[FatBoy]

I recently noticed that my front tyres were scrubbing badly on the inside edge, so I booked it in for a wheel alignment, balance and rotation (about 7,000km since the last one).  The result I got from the tyre place was not as expected.  The front was only out by 1mm, but the rear was out by 9.6mm!!  As a result, I may have to replace these tyres earlier than planned.  On the original Hankooks I got 76,000km, but these ones are only 20,000km old (they should last a few more kms though).

The lesson from this story, don't wait until your tyres are worn beyond reason before getting regular maintenance.  I think that I will go in every 5,000km and get it serviced (the alignment mainly).

Surferdude, is that what I should be doing (5,000km alignment) or stick to what I was doing (10,000km alignment)?

[Surferdude]

What brand are these Jamie? I forget.
TBH 10,000 should be plenty.
But I'd include a careful visual inspection by you at more regular intervals. Is it just the uneven wear which is going to kill the tyres? In other words, does the main part of the tread still have plenty on it.

[FatBoy]

Thanks Trev.  There is plenty of "meat" left on the main part of the tyre, it is just the shoulder that has worn prematurely.  They are kumho Zetum Sports tyres.

[Lakes]

I recently noticed that my front tyres were scrubbing badly on the inside edge, so I booked it in for a wheel alignment, balance and rotation (about 7,000km since the last one).  The result I got from the tyre place was not as expected.  The front was only out by 1mm, but the rear was out by 9.6mm!!  As a result, I may have to replace these tyres earlier than planned.  On the original Hankooks I got 76,000km, but these ones are only 20,000km old (they should last a few more kms though).

The lesson from this story, don't wait until your tyres are worn beyond reason before getting regular maintenance.  I think that I will go in every 5,000km and get it serviced (the alignment mainly).

Surferdude, is that what I should be doing (5,000km alignment) or stick to what I was doing (10,000km alignment)?

Jamie i just had same issue, got lazy did not rotate tyres, the inside on left hand front scrubbing almost warn & second set from new 70,000k up on car same tyres as it came new with. right front not as bad. so took it for wheel alignment. Gent said rear ok front where not straight he fixed it.
& looks like i'll be up for more tyres soon.
think my Tyres Hankook they are 16"

[Asterix]

If the tyres are only worn on the shoulders (and not Down to the metal) I would just run them down. When alignment is done the wear will be on the main tread.

A wheel alignment every 5000 km..?   

[Dazzler]

Sounds like that old CRDi front suspension issue to me.. Suspect sagging or something caused by extra weight of Diesel Motor (don't know the fix though!)

Happening to quite a few of the 3 or 4 year old CRDi's on their 2nd set of Tyres.. Shouldn't have to get alignments that often.. I have hardly ever had an alignment other than when getting new tyres fitted! 

[Phil №❶]

I don't think tyres wear that way Henning. The wear is evenly spread over the whole tread, so the edges will still wear out first, unfortunately.

There would also be insurance / legal issues should an accident occur, not worth taking the chance.

@Dazz Me 2, only on tyre replacement.

Seems strange that the Diesel engine weight difference is such a factor. Why not beef up the springs at manufacture, if this is the cause.

[Asterix]

I don't think tyres wear that way Henning. The wear is evenly spread over the whole tread, so the edges will still wear out first, unfortunately.

There would also be insurance / legal issues should an accident occur, not worth taking the chance.

@Dazz Me 2, only on tyre replacement.

Seems strange that the Diesel engine weight difference is such a factor. Why not beef up the springs at manufacture, if this is the cause.

I did that with the wintertyres that came with the i30 when i bought it (ididn't check those before purchase  )

Shoulders where not worn below legal tread and after alignment the tyres wor out nicely on the main tread...

[Phil №❶]

I must try that 

[Surferdude]

What Phil says is right. On a normal road tyre, fixing the alignment won't stop the worn section from wearing. It's still in contact with the road,especailly when you turn. You may reduce the wear a bit but it will still be the first part to wear out.
And you should check the legalities as to what is "legal"

More impotrantly, if there is a strip of bald tread on the tyre, in the wet it will magnify the possibility of slipping, locking up or aquaplaning.

