What Can Cause Excessive or Uneven Tyre Wear?
Learn about the leading causes of uneven tyre wear and what you can do to fix it.
Book a car repair nowEllie Dyer-Brown
Friday July 19 2024
5 min read
You shouldn’t ignore uneven tyre wear because it signals something is wrong with your vehicle. A handful of things can cause it, most of which are reasonably easy to diagnose and fix. This guide contains all the information you need.
Signs of uneven tyre wear
Uneven tyre wear means that some areas are wearing out faster than others. For instance, the outer tread might be almost gone, but the inside tread could still be within the legal limit.
Tread that is shallower in some places than others is the most obvious indication that your tyres are wearing unevenly. But there are other things you can look out for that often accompany uneven wear, such as:
Vibrations felt through the steering wheel
Cups or dips in the tread
A sawtooth appearance on the edges of the tyres
What can cause uneven tyre wear?
The four main causes of uneven tyre wear are laid out below.
1. Incorrect tyre pressure
There's a reason car manufacturers provide tyre pressure guidelines. Driving on tyres that are over or under-inflated not only poses a safety risk but also causes the tread to wear out unevenly.
Correctly inflated tyres optimise the distribution of the vehicle's weight and its braking, cornering and acceleration forces. The tyre's contact area changes depending on how much or little it is inflated, which can lead to abnormal wear.
If you're not sure what your tyre pressure should be, there are three places you can usually find the information:
In your vehicle handbook
Around the sill of the driver's door
On the inside of the fuel filler cap
Check out our guide to tyre tread to learn more.
2. Worn suspension
The suspension impacts how your tyres come into contact with the road. A worn component, such as a ball joint or spring, can put an increased load on one side of the tyre, leading to uneven wear. Faulty suspension can also cause the wheels to become misaligned, another leading cause of abnormal wear.
This guide explains how to diagnose common suspension problems.
The average price of a suspension repair on FixMyCar is £127.37.
3. Misaligned wheels
When your wheels are misaligned, they are tilted too far outward or inward. You can fix this problem by booking a wheel alignment, which costs £44.26 on average. It’s also worth investigating whether there is a problem with the suspension that caused the wheels to become misaligned in the first place.
Learn more about wheel alignment.
4. Hard braking
If you frequently brake hard when travelling at high speeds, it can cause your wheels to lock, leading to excessive wear and flat spots on the tyres. Faulty brakes are another potential cause - if you don’t get them repaired, they can eventually throw the suspension off, which will likely impact the tyres.
Here are five brake problems you shouldn’t ignore.
Types of uneven tyre wear
The location of the worn area can provide insight into the potential cause.
| Location of wear | Likely cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Outside edges | Underinflation | Add air to reach the correct pressure |
| Centre | Overinflation | Remove air to reach the correct pressure |
| One side | Broken suspension or wheel misalignment | Take your car to a mechanic for an accurate diagnosis and repair |
How to avoid uneven tyre wear
These tips will help you prevent abnormal tyre wear.
Check your tyre pressure once a month
Avoid hitting potholes and kerbs
Get your car serviced regularly
Book a repair if you suspect there is a problem with your brakes or suspension
Replace front and rear tyres together
What can cause excessive tyre wear?
A pair of front tyres will typically last around 20,000 miles. If you think yours are wearing out faster than they should, get your car checked by a mechanic to see if there’s something wrong.
Excessive wear can be caused by:
Misaligned wheels
Suspension problems
Steering-related issues
Incorrect pressure
How do you know when your tyres need changing?
Your tyres must have at least 1.6mm of tread around the entire circumference to be road-legal. You can check their depth using a 20-pence coin, as we explain here. You should replace them if they fall below this measurement or have any signs of damage, such as bulges or cracks.
Do cheap tyres wear quicker?
Budget tyres wear down faster than premium tyres. They are better for drivers who do fewer miles or travel at slower speeds - for instance, people who do city driving more than driving on motorways and dual carriageways.
This guide discusses the pros and cons of budget tyres.
Need new tyres?
If you’re worried about the condition of your tyres and think they need replacing, FixMyCar can help you find the perfect set. We have hundreds of tyres available on our site - whether you want budget, mid-range or premium - and a range of guides to help you decide which ones are right for you, including:
If you found this guide helpful, you might also like:
- Related topics:
- Car Ownership
- Tyres
- Tyres Wheels And Tracking
Ellie is FixMyCar's Content Manager. She has over three years of experience writing about cars and regularly collaborates with automotive experts to provide trustworthy advice for drivers that is easy understand. Her work has been featured in Yahoo! Finance, iNews, The Daily Express and The Sun. She has a BA in English literature and an MA in creative writing from Durham University. Outside of work, Ellie follows F1 and eagerly awaits Ferrari's next era of dominance in the sport. She drives a Suzuki Swift.