tire cupping/ uneven tire wear

[Chris M]

Recently, I had all four tires changed due to cupping. At first the dealer was reluctant to change the tires but did so after I mentioned the Ford TSB 05-11-11. Less than a thousand miles later the tires are cupping again. Is there any additional information someone can provide me? I want to be ready when I go back to the dealer. Is the problem really the tires or is it the suspension? My vehicle is 2004 with only 15k miles, it seems that this should be covered under warranty, I’d think.







Thank You for any information you can provide.



Sincerely,



Chris M

 

[Raser x]

I'm still waiting for an answer on the cupping tires from my dealer...its been two weeks. I even took them the TSB.

I changed shocks but won't know how big a difference on the cupped tire til they get changed...or I buy new ones.

 

[Richard L]

Chris,

Cupping tires is not caused by the tires, so replacing them did not solve the problem. The problems is bad shocks or front-end alignment problems.



Tire cupping can also be caused by damaged tire plies caused by impacts with potholes, curbs and road debris like rocks or logs, etc. It does not require a particularly deep pothole but sharper edges and higher speed impacts tend to increase the odds of damaging a tire. Just a slightly different angle at just the right part of the tire, and you have ruined a tire but the cupping may not show for thousands of miles. If your lucky, you get an immediate blowout. Unfortuanely, most people hit so many potholes they don't remember specific impacts unless it blows the tire out immediately.



...Rich

 

[Robert Bowers 2]

i guess all 4 of my tires hit same pothole at same angle.....

bad shocks?...seems like ford warranty......

MY DEALER REPLACED BALLJOINTS AT HEFTY $ TO ME...DID NOT WARRANTY ANYTHING

where can i get copy of the TSB????

 

[Gavin Allan]

Goodyear engineers acknowlege that tire design can contribute to cupping:

Once Goodyear had a physical model of the G395 LHS, it performed extensive tests of the tread designs and of steel belt configurations. Lab tests of the tire footprint shape and pressure provide indications of treadwear characteristics. A procedure called frictional energy analysis uses a high-speed camera to monitor a tire as it rolls across a glass plate. The process looks for tread slip as the tire rolls. Goodyear's FEA results showed lower tread slip from the prototype G395 LHS tires resulting in projections of less shoulder wear and less irregular wear or cupping of tire ribs, Richards said.



The outer ribs of the G395 LHS have a pressure distribution groove with a large radius to reduce pressure build-up. Reduced pressure during cornering improves shoulder wear and reduces the potential for irregular wear and cupping, Zekoski said. All five ribs have edge blades to provide resistance to propagation of river wear.

Spend a little time with Google and you will see that many folks concur that Goodyear tires are prone to cupping. Now you know that even GoodYear engineers know that tire design can contribute to cupping.



It ain't rocket science that all the stories here of folks with new SportTracs who have cupping; as well as the ones who change to another brand don't have it anymore.

 

[Ron N]

I don't know if this will help much,but it will give you an idea of what to have them check. Hope that it helps you out

 

[Unholy ST]

Ahhhhh... ...I noticed my tires were cupped last summer after my mechanic stored them for the winter, I was thinking it has something to do with the way they were stored. Damn Goodyears! Can't wait to buy my Duellers!

 

[Jeff C]

70,715 on my '01. Had Firestones until 20k, Michelins from 20-58k, Goodyears from 58-70k, no cupping on any, stock shocks.