Front Tyre Wear

[Wheelyscott]

I'm looking at purchasing an icon 2l which has uneven tyre wear across the front wheels - tread depth 5.3mm n/s and 6.9mm o/s. Does this vehicle require alignment checking or could there be another cause ( I guess the o/s tyre may well have been replaced due to a puncture)

The car has done 21500 miles. Thanks folks.

[TonyHSD]

Pictures can help us understand the situation. Not necessarily the car needs alignment at these low miles but if it’s pulling to one side and continue to wear off the side in question faster perhaps it might need one. If the tyres are the same and not directional you can swap L to R , pressure checked and make them equal and note the mileage. Drive like that for 5-10 k miles and see the wear difference. Then replace both together 

[Wheelyscott]

8 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Pictures can help us understand the situation. Not necessarily the car needs alignment at these low miles but if it’s pulling to one side and continue to wear off the side in question faster perhaps it might need one. If the tyres are the same and not directional you can swap L to R , pressure checked and make them equal and note the mileage. Drive like that for 5-10 k miles and see the wear difference. Then replace both together 

Many thanks!

[Heidfirst]

On 8/17/2024 at 6:51 PM, Wheelyscott said:

I'm looking at purchasing an icon 2l which has uneven tyre wear across the front wheels - tread depth 5.3mm n/s and 6.9mm o/s. Does this vehicle require alignment checking or could there be another cause ( I guess the o/s tyre may well have been replaced due to a puncture)

The car has done 21500 miles. Thanks folks.

At 21k miles & 5+mm on both front tyres I would say that both have most likely been replaced (or perhaps rotated from the rear)

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, Heidfirst said:

At 21k miles & 5+mm on both front tyres I would say that both have most likely been replaced (or perhaps rotated from the rear)

This can be checked by the DOT markings on the side walls. If they are same year as the car reg then likely are the original ones if they are different year perhaps been replaced. Icon specs comes with 205/55 16 Bridgestone tyres. 
 

[AndrueC]

Front wheel drive vehicles will always exhibit greater wear on the fronts. The fronts on FWD vehicles are doing everything: Turning, braking and acceleration.

[Talking Hoarse]

On 8/17/2024 at 8:02 PM, TonyHSD said:

........ Not necessarily the car needs alignment at these low miles but if it’s pulling to one side and continue to wear off the side in question faster perhaps it might need one. If the tyres are the same and not directional you can swap L to R ..............   

Just a point or two to beware ...  The 2nd /20K service at Toyota should include a wheel alignment check.  So it may have been done recently.  And beware swapping tyres L to R - as many replacement tyres will be directional and therefore would need removed from rim, turned round etc to do so.  Directional tyres have an arrow or two printed on sidewall.  Corolla OE tyres are not (in my experience) directional.

 

[Dylanfan]

Also be aware that existing ware on a tyre that is moved to another position will still ware in that area! So if inner edge is warn on a front right tyre, that edge will still ware if the wheel is moved to the left front.

[APS]

@Wheelyscott, you are probably correct about the tyre being replaced due to puncture. You can check the date stamps on the tyres to confirm. Left front tyres can also wear more due to roundabout-warriors 🙂 

Unless the car is very obviously not driving straight or one or more tyre is worn on just one edge, then alignment is unlikely an issue. Still worth asking them to check. 

[Red_Corolla]

I agree it's not a huge concern. Punctures happen and a little extra wear on the nearside can sometimes occur naturally on cars that have spent time in areas with an abundance of roundabouts (Milton Keynes effect).

[Chuffmonkey]

I had a puncture after 6k miles, I replaced that tyre with the same brand and carried on as normal. The car still drove straight and I think I got around 26k miles before I replaced the other front but this time I replaced both fronts.  

[taxidriver50005]

And the brand of tyre would be? 

I ask as some brands wear very strangely, I've had some odd tyres from national tyres lately. First set wore outer edges both inside and out and second set different brand wore out center and left edge like new... Yes they were at correct pressures and yes midrange but known brands, previously I was using Goodyear efficient grip and had a spate of sidewall punctures... 5 out of 8 tyres so ended up changing brands.. No more sidewall punctures.. But they wore evenly until they punctured. 

[TonyHSD]

On 8/20/2024 at 8:39 PM, taxidriver50005 said:

And the brand of tyre would be? 

I ask as some brands wear very strangely, I've had some odd tyres from national tyres lately. First set wore outer edges both inside and out and second set different brand wore out center and left edge like new... Yes they were at correct pressures and yes midrange but known brands, previously I was using Goodyear efficient grip and had a spate of sidewall punctures... 5 out of 8 tyres so ended up changing brands.. No more sidewall punctures.. But they wore evenly until they punctured. 

What are your preferred tyres make  and model right now ? 

I am using Goodyear efficiency grip performance 2 and I like them a lot. 
Only once I shredded the tyre wall as I run over a bottle and another time run over a large chunk of lorry tyre with exposed wires which again punctured the side wall, other than these two misfortunes no issues at all. Great tyres with amazing grip and long life plus smooth and quiet ride. 

