And the tires?

"Ryanator122" (hawkeye122)
06/28/2014 at 21:07 • Filed to: None

This is the front left tire Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Pro on my Mazda 6. As you can see, the shoulder is worn obnoxiously. Help?

I noticed about a week ago that the outside shoulders on my front tires are worn like this. The inside shoulders are similarly worn, but the center looks almost untouched? This isn't happening on the rears, so it think I'm going to rotate at the minimum. Castor/camber issue?

DISCUSSION (18)

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Ryanator122
06/28/2014 at 21:19

Check your tire pressure.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Ryanator122
06/28/2014 at 21:25

Kinja'd!!!

although my Volvo v70 did the same thing, ate the outside blocks... and it was all aligned to spec.

The Compromiser > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
06/28/2014 at 21:29

lots of options, but tire pressure is the most likely. Under inflation. Causes the center to go concave and load on the outsides. If the inner edge isn't worn, could be camber or a combo with toe. Or an alignment issue. Could also be a hooning driver taking agressive corners.... not that I would know...

03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST > Ryanator122
06/28/2014 at 21:34

My car had something like this happen. Michelin pilot A/S plus's I think they were. Eventually the cords started showing and I had to get new ones. Check your tire pressure and see if the tie rods are worn. Mine were really bad. Keep a good eye on those tires in the meantime. Be prepared to get new ones. These tires also had a big problem with chunking, so watch out for rhat to.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > The Compromiser
06/28/2014 at 21:40

According to the OP, it's on both wheels up front, while the center is untouched

f86sabre > Ryanator122
06/28/2014 at 21:45

radio Le Mans reference?

The Compromiser > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
06/28/2014 at 21:45

Yeah I saw that after I published. Under inflated is my bet.

Ryanator122 > f86sabre
06/28/2014 at 22:34

True story!

Ryanator122 > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST
06/28/2014 at 22:37

I'm not out there right now, but I think they are Plus, not pro. They are chunking on the shoulders to a degree. I just had the oil changed and they said the pressure was fine.. Maybe even over-inflate them a bit to compensate?

Do you (or does anyone know) of a tire with similar performance, but doesn't have this issue?

Ryanator122 > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
06/28/2014 at 22:41

Interesting read there. I haven't lowered my car, I do wonder if the old shocks sag a bit though, perhaps that makes it better/worse? Idk.

Ryanator122 > The Compromiser
06/28/2014 at 22:42

I thought the same, but I got the oil changed and supposedly they checked and said it was fine? I'll check myself in a bit

dogisbadob > Ryanator122
06/28/2014 at 22:43

When did you get them? Old tires do develop cracks and shit. check the tire's DOT code, specifically the last four digits.

If it was just low pressure, there'd be more wear on the ends than in the middle, but low pressure alone wouldn't cause severe cracks like that unless you ran them flat or almost flat.

Bad shocks can cause feathering too.

Ryanator122 > The Compromiser
06/28/2014 at 22:43

And I haven't been driving that poorly! I did double-think on Autocross this week though, bummed I had to miss it

Ryanator122 > dogisbadob
06/28/2014 at 22:49

The thing is, these were the tires on the car whenI bought it 8k miles/4 months ago. If I picked the right number to read, the 4 digits are 1411

Ryanator122 > Ryanator122
06/28/2014 at 22:50

I've never run them flat though

dogisbadob > Ryanator122
06/28/2014 at 23:05

ok, so the tires are just over 3 years old (1411 = 14th week of 2011), so the cracks aren't or shouldn't be age-related (which usually happens when the tire is 6-10 years old)

03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST > Ryanator122
06/28/2014 at 23:51

Well after all of my research I ended up with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3's. So far they've been really good but I haven't had them on long. I've found it's one of the best you can get. If you don't want Michelin's, assuming you'll want all seasons, then there's Bridgestone Potenza's, Continental ExtremeContact DWS's and Yokohama ADVAN S.4's. There's a lot more options but, these are just some that I looked at.

To be honest I don't know if you should over inflate them. I think it's best to start looking at new tires now. If you have to, just get two of them for now. That's what I did. I just put the old tires up front and the new tires on the rear for my Mustang.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Ryanator122
06/29/2014 at 13:23

Get the alignment checked, but honestly all of these do that same exact thing. However super sports and AS3's don't seem to have this problem. The rears don't do it because there is hardly any load on them. Rotate the tires and you might get a few more thousand miles out of them.