Cupping/Scallop Wear

Appearance


What's Happening
The tire is not tracking straight down the highway, but is bouncing sideways during parts of its rotation. It may be wobbling on the axle or rim. On trailers, the condition is aggravated by running empty. Because of the light load, the trailer begins to bounce, creating more irregular wear, which creates more bouncing, and so forth. The bouncing can create vehicle suspension component wear.

Probable Causes
- loose wheel bearings
- mismounted tire/ wheel assembly
- out of balance wheel assembly
- tread design/ tire design
- worn bearings, shocks, springs or other suspension compnents
- mismatched duals
- inconsistent dual inflation (10 PSI or greater)

Corrective Action
Tighten wheel bearings. Check wheel assembly for proper mounting of tire on wheel (or rim) and for proper mounting of axle. If you have many tires of the same tire brand and tread design with cupping/scallop wear, test other tire brands, tire series or tread designs. Match duals by the tire brand, size and series (differences no more than 1/4" in overall diameter). Inflate tires to fleet standard.

What to do with the tire
Continue to run tire. When worn area reaches tread wear indicators, have Kal Tire retread the tire.

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