What Causes Inner Tire Wear?: Inner tire wear is one of the most basic problems that you may face if, well, you own a vehicle. Despite the fact that it is quite commonplace, the potential risk factors that come attached to it can be a recipe for disaster.
Worn out tires have a reduced grip, especially if the roads are wet or covered with snow, hence increasing the risk of slippage. This factor may jeopardize the safety of the passengers.
And this is true not only to the passengers, but the vehicle’s health is compromised as well, because worn out tires reduce fuel efficiency and the vehicle’s overall performance.
Regardless of the dire effects, there are underlying reasons why tires may get worn-out, and we are going to be looking at some of them.
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The Ball Joints are old and worn out
Ball joints are crucial components that connect the control arms of your tires to the wheel hubs of your vehicle, and since they are not visible on the exterior of the tires, it is easy for them to remain unnoticed until they start to get damaged when they begin to lose the test of time.
Subsequently, this damage reduces the tire’s grip on the road as well.
This damage is characterized by a distinct rattling noise and abnormal cabin vibrations, and is threatening to the smooth rolling of the tires.
Hence, old, worn-out ball joints are one of the most common reasons why your tires are facing inside wear.
Messed up toe settings
Toe in refers to the direction that the tires point towards in relation to the central axis of the tires.
If the toe settings are disrupted, they can greatly affect your tires.
This is because the toe creates a balance amongst the forces acting on the inside and outside of the tires.
If either of these forces gets unbalanced and increases more than the other, then the toe settings will be disheveled.
If the inside force gets greater, the tires will point towards the outside, also known as toe out, or negative toe.
And similarly, if the outside force increases, then the tires will point towards the inside of the car, otherwise known as toe in, or positive toe. The latter is what causes inner tire wear.
Negative camber angle
The camber angle is the angle that the central axis of the wheel and tire creates with the road surface.
The camber angle aids in keeping your tires flat on the surface of the road and maintaining the proper contact between the two surfaces that is necessary for smooth driving.
Hence, any disarray in this angle, whether positive or negative, can cause the subsequent wear and tear of the tires.
If the tire leans in towards the car on the upper side, then the camber angle comes out to be positive, and if it leans outwards away from the car, then it comes out to be negative.
That’s as simple as it gets. However, unlike toe settings, where toe in was what caused tire wear on the inside, it is negative camber angle that is to be held accountable when it comes to inner tire wear.
Damaged shock springs
Like many other car components, the springs in your vehicle also disintegrate over time.
Since they are not visible on the exterior of the vehicle, they’re easy to go by unnoticed until they’re so old and damaged that they create trouble.
These springs, along with shock absorbers, are vital for a smooth sailing ride as they help to absorb the shock that your vehicle faces every time it encounters a bump on the road.
As the springs get old, they reduce your vehicle’s stability as well as the tire’s grip on the road, which eventually ends up causing wear on the tire.
Worn out control arms
Control arms are those critical components of the car that serve as a connection between the front wheels and the overall frame of your car.
The proper functioning of these arms helps the driver to properly steer the car.
Basically, these components are what help you flawlessly steer your car.
If the control arms of your vehicles happen to be damaged, or if they start to disintegrate with time, they can seriously affect the camber angle of the wheel and ultimately cause the inside of your tires to wear out.
How to fix inner tire wear?
Make it a point to get your wheels aligned
Keep your tires, the engine, and everything in between in check, and don’t forget to get those wheels aligned to avoid the risk of your camber angles getting messed up and damaging your beloved tires.
It is prescribed that you should get the wheels of your car aligned yearly to keep your tire health in check.
Make sure your tires are never underinflated
Yes, that’s as simple as it gets! It may not seem like much, but making sure that your tires are properly filled with air is one of the most basic ways to reduce the chances of tire wear.
This is because a fully inflated tire means that your tires stay in touch with the ground, evenly.
Replace damaged components ASAP
If you happen to notice that any of the components of your car, especially those springs and ruts have been damaged, you should immediately tend to remove it, instead of ignoring as they can do greater damage in the long run.
You’ll notice this if you regularly check your tires to ensure that one of them is not wearing down more than the other.
It all comes down to this…
From broken inner components, to malfunctioning toe settings, inner tire wear has more than one reason behind it.
However, none of these reasons are such that they can’t be checked and resolved.
Some don’t even need the mechanic, while some do.
Whatever the case may be, make it a point to make your trips to the mechanic more regular to ensure that your vehicle and its tires are in correct shape.
