i got to lookin at my tires last night and noticed that they are wearing more in the middle of the tire than they are on the outside. what's the reason that this could be happening? the only thing i thought of is over inflation, but that's not the case. so what else could it be?

 

Question #1) Front or rear? and #2) Exactly how fast do you drive? LOL
Ever seen those drag cars tires extend out when spinning up? That's the only time I've seen center wear without over inflation. My problem is the opposite, cupped and worn on both inside and outside edges. Tire shop said under inflation, I say not likely at 65psi. His answer to cupped wear was worn shocks, and he was right the shocks were...well, shot! The other explanation would be high speed cornering, once again, I turn my wheel 5 times in the 40kms home so not likely.

For your problem...are your tires heating up while driving enough to increase pressure? That whole kinetic molecular theory we learned about in 10th grade?

 

#1) both, front and rear. #2) the speed limit usually

when you say "cupped wear" are you refering to what i'm talking about or the opposite, i lost ya in the whole kinetic thingy majig

 

My tires bulge out in the center because I have wider tires than reccommended for a 6" rim, so I have to run less air pressure to get full tread contact. The outside 3/4" of my tires rarely touches the pavement. I have increased wear down the center of my tires and I accept this with wider tires. I had 285 BFG's on 7.5" rims on my 95 and had to run 25psi to get full contact and even wear. I needed to run 35psi minimum and ended up wearing the centers out first

I am also noticing wear on the front tires, on the inside and outside edges, similar to damage caused by high speed cornering, only there is a step to the wear, ie) the leading edge of a lug is worn down more than the trailing edge of the same lug, if that's very clear. Guy said worn shocks allow for a bounce effect that causes that wear? I don't know, I did need new shocks though.

 

hey boykid, what size tires you run?

what psi you fill them to? does it solve the problem?

 

On my 04 dually I run a Procomp 265/70/17 on the stock 6" wide rim. I run 45lbs on the back and 60 in the front, just as the manual recommends. They bulge a bit but it's liveable and center wear is acceptable.

On my 95 V10 I run BFG 285/75/16's on a 10" rim at 35lbs all around and they run perfecly flat.

 

i got 285/75/R16 on my truck but i don't know how wide my rim is, but i still assume that it's too wide of a tire and that may be my problem, should i drop the psi and see if that helps? wont i lose mpg's by doing this though?

 

If your running a stock rim then that's most likely your problem. A long time ago I picked up a trick where you take chalk and mark a line across your treads. Take a spin for a clic or too and then check your marks. Adjust your tire pressure until the chalk wears evenly. That's how I ended up at 25psi. with my 285's on a stock 7.5" rim. It was simply too little air pressure so I bumped up to 35psi until I could buy wider rims.

 

ya, it's a stock rim, so in your own opinion, would you adjust the psi and risk losing mpg or just stick it out and put up with it?

 

I mod everything so I may not be the best one to ask this but, Yes. Stick it out for this set of wheels and when they get close to needing replacement, either reconsider your wheel size of think about upgrading to a wider rim.

In this situation I would add "Rims" to my "watch for good deals list" and play the game of opportunity. I got my Aluminum Eagle Alloy's, 10" x 16" for $350cdn. Right place right time.

 

alright will do man, thanks for all your help and i'll just stick it out for now.

 

The stock alum wheels they should be 8 inches wide. How much air are you running in the tires?

 

"I had 285 BFG's on 7.5" rims on my 95 and had to run 25psi "

What are they rated for proper inflation? Your probably severly overloading these tires at this psi because they are at a small fraction of thier recomended inflation. I'm surpisd they haven't shreaded or blown.

 

The best way to tell if you are running the right air pressure is to take a piece of chalk and draw a line across the tread from inside to outside. take a trip around the block keep dropping air pressure until all the chalk is worn off. keep in mind the pressure on the side of the tire is the max inflation pressure not necessarily what you need to run for proper tire wear.

 

I only ran them that way for 3 months during the winter. No problems. Rock Crawlers run BFG's down to 5PSI, not on the highway mind you but 25 is adequate.