[Red_Corolla]

Crossclimates for me, when I finally get through the Falkens. I've been swapping front to back to keep the wear even, because I want them ALL gone in one fell swoop! 😂

One thing I'll say in defence of the Falkens is I haven't observed any uneven wear pattern; mine are all pretty uniform all the way across their width after 25k. I don't think they'll take me much further than 30k - you get what you pay for in the tyre world.

[Heidfirst]

13 minutes ago, Red_Corolla said:

Crossclimates for me, when I finally get through the Falkens. I've been swapping front to back to keep the wear even, because I want them ALL gone in one fell swoop! 😂

 

how does that go with the TPMS, do you need to re-programme when you rotate?

I am very happy with the Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 currently on my Avensis.

[Kental]

1 hour ago, Heidfirst said:

how does that go with the TPMS, do you need to re-programme when you rotate?

I am very happy with the Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 currently on my Avensis.

No, the Corolla uses actual pressure sensors (rather than using wheel rotation speeds) so tyre wear is irrelevant. To my knowledge even where the tyre is located is not distinguishable so why it can’t show a spatial tyre profile unlike the 2020 onwards Yaris.

[Heidfirst]

Not bothered about the wear but the rotation. My current Avensis needs the TPMS reprogrammed if you rotate front>back etc., it's a hassle.

[Red_Corolla]

4 hours ago, Heidfirst said:

how does that go with the TPMS, do you need to re-programme when you rotate?

I am very happy with the Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 currently on my Avensis.

 

19 minutes ago, Heidfirst said:

Not bothered about the wear but the rotation. My current Avensis needs the TPMS reprogrammed if you rotate front>back etc., it's a hassle.

Mine doesn't care which corner the sensors are fitted at, so there's no need for any reprogramming, just a reset via the menu due to pressure changes (wheels that were previously on the rear axle need to be inflated a little more and vice-versa). Some people dislike this design because there's no fancy display with the pressures at each location (it can't do that because it doesn't know which sensor belongs to which wheel) but, as someone who actually checks my own tyre pressures, I really appreciate the simplicity and ease of maintenance. If one tyre is going down, that's all I need to know, I can take it from there.

[Heidfirst]

Just now, Red_Corolla said:

 

Mine doesn't care which corner the sensors are fitted at, so there's no need for any reprogramming, just a reset via the menu due to pressure changes (wheels that were previously on the rear axle need to be inflated a little more and vice-versa).

Thanks, I tend to keep my Avensis the same all round (even though that is not the recommendation). 

[taxidriver50005]

15 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

What are your preferred tyres make  and model right now ? 

I am using Goodyear efficiency grip performance 2 and I like them a lot. 
Only once I shredded the tyre wall as I run over a bottle and another time run over a large chunk of lorry tyre with exposed wires which again punctured the side wall, other than these two misfortunes no issues at all. Great tyres with amazing grip and long life plus smooth and quiet ride. 

I like Bridgestone turanza at the moment, all depends on price and wear rates... I was using Avon zv7 which were well priced exceptional in the wet and rode very smoothly but had high wear rates. 

 

[TonyHSD]

Whatever tyres you have on your car most important is the tyre pressure. 
Upcoming days and nights the temperatures are dropping by as much as 10-15C° and the tyres pressures will need adjustment.
Check your tyres pressure and add some air in. I am going to do that right now and prepare for cold nights ahead. 🛞👌

[Red_Corolla]

On 9/11/2024 at 12:30 PM, TonyHSD said:

Whatever tyres you have on your car most important is the tyre pressure. 
Upcoming days and nights the temperatures are dropping by as much as 10-15C° and the tyres pressures will need adjustment.
Check your tyres pressure and add some air in. I am going to do that right now and prepare for cold nights ahead. 🛞👌

Well said. Instinctively, I feel that if we had a reliable source for how often the average motorist actually takes a gauge to their vehicle and checks the pressures properly, the statistics would be grim.

[TonyHSD]

41 minutes ago, Red_Corolla said:

Well said. Instinctively, I feel that if we had a reliable source for how often the average motorist actually takes a gauge to their vehicle and checks the pressures properly, the statistics would be grim.

You are right. 
I did mine and they were down a bit. Added little bit air and all is good now. 
Often checks are good not just for a overall even wear but also to find early any possible slow puncture. When I checked mine all 4 were equally down. I use Michelin digital gauge and it’s precise and works great. 

[Rhymes with Paris]

20 odd years ago I was pulled at a joint tyre checkpoint by police and a local branch of a national tyre fitting company .

At the time I had a six wheel transit van,twin rear wheels.

I was asked what pressures I thought were correct for my tyres, and the correct tread depth, I knew, being on top of such things at that time.

The tyre fitting chaps checked four of them, but could not figure out how to check the inner rear tyres for pressure, due to it being a bit hard to access the valves.

Now I just kick the tyres every six months or so, and if my foot bounces off, it's all good.

[Cyker]

1 hour ago, TonyHSD said:

You are right. 
I did mine and they were down a bit. Added little bit air and all is good now. 
Often checks are good not just for a overall even wear but also to find early any possible slow puncture. When I checked mine all 4 were equally down. I use Michelin digital gauge and it’s precise and works great. 

Mine were all 2 psi down from cold compared to last week!

Blimey winter's coming on quick this year!!