'98 MAX SE, 100K

Just pulled off the snows and mounted up the All Seasons (three seasons where this car lives :-) I found some funny wear on the All Seasons going back on (came off in November).

All of the all seasons have been wearing on the outside edges, 3/4" to 1" in from the side. You can feel a real bevel from the main sections which have plenty of tread, but the edges are close to "done". A little choppy, but not the kind of wave pattern you usually see from bad shocks (which are being replaced anyway).

The tires are top shelf Michelin AS Plus. Always well inflated at around 33lbs. Car is not driven hard... it's babied. Car is aligned... was out a little bit when checked in November but not a huge amount. Besides, I'd expect alignment problems to wear one edge, not both. Springs are original, no mods on this car.

Ideas? Maybe worn shocks do this on these cars? Springs perhaps? Something else to check?

Thanks,

 

I work for a tire manufacturer, what your describing is usually related to low air pressure. I would recommend to take it to a tire shop and get a second opinion if you have doubts.

 

Low air pressure should cause wear on both the inside and outside edges, not just one edge.

BobMax, is your car lowered or do you have big wheels like 19 inchers? I would take the car to an alignment shop and see what they say.

 

Yeah, I thought about the low pressure, but I do pay attention to the tires on this car when I can and they've never been "low" that I know of. Even after sitting since November they were still all at 30+ lbs when I mounted them yesterday. Alignment was out a little but nothing dramatic - I will have to go back and check the before and after on the November alignment.

I was actually thinking about it in the other direction - pumping them higher to try to get them off the edges for a while and get some more life out of these tires. I know the manual specs 33... OK to run these up to 36 or so perhaps and keep them there? Do these cars get squirrely at higher pressures?

 

The tire itself determnes the maximum tire pressure. It is based on the construction of the tires, materials, etc. The maximum pressure is molded on the tire sidewall, so take a look at the tire. There are a lot of tires that have a 45 psi maximum and some even higher.

Be advised that the ride will feel harsh at the higher pressures, so don't be suprised.

 

Yeah... I have plenty of room in that direction. I'll have to give it a shot and see how it feels.

 

Sorry about that, i read your original post incorrectly. now that i re-read it, your cause seems to be mechanical wear. I wouldn't recommend over inflating your tires. You need to go to a tire shop for an inspection.

 

Michelin AS plus tires are run flat, crazy strong sidewalls. The hard sidewalls make it more difficult to detect low air pressure than regular tires. They also sacrifice a bit of comfort compared to non run flat tires.