Cupped Tires: What Causes Them & How To Fix Them
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There are a lot of things car owners take for granted. For instance, many drivers don’t pay attention to their tires even though it’s the only part of the car that has direct content with the road. However, your tires are vital to your car’s operation as they affect handling, braking, and safety. Thus, paying attention to your tires is critical to detect potential issues before they worsen.
Cupping is one of the most common issues car owners have when it comes to tires. You may have cupped tires if you see signs of irregular or uneven treadwear on your car tires.
Have you wondered about tire cupping? Do you have an idea how to fix cupped tires? What are the telltale signs you have cupped tires? We’ll answer these questions and more for today’s guide.
What Exactly is Tire Cupping?
Tire cupping is a type of uneven tire wear that appears like a series of abnormally worn patches along the less worn tread parts. Also sometimes referred to as “tire scalloping,” this type of tire wear is different when you have incorrect tire alignment on your car. Instead, the cupping looks like someone used an ice cream scoop and scooped out parts of the tread in 3 to 4-inch intervals across the tire circumference.
Cupped tires result in different parts on the tire tread prematurely wearing out. Unlike with a messed up alignment, the wear patterns look irregular, and tread parts are worn away independently from other tire sections. In the most extreme cases, tire cupping will cause your tires to bounce instead of maintaining contact with the ground.
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What Are the Effects of Tire Cupping?
Here are the telltale signs of cupped tires:
- Shakes and vibrations: Tire cupping will cause you to experience excessive vibrations or shaking while driving–either on the steering wheel or your seat. The issue might be an unbalanced front wheel if the vibrations are felt through the steering wheel. On the other hand, vibrations on the seat may indicate unbalanced rear wheels.
- Tire noise: Cupped tires typically are noisy, with a loud, rhythmic noise, especially when driving at highway speeds. Cupped tires have unevenly worn patches of tread rubber, producing odd noises while driving.
- Vehicle veering to one side: One of the most common signs of worn tires is that your car will turn left or right unexpectedly while driving straight or turning. Misaligned or unbalanced tires may be due to tire cupping and can be dangerous if left unaddressed.
- Visual signs: Tire cupping can be observed by the naked eye if you know what to look for. Inspect the tread of your tires, and if you see uneven patches of wear on the tread, you likely have cupped tires.
What Are the Causes of Tire Cupping?
Cupped tires are generally a symptom of several suspension issues–that’s saying that various mechanical problems could cause cupping. Below are some of the potential causes of cupped tires:
Tire Misalignment
Tires with alignment issues have an uneven surface contact, which affects the balance of the driving pressure across the tread of the tire. The misalignment of the tires may cause the tread to show cupping or a “sawtooth” wear pattern. The cupping enables the driving pressure to cause uneven wear on the side of the treads, as opposed to the optimized surface contact of the tires to the center tread.
Worn Suspension Parts
Your car’s suspension ensures that the tires make constant contact with the ground. However, if certain parts of the suspension, such as bushings, struts, and shock absorbers, are subjected to wear and tear, they will cause the tires to start bouncing during operation. The bouncing leads to uneven tire pressure points and may lead to cupping.
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Unbalanced Tires
When your four tires are unbalanced, there’s a good chance it will lead to cupping. As such, your imbalanced tires will cause the pressure to be unevenly distributed throughout the tread pattern. In the worst-case scenario, some tread areas will receive more pressure which may lead to cupping and premature wear.
Low-Quality Tires
The quality of your tires also matters to ensure your vehicle’s optimal performance. Not all tires are created equal, and some are certainly worse than others. With that said, tire cupping is more likely to occur with poor-quality tires due to the lower-quality materials used to support the tread.
How to Fix Cupped Tires
If you’re looking for tips on how to fix cupped tires, then you’re out of luck because there’s no way to repair the wear—tires with significant cupping and wear in general need to be replaced to ensure proper and safe performance. Even if you fix the cause of scalloping, it’s still unsafe to drive a car with cupped tires since it affects handling and traction. Whether the issue stemmed from misalignment or worn suspension, replacing the tires is the only correct way to move forward.
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Fixing the Issue
After deciding to replace the tires, you should identify the root cause of the cupping. In this case, your best bet is to go to a repair shop where a professional mechanic can inspect your car’s suspension, wheels, and tires. If the mechanic recommends replacing the tires, give the go-ahead as soon as possible.
On the other hand, if the tires don’t need to be replaced, the mechanic will rotate and rebalance them after all the required parts are replaced. Rotation will help smooth out the uneven wear and prevent future uneven patterns, while balancing ensures proper weight distribution in the tire.
How to Prevent Cupped Tires
Regular tire maintenance is a must to add more lifespan to your tires and prevent wear issues such as cupping. The best approach in regards to how to fix cupped tires is to keep them at bay altogether. Ideally, you’ll want to get your tires checked every six months. In addition, make sure to maintain proper air pressure to minimize tire wear problems. Stick to your regular tire maintenance, and you will avoid having cupped tires.
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