Tire wear never has just one cause, but regardless, one thing is certain: it can cause financial and operational losses and compromise fleet safety. Therefore, we'll teach you how to identify the main types of tire wear and, even better, how to prevent and avoid it from continuing to happen in your operation.
What causes uneven tire wear?
Why monitor tire wear?
Types of tire wear: the main 8
How to check tire wear?
And how to prevent premature tire wear?
Is it worth investing in technology in these cases?
What causes uneven tire wear?
Well, tire wear can be attributed to several factors, but all of them require attention, as they directly influence operational efficiency, maintenance costs, and driver safety.
Therefore, understanding what causes irregular tire wear is just the first step, then it is also important to implement prevention measures to increase the durability of these parts.
We'll get to that part, but first, understand what the main reasons behind tire wear are:
- Incorrect pressure: Maintaining adequate pressure is essential to prevent uneven tire wear, which improves fuel efficiency and also ensures vehicle safety.
- Poor condition of roads: Yes, even poor road conditions, such as holes and irregularities, contribute to accelerated wear.
- Sudden braking: Harsh braking can also cause excessive tire wear, compromising the tread and useful life.
- Misaligned vehicles: Out-of-alignment cars also experience uneven tire wear, affecting stability and efficiency.
- Excess load: Overloading vehicles beyond recommended capacities is another cause, negatively impacting performance and safety.
It's clear that some issues are beyond your control, but monitoring isn't. By paying attention to every detail and any sign of wear and tear, you can take action and prevent bigger problems in the future.
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Why monitor tire wear?
Keeping an eye on uneven tire wear is important for several reasons. First, because it can compromise the safety of everyone traveling on streets and roads, as grip decreases and the risk of accidents only increases.
Not to mention the extra costs of replacing parts, which negatively impacts the fleet's budget.
Furthermore, a complete car inspection can also offer insights into the vehicle's performance and indicate potential mechanical problems. While tire wear can indicate alignment or suspension issues, improper tire pressure can affect fuel efficiency.
Therefore, by adopting monitoring measures, it is possible to implement corrective and preventive actions, such as alignment adjustments, tire pressure correction and adequate rotation.
All of this not only maximizes vehicle safety, but also contributes to fuel economy and extends the lifespan of parts.
Another important point is that driving with bald tires can also result in problems with traffic enforcement, as this practice represents a serious infraction, with a fine of R$195,23 and the loss of 5 points on the driver's license.
According to article 230 of the Brazilian Traffic Code, a fine can be applied for each part that is in poor condition, including the spare tire, and the vehicle may also be impounded until the problem is resolved.
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Types of tire wear: the main 8
Now that you are aware of the causes and the importance of monitoring in these cases, let's explore the 8 main types of tire wear.
1. Core wear
This wear is central because it occurs in the center of the tread, due to excessive tire pressure. This not only destabilizes the vehicle but also increases the risk of a blowout, which is why attention during tire inflation is so important.
2. One-sided wear
When only one side of the part shows wear, this usually indicates alignment or load distribution problems. If we factor in suspension failures and excess weight, the wear can become even more severe, so it's important to pay attention to these signs.
3. Localized wear
Localized wear, on the other hand, is concentrated in a specific area and occurs after sudden braking, skidding, or locking of tires. To prevent this from happening, ABS and braking systems should be checked regularly, and drivers should be instructed to avoid these behaviors.
Suggested reading: Bad driving habits: learn how to recognize and avoid the 6 most dangerous ones for a vehicle.
4. Uneven tire wear
If tire rotation and other preventative maintenance measures are ignored, problems begin to arise, such as uneven tire wear. Misalignment, suspension problems, and low tire pressure are all contributing factors, so, once again, prevention is better than cure.
5. Scale wear
The flaky wear resembles a sawtooth pattern and can generate constant noise. Therefore, choosing the appropriate parts is the first step to minimizing this side effect, avoiding medium or low severity tires on rough terrain, for example.
6. Serrated wear
Now, if you notice wear on the edges of your tires, that's what we're talking about, caused by abnormal friction on the road. Generally, jagged wear is also linked to alignment problems, so the best solution is to have the vehicle adjusted immediately to prevent further damage.
