Tyre Fitter - what have they done?

[I_M_Weasel]

I had 2 new front tyres fitted about 3 months ago - no problems on the old ones other than coming to the end of their life, ware was even across the tyre.

I was driving in the storm yesterday and car felt like it had no grip whatsoever, I put it down to the weather but thought I'd check the car over anyway, rear tyres were ok but the 2 new font ones are done. The insides of both tyres are down to the metal.

What has the fitter done (or not done) for this to happen?

 

[Phil W]

Nothing. You need a 4 wheel alignment.

 

[Jokester]

Probably nothing (you have been checking tyre pressures regularly?). Your suspension is out of alignment otherwise if you’re getting uneven ware.

How many miles have you done?

 

[I_M_Weasel]

Yeah pressures are fine, I don't curb it, done about 2K since the change - how come I have really serious, uneven ware now when they were fine before the change?

 

[Nasher]

Alignment needs doing every few years just from normal use. It will slowly go out. I usually do mine at the same time as I change tyres.

The alignment might not have been out of spec for long enough to cause much un-even wear on the previous tyres, but this time it's bad from the start. Once they start to wear a certain way you can't change it.

 

[MissChief]

Yeah pressures are fine, I don't curb it, done about 2K since the change - how come I have really serious, uneven ware now when they were fine before the change?

For the tyres to be done within 2k miles something is very wrong. That kind of wear is unheard of.

 

[andy_mk3]

As stated your car needs an alignment. People are always far too quick to blame someone else for these kinda things

 

[I_M_Weasel]

Just seems a coincidence to go from even wear to very severe uneven wear in the months following a tyre change - not to say it isn't a coincidence.

 

[Jonnycoupe]

Unless you get it tracked you are just guessing.

 

[andicole0]

What make tyres? Have you been sold part used ones? There should be an age date on the tyre wall, 4 digits week number and year.
Andi.

 

[I_M_Weasel]

Pirelli P0 fitted at a large household name. I'll have look next time I'm out for age but I don't think they'll be old.

 

[paintguy]

There's nothing a tyre fitter could have done to change the wear pattern of your tyres except put the wrong pressure in them.

Unless of course they deliberately maladjusted the tracking while they had it, but that's conspiracy theory stuff...

 

[MissChief]

There's nothing a tyre fitter could have done to change the wear pattern of your tyres except put the wrong pressure in them.

Unless of course they deliberately maladjusted the tracking while they had it, but that's conspiracy theory stuff...

And would actually be very difficult to do accidentally. Check the rotation direction of the tyres as well.

 

[andy_mk3]

Tyre rotation/direction makes no difference other than dispersing water.

 

[Dis86]

That's pretty unusual but the main culprit is going to be alignment.

 

[I_M_Weasel]

I was mostly thinking that a step may have been accidentally omitted rather than some kind of deliberate attempt to rapidly ruin them. I am in the UK, so perhaps I just happened to hit one of our lovely pot holes and that knocked the alignment out.

Would misalignment of one wheel effect both tyres and in the same way?

 

[Jokester]

Aye, potentially.

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

Yup, if a whack made them excessively toe in (or perhaps more likely out for insides) the edges would be getting cained with factory negative camber... At a guess

Is you steering wheel dead centre?

 

[I_M_Weasel]

Yes, it's not pulling left or right - maybe a small amount of vibration. Only symptom was lack of grip, I was expecting the rears to be the culprit.

Oh well, new tyres are booked for tomorrow and I'll get it in for alignment this week.

Thanks for all your input, help and advice!

 

[I_M_Weasel]

Picture:

https://imgur.com/a/0gabtrm