tire cupping question.....need all experts advice

[Bobby Manhas]

hey guys,



i have read so many opinions on this site about this......and i value all your opinions, there are just so many to go around that i'm absolutely confused.



is it the shocks, the tires, the camber (don't even know waht that is).....i'm just so lost.



the facts are that my left tire is cupped, now i've heard that what I need to do is put some new shocks in, some Monroe reflex seems to be a solid choice according to most people here.



then i would imagine some new tires would be the next thing to happen.



i'm just curious if this will solve my problem or is there anything else that i need to do?

 

[Bart Adkins]

My front left tire cupped at low miles...turned out to be a loose wheel bearing.

 

[Gavin Allan]

Get new shocks (any are better than Ford's).



Get new tires (The Goodyears are horrible for cupping).

 

[Bart Adkins]

Mine were Michelin...That's what it came with.

 

[Ron Tobias]

Only one cupping, I'd get it checked to make sure it's not a loose suspension part. You'll need to replace the tire(s) anyway and, yes you might as well get some better shocks. You won't regret it.



The tire guy (mom & pop shop) said the Goodyears are famous for cupping (not very forgiving, he said). I think that coupled with the lousy factory shocks assist in the early death of the tires.



Dumped my cupped Badyears at 20,000 miles, donned some new Michelin LTX M&S and Reflex shocks and couldn't be happier. The Reflex are stiff and give a nice stable feel (no more un-intentional lane changes from hitting a bump or pot hole)

 

[P M]

Not sure what the real answer is. My goodyears lasted over 60k with some cupping. Replaced with Bridgestone's, replaced shocks and got an alignment. Alignment was not bad, just needed minor tweaking. Result, after ~8k I'm starting to notice some minor cupping on the Bridgestone's.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

I think the tires need to be rotated every oil change on our trucks. They just cup too quickly otherwise. The camber on mine was out of specs. It cannot be adjusted unless a camber kit is installed. Mine was out of specs from the factory, so Ford installed the kit under warranty.

 

[Richard L]

More frequent tire rotation would help but every 7500 miles will work fine for 95% of all drivers. Front wheel drive cars need more frequent rotations because the front tires are used to steer and drive the vehicle.



I don't believe in throwing parts at a vehicle. Shocks can cause tire cupping , but that does not necessarily mean that you should replace them. If you are happy with the ride with the OEM shocks, then leave them alone, but you will want to bounce all four corners to see if one of them is bad.



You probably need to have your front end alignment checked to include a check for worn wheel bearings and ball joints. Don't go to a shop and just say you want them to replace the wheel bearings or the ball joints. They will do that but that may not be your problem.



...Rich