Tires Cupped
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Tires Cupped
So I am in need of new shocks on the front end of my '00 X. My question is once i change them out will the tires eventually wear even? Today they are cupped and have plenty of life left on them only 15k miles on them.
Thanks for the feedback
Brian
Thanks for the feedback
Brian
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Oct 2010
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From: Milwaukee, WI
Cupping is not usually a sign of bad shocks. It is usually a sign of worn suspension parts like ball joints. Is the cupping on the inside, outside or middle of the tire or is it cupping out of round?
Is your X a 2wd or 4x4?
Is your X a 2wd or 4x4?
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That's interesting the identification for the need of new shocks was from my mechanic who showed me that the bushing was bad on the shock and it is causing my tires to cup. When i ran my hand over the entire width of the tire i could feel the cupping. It's a 2WD
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,388
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From: Greensboro, NC
Bad shocks will typically give you uneven tread wear but not cupping. Cupping is typically due to worn suspension components as Jason mentioned or leaving them on the front too long without rotating them. Here's a good pic for reference:
More Turbo
Joined: Jul 2010
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From: Tennessee
Yes, the source of the vibration is an out of balance tire or out of round tire. Worn components can make it worse. Also big stupid knobby tires will always cup and can be a general pain in the A. Knobby tires will also cause components to wear as well as tires that are too wide and have too little offset.
Perry
Perry
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Well, guess me and my mechanics have been wrong too .... 
And the cures I did with new shocks didn't help like we thought it did
Cupping to me have always been presented as shock issues in that the shocks allow minute up and down movement that resonates with wheel rotation thus wearing the same area of the tire...
It IS, however, compounded by too long cycles between rotations,
but new shocks and getting the cupped tires on different locations CAN improve it, but won't correct it completely...
You might go by a Discount tire or like and ask them if shaving the tire down to level will help if there is a lot of tread left and worth it...
good luck, and the above is not argumentative, just my experience
And the cures I did with new shocks didn't help like we thought it did
Cupping to me have always been presented as shock issues in that the shocks allow minute up and down movement that resonates with wheel rotation thus wearing the same area of the tire...
It IS, however, compounded by too long cycles between rotations,
but new shocks and getting the cupped tires on different locations CAN improve it, but won't correct it completely...
You might go by a Discount tire or like and ask them if shaving the tire down to level will help if there is a lot of tread left and worth it...
good luck, and the above is not argumentative, just my experience
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thanks for the comments. I changed out my front shocks to no avail. The front left still have a bounce that i can't figure out. you feel in in the driver side floor board so I am guessing it might be the spring but that't only a guess.
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Joe Kucinski
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No, irregular wear will not go away after the problem is resolved, at least not within a normal tire life span. You would have to true the tires to eliminate the chopped or irregular tread. 
Sorry gang, sitting at work posting and should really take more time to answer thoroughly.
Depending on the type of tire, tread design and severity of the "cupping" it is very unlikely that fixing the mechanical cause of the irregular wear and then running the tires hoping the road surface will correct the problem by wearing down as a tire normally would in a perfect world. It has been my experience that by the time the problem is noticed and then finally resolved, the cupping is so bad that the typical tread-life of a tire is not enough to allow for a normal wear pattern to develop.
I usually answer this question this way: "Once it starts it's difficult to correct"
Tires can be optimized or shaved down to eliminate the cupping but not everyone is comfortable with that.
Good luck with it.
Sorry gang, sitting at work posting and should really take more time to answer thoroughly.
Depending on the type of tire, tread design and severity of the "cupping" it is very unlikely that fixing the mechanical cause of the irregular wear and then running the tires hoping the road surface will correct the problem by wearing down as a tire normally would in a perfect world. It has been my experience that by the time the problem is noticed and then finally resolved, the cupping is so bad that the typical tread-life of a tire is not enough to allow for a normal wear pattern to develop.
I usually answer this question this way: "Once it starts it's difficult to correct"
Tires can be optimized or shaved down to eliminate the cupping but not everyone is comfortable with that.
Good luck with it.
MMNC (SS)(Ret)
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 11,602
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From: SE Georgia
I would look at your spindle bearings. Is it the inner or outer edge that is cupping?
Failing to rotate tires can and will cause cupping. My Expy has 22,250 miles and I've never rotated. The fronts are cupped quite badly on the outer edges because of that. I did it on purpose though because my factory tires are nearly to the wear indicators and I'm putting new tires on tomorrow
exactly
when my shocks were worn out, my tires wore out more quickly...but they never cupped or developed weird spots
Failing to rotate tires can and will cause cupping. My Expy has 22,250 miles and I've never rotated. The fronts are cupped quite badly on the outer edges because of that. I did it on purpose though because my factory tires are nearly to the wear indicators and I'm putting new tires on tomorrow
when my shocks were worn out, my tires wore out more quickly...but they never cupped or developed weird spots
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