7. Wear on the edges or “shoulders”
The ends of the tires are responsible for joining the center of the tread to the sides and are subject to wear for various reasons, some of which can affect this region are: inadequate inflation, leaks, overloading and high-speed curves.
8. Wear and tear from sports driving
High-speed maneuvers can also cause rubber degradation and irreversible damage, known as sports driving wear. In this case, driver awareness and training are essential to extend the useful life of parts and ensure safe driving.
How to check tire wear?
Wondering how to check tire wear? A few tips are enough to easily identify these signs and know if it's time to change or do maintenance.
- Check groove depth: The line between the tread grooves indicates wear, if the depth is close to or below 1,6 mm, it is time to replace the tires.
- Check tire age: you will find four digits on the side of the parts, which indicate the week and year of manufacture, tires that are more than five years old may have degraded components and must be replaced.
- Look for cracks and bubbles: Still looking at the side of the tires, you can also take the opportunity to look for cracks or bubbles, which indicate excessive wear or internal damage and the need for immediate replacement.
- Look for uneven tire wear: Also check the grooves across the entire width and tread areas of the parts. If the wear is excessive in specific areas, the vehicle may have alignment or suspension problems.
Suggested reading: Everything about tire lifespan and how it directly impacts your fleet.
And how to prevent premature tire wear?
If, after knowing all the risks involved, your biggest interest is how to prevent premature tire wear, we also have the answers. Some measures are capable of increasing useful life, but preventive maintenance is, by far, the most important of them. Check out the guidelines:
Pressure check
We've already seen that incorrect tire pressure can compromise handling, increase wear and fuel consumption, and affect road grip. Therefore, tire pressure should be checked regularly, always according to the manufacturer's recommendations and adjusted according to the load being carried, if applicable to your operation.
Periodic rotation or tire rotation
The objective of the well-known tire rotation is to alternate the position of the parts, redistributing wear more evenly. This is essential care, as front and rear tires suffer different deterioration as a result of different loads, situations and forces exerted by the vehicle.
In this way, periodic rotation helps to equalize wear between them, prolonging their durability. It is important to emphasize that this must happen within the time interval recommended by the manufacturer.
Balancing
An essential procedure to keep parts in excellent condition, as unbalanced wheels can cause vibrations in the vehicle, uneven tire wear and damage to suspension components.
On the other hand, by ensuring adequate balance you guarantee even weight distribution and provide a smooth, safe and comfortable drive for your drivers.
Alignment
Moving on to misaligned wheels, they can cause difficulty steering, instability and loss of traction. However, with correct alignment they are aligned parallel and perpendicular to the ground, which increases driving safety and extends the useful life of the parts.
In other words, structuring a fleet maintenance plan and, more importantly, strictly following the manufacturer's recommendations, are fundamental steps to avoid serious problems that can cause accidents.
Defensive driving
We talk a lot about the mechanical part when it comes to tire wear, but we cannot ignore the influence of drivers in this process. Therefore, defensive driving cannot be left aside.
Maintaining a safe distance from vehicles ahead, avoiding sudden braking, and reducing speed on curves are actions that reduce the load exerted on the tires, contributing significantly to road safety.
Is it worth investing in technology in these cases?
Of course, the answer is always yes. The right technology can help you monitor driver behavior, for example, in relation to sudden accelerations and braking or even inappropriate turns.
If your fleet management system is truly efficient, like Golfleet, you still have the right solution to monitor the status of your vehicles: the Vehicle Maintenance Module.
Of course, our software won't literally prevent uneven tire wear on your fleet. But better than that, it will allow you to track the maintenance status of your vehicles and contribute to operational efficiency and cost reduction.
Suggested reading: Maintenance Module: Golfleet's reliable alert for when it's time for vehicle servicing.
Thanks to its advanced features, you have access to automatic maintenance plans, scheduling, maintenance alerts, and data analysis. Everything you need to ensure that no vehicle goes without proper maintenance, knowing everything from the location to the cost involved.
Don't leave your fleet without the necessary care, take advantage of Golfleet's full potential to keep your operation running smoothly and with safety up to date.
