Front tyres wear rate

[oldphantomist]

Hi need some advice on the above. I m driving a VW caddy van and recently i notice both my front tyres threads are almost wearing thin. Only the front pair has this problem the rear are still as good as new. I rarely carry heavy loads and always maintain the correct pressure indicated on the van thus not sure why this happens. All tyres currently log 55K+

 

Any idea why this happen?

[Demon]

Hi need some advice on the above. I m driving a VW caddy van and recently i notice both my front tyres threads are almost wearing thin.

 

Typically the front tyres suffer more wear because they not only support the weight of the engine but also do all the steering

 

Only the front pair has this problem the rear are still as good as new. I rarely carry heavy loads and always maintain the correct pressure indicated on the van thus not sure why this happens.

 

It's very normal that the front tyres wear faster than the rear tyres thus there is this procedure called "tyre rotation". Which means at regular interval (say, every 10.000km), the front and rear wheels will swap position. This is to max out the tyre life-span by spreading the wear rate evenly.

 

Tyres will naturally wear otherwise they are not doing their job. What is more important is not the rate of wear but how even is the wear.

 

For cost saving measures, you can replace just the front two.....like taxi drivers

 

 

All tyres currently log 55K+

 

55,000km is definitely the upper limit for any tyre.

[oldphantomist]

Hi Demon, thanks for detail explanation. I have heard of this rotation before but thought usually applies to those normal cars cos dun think most G plates will sent their vehicle to do this kind of tyre rotation add cost to their biz maintenance.

 

Anyway i will have my front tyres chg soon to the same model. If 55K is an upper limit then to me this shld be a very good tyre to stick back. Just 1 more question in your opinion when i chg the front tyres should i ask the shop to switch the rear ones to the front and the new pair to the rear? My rear although already log 55K they still look new and the wear indication is still quite deep.

 

Thanks again

[jB]

Depends on how long you take to finish the next frt set I believe. The older tyres definitely is not as grippy as the new 2 you're going to buy. Another thing that promotes fast wear for fwd cars is because the front will wear out first due to fast moving off and also the hard braking unlike bikes which is powered by the rear(some bikers have their rear quite bald because of hard pickup and tyre pressure). Usually the one that grips and drives better should be in front, if you can afford it, better to replace tyres as a set of 4 and rotate them plus the rotation monitored apart from tyre pressure.

[Demon]

Just 1 more question in your opinion when i chg the front tyres should i ask the shop to switch the rear ones to the front and the new pair to the rear?

 

Unlike bikes, most cars are front wheels driven so it is critical that the best condition tyres go to the front. Since it is a Goods Vehicle, it is unlikely you should be driving a high speed for a long period and executing some aggressive maneuvers, those current tyres should be ok so just buy a new pair for the front. When finance permits then change another pair so you have 4 new tyres.

 

 

My rear although already log 55K they still look new and the wear indication is still quite deep.

Even new tyres have a shelf live. You can't judge the condition of the tyre by the wear indicator because rubber degrades over time whether on the shelves or on the car. That is why the year of manufactured is stamped on the tyre. So when a tyre shop offers you a great deal, be really suspicious especially if it is a high performance tyre.

 

Read here for more

http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html

[DUCADOS]

Weight play a part (engine weight), when doing brake,all weight n force is distributed to the front too... Turning of steering at low speed or even stationary position makes the tires wear too

[bobiee]

coz it carries engine weight and steering reason, allign it properly, do spooring and balancing after changing new tyres

[cougar]

tyre rotation usually $15 - $20 at most petrol kiosk auto service shops, important that they do wheel balancing also before fitting back the tyres. Thats the complete package.

[jB]

Too bad our bikes can't rotate