What Causes Uneven Tyre Wear?

Centre wear — where the middle of the tread is more worn than the edges — points to over-inflation. The tyre is too firm, so only the central portion makes proper contact with the road. Edge wear — where both edges are more worn than the centre — indicates under-inflation. The tyre is too soft, causing the sidewalls to bow outward and the edges to take more load.

One-sided wear — where the inner or outer edge is significantly more worn — usually indicates a wheel alignment problem. If the inner edge is worn, the wheel has too much negative camber (tilting inward at the top) or too much toe-out. Outer edge wear suggests positive camber or toe-in. Either way, an alignment check and correction is needed.

A distinctive scalloped or cupped wear pattern — where the tread appears to have dips or dents at regular intervals around the circumference — usually indicates a suspension problem. Worn shock absorbers or struts allow the tyre to bounce excessively, and as it bounces, it loses contact with the road and then slaps back down, scrubbing rubber at each impact point.

Worn or loose wheel bearings can also cause irregular wear patterns, as can bent wheels. If you notice a cupped pattern, have the suspension and wheel bearings inspected alongside the tyres — replacing the tyres without fixing the underlying cause will just reproduce the same wear on the new tyres.

Once you've identified and corrected the root cause (inflation, alignment, suspension), the existing uneven wear on the tyre may or may not be recoverable depending on severity. Mild uneven wear can sometimes be addressed through rotation, allowing the worn areas to equalise over time. More severe uneven wear generally means the affected tyre needs replacing.

After correcting alignment or suspension issues, have the wheel alignment re-checked in about a month to ensure it's held correctly. A wheel alignment should also be checked after any significant pothole impact and whenever new tyres are fitted.