Teething of car tires - how to deal with it?

Some drivers are especially sensitive to any knocks, noises and hum while driving. These sounds can come from almost anywhere in the car. However, tire teething produces a constant and annoying sound that is especially noticeable at high speeds. This phenomenon can be eliminated at very low cost and relatively easily. How? We write about it below!

Tire cutting - what is it?

How to recognize tire cutting? This type of wear is easy to see by looking at the tread. It has blocks separated by channels for water drainage. The part of this rubber element that first comes into contact with the road surface is called the leading edge. The second is the trailing edge. Tire cutting occurs when these edges wear unevenly and the contact surface of the pad to the ground is uneven. If you look at the tire from the front of the rim, you will notice that the tread is notched and the leading edge is higher than the trailing edge.

Tire cutting - causes of the phenomenon

There are several main causes of tread wear. The vast majority of them arise due to improper use of the vehicle. This includes:

• harsh acceleration and harsh braking resulting in tire nicks on non-driving axles;
• long driving with a faulty suspension and shock absorbers of the car;
• driving with too high tire pressure;
• frequent driving on uneven surfaces;
• rigid tire tread structure;
• negligent maintenance and driving without convergence;
• unbalanced wheels.

It is clear that some things do not depend on the driver. However, the use of the car and service activities are within the competence of the owner of the vehicle. They also have the biggest impact on tire cutting.

Teething in the car and its other causes

What are the causes of teething in tires? The teething phenomenon is especially evident in vehicles with a driving axle. The wheels on the non-driven axle are then particularly susceptible to uneven wear. Why? In a front-wheel drive car, the rear wheels trail behind the car. They are not affected by the driving force of the engine, but they move due to friction on the asphalt. This results in fraying of the edges.

Teething and driving in a straight line

In addition, tire cutting is often associated with motorway and expressway driving. When turning, the tread wears evenly across the entire width. On the other hand, it is difficult to achieve such an effect on straight lines. Therefore, cars that mostly drive on long, straight routes can have a big problem with teething.

Toothed tires - signs of tread wear

One of the most common symptoms of uneven tire wear is speed-proportional noise. Usually, when the car is going slower, there are no specific sounds. However, when the speed exceeds 50 km/h, the tires make a noise similar to the sound of a damaged wheel bearing. Tire cutting always produces the same noise whether the wheels are pointing straight ahead or in a curve.

Steering wheel vibrations and other signs of a worn tire

Another problem is the vibration on the steering wheel while driving. Here, too, the sensations are the same, regardless of the direction of movement. This symptom can be mistaken for wheel misalignment or imbalance, but often these problems have other symptoms as well, and you will be able to tell the vibration apart in different ways. The last option that completely dispels doubts is the shape of the tread blocks. If they resemble chainsaw teeth, the diagnosis is clear.

How to eliminate the causes of teething in tires?

If you don't want tire teeth on your car, you can prevent problems by changing your driving style. Do you have a heavy car with a powerful engine? Avoid aggressive driving. Immediate tire screeching and hard braking is often one of the main causes of teething. A quiet ride will result in even tread wear. 

Another tip is to maintain the correct tire pressure. Too high a value will reduce vibration damping and harden the tread. Remember that the harder the splint, the faster teething occurs.

Other Ways to Eliminate Teething in Tires

You can avoid teething if you keep your car in good technical condition. This is especially true of the suspension and shock absorbers. Care of these elements is especially important in vehicles with a leading rear axle. In such vehicles, the front wheels are more prone to teething, and the condition of the suspension has a greater effect on the tread.

The next tip may surprise you a bit. Highway driving promotes teething, so it's sometimes worth driving on winding roads. High-speed cornering with a large radius contributes to uniform tread wear over the entire surface of the tire. Of course, with such a ride, there is nothing to exaggerate so as not to wear out the tire excessively.

Cutting tires on a motorcycle - why?

Motorcycles have half as many wheels, resulting in faster tread wear. The torque transmitted from the engine only goes to one wheel, not two. That's why it's even more important to make sure that tire blowouts don't appear on a two-wheeled vehicle. The effects can be annoying, especially at high speeds. Incorrect tire pressure is usually the cause of uneven tread wear. Other causes of trouble are hard braking with a locked wheel and the condition of the shock absorbers. There are also voices that the reasons for teething tires should be sought in the rider's fit. It must be in line with the axis of symmetry of the motorcycle.

Wheel rotation and teething alignment

While it is not possible to change wheels between axles on a motorcycle, cars with 4 wheels do. However, there are some rules that affect how you swap wheels with each other.

• directional tires - always change the tire with the wheel on the same side of the vehicle. However, choose a different axle, that is, change front to rear and rear to front.
• non-directional tires - the drive axle affects the installation location. If the car is front-wheel drive, then the driver's side wheel should go to the right at the rear, and the right front wheel should go to the left at the rear. Rear wheels, on the other hand, can stay on their side, but must change axle.
• tires in cars with all-wheel drive are the same size - here they will have to be changed crosswise.
• tires in cars with all-wheel drive of variable size - alteration on one axle between the sides of the car.

Tire cutting - repair

For such worn tires, roughness is best suited. It consists in landing the wheel on a special machine, thanks to which you can get rid of part of the tread under the influence of abrasion. In this way, tire cutting is avoided. This method, however, is expensive and usually ranges from a minimum of 5 euros per item. Such consumption does not make sense, especially in the case of old wheels.

The smartest way to avoid tread wear is to drive smart and calmly. Also, do not overdo it with tire pressure and keep it at the level recommended by the manufacturer. You can prevent teething!