[rustynutz]

When I got a wheel alignment on my i30 the bloke said the tolerances set by Hyundai are borderline for the weight of the diesel.
He altered it and, touch wood, front tyre wear has been fine. Done around 25,000k so far on the new tyres...

[marti30]

My first two sets of front tyres suffered premature inner shoulder wear and were replaced at 38,000 miles and 74,000 miles respectively. At 74,000 miles the front alignment was adjusted and the third set wore evenly across the whole of the tyre. At 112,000 miles I had the fourth set fitted and ran them at about 40psi in the hope that this would help them last longer. At 144,000 miles they have suffered some extra wear in the centre and will have to be replaced fairly soon. In future I think I'll revert to about 36psi. My rear 3 rear tyres (I'm including the proper spare which has been rotated with the other 2) are original. One was on the car for 100,000 miles before becoming my still legal spare.

My first two sets of front tyres suffered premature inner shoulder wear and were replaced at 38,000 miles and 74,000 miles respectively. At 74,000 miles the front alignment was adjusted and the third set wore evenly across the whole of the tyre. At 112,000 miles I had the fourth set fitted and ran them at about 40psi in the hope that this would help them last longer. At 144,000 miles they have suffered some extra wear in the centre and will have to be replaced fairly soon. In future I think I'll revert to about 36psi. My rear 3 rear tyres (I'm including the proper spare which has been rotated with the other 2) are original. One was on the car for 100,000 miles before becoming my still legal spare.

If you are using the standard type tyres I would think they should be 32psi ( the recommended pressure will be written on the tyre ), 36 and 40psi as you mentioned are much to high which is why the centres wore out early due to over inflation, inside or outside wear is poor alignment and even wear on the inside and outside is under inflation.

[Surferdude]

My first two sets of front tyres suffered premature inner shoulder wear and were replaced at 38,000 miles and 74,000 miles respectively. At 74,000 miles the front alignment was adjusted and the third set wore evenly across the whole of the tyre. At 112,000 miles I had the fourth set fitted and ran them at about 40psi in the hope that this would help them last longer. At 144,000 miles they have suffered some extra wear in the centre and will have to be replaced fairly soon. In future I think I'll revert to about 36psi. My rear 3 rear tyres (I'm including the proper spare which has been rotated with the other 2) are original. One was on the car for 100,000 miles before becoming my still legal spare.

If you are using the standard type tyres I would think they should be 32psi ( the recommended pressure will be written on the tyre ), 36 and 40psi as you mentioned are much to high which is why the centres wore out early due to over inflation, inside or outside wear is poor alignment and even wear on the inside and outside is under inflation.

Craig and Marti, 36 psi is definitely NOT too high and won't, by itself cause centre tread wear. 40 might, if you do a significant portion of your driving at highway speeds. (centrifugal force), but tyre size and brand would also have a bearing on this. For instance, a 45 series tyre will be more susceptible than a 55/60/65 series tyre.
However, having said all that, everyone's driving is slightly different, so experimentation is important. But if you are experimenting, you need to know wat to look for so you can monitor the wear before it does any serious damage.
One final question Marti. What pressure are you running your rear tyrea at?

[marti30]

I usually have all four 185/65/15 tyres at much the the same pressure. Apart from the second set of fronts I've stuck with Hankooks. The centres of the current fronts have worn quicker than the edges but not excessively so. It does mean that they only lasted about 32,000 miles instead of the hoped for 38,000 miles. The rears seem to be wearing evenly. Most of my driving is long, gentle journeys on main roads. The dashboard displays for average speed and fuel consumption have never been reset and show 43mph and 65.6mpg, although by my reckoning it's 63.0mpg (before factoring in an under reading odometer).

[TimH]

Had the alighnment done on my CRDi tourer today as the fronts were wearing on the outside edge.  Only done 8000kms since new and I don't hit potholes or kerbs so it came as a suprise that all 4 corners were way out. Not unusual from the factory according to the mechanic. They couldn't get the camber on the front within tolerances so replaced one of the lower strut bolts with one with an eccentric cam on the shank. All good now but will monitor the tread wear carefully and might mention it at first service later this year.

A few months ago I bought a second spare alloy and fitted it with the same Hankook K115 as is fitted to the car. I can now do rotations in pairs and plan to do this every 10,000kms.

[Dazzler]

@ Tim