Uneven Tyre Wear and What Each Pattern Means
A practical guide to uneven tyre wear for UK drivers, from the CarPal mobile tyre team.
Both outer edges worn
Wear on both shoulders with a relatively better centre means chronic under-inflation. The tyre has been running soft, rolling onto its shoulders and loading the edges.
The fix is pressure, checked cold and set to the door sticker figure. If the wear is already significant the tyre life is shortened permanently, but correcting pressure stops it worsening.
Centre strip worn
A worn band down the middle with better shoulders means over-inflation. The tyre has been bulging in the centre and carrying the load on a narrow strip.
Again, the fix is pressure. And check nobody has been using the tyre’s maximum sidewall pressure instead of the vehicle’s recommended figure.
One edge only
Wear confined to the inner or outer shoulder is an alignment problem — camber or toe out of specification. Pressure will not cause one-sided wear.
Common causes are kerb impacts, pothole damage, worn suspension bushes or a car that has simply never been aligned. It needs measuring on alignment equipment; guessing is a waste of tyres.
Patchy or scalloped wear
Cupping or scalloping — a scalloped pattern around the tyre — usually indicates worn dampers or other suspension wear letting the wheel bounce rather than track the road.
Flat spots in one place suggest a locked-wheel braking incident or a balance problem. Either way it is a mechanical issue rather than a tyre fault.
Why it matters financially
Uneven wear means you replace tyres based on the worst area rather than average wear. A tyre worn out on one edge at 15,000 miles when it should have lasted 30,000 has effectively doubled your tyre costs.
Diagnosing the cause is usually cheaper than the second set of tyres.
Frequently asked questions
What causes wear on both edges of a tyre?
Under-inflation. The tyre rolls onto its shoulders and loads the outer edges.
What causes wear in the middle of a tyre?
Over-inflation. The tyre bulges in the centre and carries load on a narrow strip.
What causes wear on one side only?
Wheel alignment out of specification — camber or toe. Pressure does not cause one-sided wear.
What is tyre cupping?
A scalloped wear pattern usually caused by worn dampers or suspension components letting the wheel bounce.
Need help with your tyres?
Call 07888 861557 · 
WhatsApp 07459 623445
Flat tyre, blowout or a tyre that keeps losing pressure? CarPal comes to you — at home, at work or the roadside — anywhere in the UK, 24 hours a day
Related Tyre Services: Mobile Tyre Fitting,Puncture Repair, Area we cover