Odd tire wear pattern?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,243
Likes: 6
From: Rowlett Texas
Odd tire wear pattern?
I noticed my daughter's coupe (formerly mine) is showing tread wear in the middle on the rear tires. I did, and my s.i.l. does, pay close attention to tire pressure so I was wondering if anyone else saw more wear in the center than on the outer edges of their rear tires??
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,066
Likes: 9
From: Eddy Texas
Overinflation is a good guess, but I got the same center wear on my Kumho's, which are nearing slick in the center after 21k miles. They have been at 30psi since new, and I do check and adj them often. No, they don't get driven aggressively.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 19,304
Likes: 85
From: San Diego CA
many variables
The overall weight of the car with driver and gas can make a difference. Let's say you weigh 250 lbs and always keep the tank full. That about 400 lbs added to the car's weight. Now let's say your daughter weighs 100 lbs and averages just a half-tank - that's only about 180 lbs added to the car's weight. Now throw in different tires and ambient temperature and it's almost guaranteed that the tire wear will change.
When I had runflats, I used to keep the pressure set to 30 psi at 70F. The rears always wore in the center, yet other C5 owners obtained good wear results at the same pressure. However Evil Twin commented that he got the best wear when his tire pressures NEVER exceeded 30 psi, even on a 90 degree day at highway speeds.
My advice? Try 27-28 psi.
When I had runflats, I used to keep the pressure set to 30 psi at 70F. The rears always wore in the center, yet other C5 owners obtained good wear results at the same pressure. However Evil Twin commented that he got the best wear when his tire pressures NEVER exceeded 30 psi, even on a 90 degree day at highway speeds.
My advice? Try 27-28 psi.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 460
Likes: 0
From: N. Potomac MD
This is going to sound odd but I recall reading a Michilen posting that if the tire was slighly under pressure the center track would squirm causing excessive wear in the middle. This was stated as especially true in the really wide tires compared to normal america. I also read that Michilen changed their design slightly to accodate this. I too keep accurate attention to tire pressure and even keep records of actual tire ware adjusting pressure accordingly and it wasn't until the latest replacements did I reverse my actions. Well we'll see. But I do get great wear on the daily driver.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 2,620
Likes: 81
From: Florence SC
St. Jude Donor '12
I'd say overinflation or even the tires getting too hot which will cause tire pressures to go up. Might even want to consider if someone has been lighting those rears up. The centrifugal force will make the centers push outwards and then they will show more wear on the centers. This is just my initial thoughts.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 990
Likes: 0
From: North Texas
s.i.l - reporting in
Tire pressure is 27-28 range depending on temperature.
Funny thing - the passenger tire is worse than the drivers.....
Over inflation was my first thought but I have never seen the tire indicater read over 29 which made me wonder how accurate they were........
Tire pressure is 27-28 range depending on temperature.
Funny thing - the passenger tire is worse than the drivers.....
Over inflation was my first thought but I have never seen the tire indicater read over 29 which made me wonder how accurate they were........
Racer
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 322
Likes: 1
From: Pembroke Ont.
I had a set of Faulkens that done the same thing,They were half wore out when I got the car so I don't know what the previous owner run them at. Instead of 30psi cold, I run my new tires at 27-28 cold depending on the weather temp outside, I think it's very important to keep a close eye on tire press. Rule of thumb, 1Deg. increase for every 10Deg temp change. Just my 2cents
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 877
Likes: 4
From: Nouvelle Ecosse
I noticed my daughter's coupe (formerly mine) is showing tread wear in the middle on the rear tires. I did, and my s.i.l. does, pay close attention to tire pressure so I was wondering if anyone else saw more wear in the center than on the outer edges of their rear tires??
3-5 psi will not cause overinflation wear.....10-20 psi most certainly could.
I've switched to running 28PSI cold all the way around...because the car handles better, and it reduces the front tires tendency to wear on the inside shoulder and scallop the tires producing vibrations.
I just checked my rears.....and they are worn a little more in the center than in the shoulder area.
Looks normal to me.
Oh I'm running 245/45R17 Bridgestone Potenza RE 050 RFT's on the front
and 275/40R18 Bridgestone Potenza RE 050A RFT's on the back.
JC
Last edited by JCamaro; Sep 3, 2008 at 03:49 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 13,421
Likes: 8
From: Lake Mary Florida
It seems to be normal from my experience and what I have learned by asking around and especially on Michelin PS A/S ZPs. I have two rears that are nearly bald center rib outward, and they go fast once it starts (20K on the tires). Fronts are still in good shape. I'm waiting on the next generation Michelin PS A/S Plus (ZPs) which are supposed to be re-engineered to significantly improve wear. If they hadn't I'd be looking at other types of tires. The new one's should be in Friday. Michelin was for a while suggesting increasing the air pressure but apparently knew about this and was already working on a next gen tire.
