If the drive axles are not properly aligned, the inside shoulder of one steer tire and the outside shoulder of the other will show advanced wear. Many technicians automatically assume that full shoulder wear on steer axle tires is the result of a frontend alignment problem when its actually the drive axles that need alignment. Drive axles should be perpendicular to the centerline of the chassis, and tandem axles on both trucks and trailers should be parallel to each other.

hicle, a worn or loose wheel bearing will result in a severe irregular tread wear pattern. Typically, a series of flat spots appear across the tread face, from shoulder to shoulder, around the circumference of the tire. They can be straight or diagonal, and may be accompanied by cupping or scallop wear. Rib depression can also be caused by a worn or loose wheel bearing. In many instances, vehicles with high-speed empty hauls aggravate irregular wear patterns caused by bad wheel bearings. Flat spots caused by frozen or improperly adjusted brakes are usually easy to recognize. They are relatively uniform and extend evenly across the tread face. In dual applications, the flat spots will be in identical positions on both tires. Once again, this problem will not correct itself in service. In fact, as the tire skips every time it rotates, it creates another flat spot, which eventually covers the entire tire. Ive actually seen new tires with severe brake skid damage repaired by building up the worn area with extruded rubber, curing the tire like a retread, buffing it to make it round again, and skiving out the original tread pattern! It doesnt look pretty. Mismounted or out-of-balance tire/wheel assemblies can also cause irregular tread wear patterns. These are characterized by both uniform and erratic depressions and are generally present around the circumference of the tire. In some instances, the problem can be corrected so the tire can be run out. In extreme cases, though, the tire must be retreaded or scrapped.

cause is not considered, the fleet is destined to have continuous tire wear problems that force the dealer to constantly fight with the manufacturer to adjust tires that are simply not adjustable. In this all-too-common scenario, the fleet loses and the dealer loses. A little education and support can make the dealers sales job to eliminate the actual cause of the wear a lot easier. TR This article was reprinted from the Tire Industry Associations Commercial Tire Service Today publication.

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