Center tread wearing faster on all tires

pejeeper

Original poster
Member
Jan 27, 2012
81
stock everything on my 05 TB, 75k miles, tires rotated regularly

The center tread is balding faster than the rest primarily on the front tires....and no, my tires are not over-inflated. 30psi front, 35 rear. The spare tire (an OE tire that was rotated to the spare) has the same wear pattern. I bought the truck with 40k on it and it came with b/n tires and the worn spare.

My other issue is that all tires do not hold air pressure over time. I have to check and re-fill tires every month regardless of temp changes. I can lose 6-8 lbs in 3-4 weeks. I know aluminum rims and NE winters and road salt can wreak havoc on the tire bead.
 

blazinlow89

Member
Jan 25, 2012
2,088
What size tires do you have, I know in the past when I ran a tire that was wider than stock I would sometimes have this problem.

Have you tried increasing the pressure to see if it is still an issue, try 35 psi like some other members. I run 40 psi with no issues. Stock 16x7 with 245/70 16
 

pejeeper

Original poster
Member
Jan 27, 2012
81
245s on stock rims
I dont want to up the pressures in fear of wearing the centers faster. I am hoping to get anther year out of these tires.
 

MacMan

Member
Mar 3, 2012
194
What are you using to determine the pressure in the tire?
 

pejeeper

Original poster
Member
Jan 27, 2012
81
Originally I used the gauge on my air compressor attachment (when you release the fill lever, the gauge pops out), then I used a pencil style manual gauge to verify, and finally a digital gauge because I couldn't believe BOTH other gauges were wrong...all 3 were within a half-pound of each other.
 

CaptainXL

Member
Dec 4, 2011
2,445
pejeeper said:
I know aluminum rims and NE winters and road salt can wreak havoc on the tire bead.

More likely the valve stems are leaking and need to be replaced. My 05 tires were loosing pressure as well until I replaced them. You can get valve stems at most auto parts stores. They usually come with the required valve stem wrench.
 

de3jr88

Member
Dec 8, 2011
45
Airdrie, Alberta, Canada
You may just have crappy tires. The general rule of thumb is that under inflation leads to the shoulder tread wearing faster, while over inflation will wear the center tread faster. As you have stated your tire pressure (and i personally think that 30 psi is way too low for regular on road driving) your wear issue seems to lead more toward a poorly made set of tires. As for your constant loss of air, your best bet would be to have them removed from the rims, have the rims cleaned and then have the shop re-install with a bead sealer. That will help prevent bead leaks from road grime and salt plus you will get new valve stems as well.

Good Luck
 

CaptainXL

Member
Dec 4, 2011
2,445
de3jr88 said:
plus you will get new valve stems as well.

Good Luck

That would be nice to be guaranteed new valve stems but it depends on where you go and what their policy is. The previous owner of my truck had 4 brand new Michelins put on at about 80K and two of the four valve stems were never changed.
 

pejeeper

Original poster
Member
Jan 27, 2012
81
I have Geo-Trac Radial XLT TI-500 tires. Never heard of em before, but when I googled them, they're a decent tire. My hwy to city driving is about 25%hwy to 75% rural/suburban

I'll just keep checking the pressures until the tires wear out or I get tired of it.
 

Chickenhawk

Member
Dec 6, 2011
779
They are made in China. I would suggest it is nothing to do with the vehicle or your tire pressures but simply the quality of the tires.
 

91RS

Member
Dec 4, 2011
105
You are running at the correct pressures, but since the PO installed those cheapo tires that is most likely your problem. Replaced them them something of good quality and your problem should go away as long as you keep them rotated every 5-6k miles and have your alignment checked every 12k miles.
 

MacMan

Member
Mar 3, 2012
194
91RS said:
.....and have your alignment checked every 12k miles.

WOW. :eek:

That's WAY excessive for street driving, IMO. Every 2-3 years or 30-40K should be plenty, unless you are constantly hitting huge potholes, etc.
 

91RS

Member
Dec 4, 2011
105
MacMan said:
WOW. :eek:

That's WAY excessive for street driving, IMO. Every 2-3 years or 30-40K should be plenty, unless you are constantly hitting huge potholes, etc.

No it isn't at all. How will you know it's out if you don't get it checked? If it's in spec when it's checked, you're good to go. Any decent place should either check your alignment for free or give you a discounted price if adjustment isn't needed. Even the places that offer lifetime alignments recommend around 12k miles or one year or when tires are replaced. Why would you wait until after the tires are ruined to get an alignment done?

My uncle bought his 08 Silverado with 20" Goodyears on it brand new, and we rotated the tires every 5k miles, balanced every other, and alignment check (and adjust if needed) every 12k miles and he got 45k of even wear with no cupping out of those tires when most people only get 25-30k. And he still had about 4/32s left when he replaced them, he's just nervous about tires since he did a few 360s on the interstate during a rain storm once.
 

blazinlow89

Member
Jan 25, 2012
2,088
Do you still change your oil every 3k miles too. Just saying

My truck has been aligned once since I have owned it. I am at 121k miles now, bought it with 42k. It was realigned at 50k. Rechecked at 100k and was still good.

I have no need to align it as my tires wear evenly, and I only rotate side to side not criss cross/ front back. I do alot of highway, rural road, city and the occasional drive through a muddy backroad, field or in the woods.

Nothing wrong if anything it is probably right, but i think that every 12k is a bit excessive. Maybe with a Honda, or if you hit alot of large potholes.
 

CaptainXL

Member
Dec 4, 2011
2,445
OK. So how much does it cost to just "check" the alignment. And what type of shop is gonna let you drive away without adjusting at least something and charging ~$80.
 

91RS

Member
Dec 4, 2011
105
blazinlow89 said:
Do you still change your oil every 3k miles too. Just saying

My truck has been aligned once since I have owned it. I am at 121k miles now, bought it with 42k. It was realigned at 50k. Rechecked at 100k and was still good.

I have no need to align it as my tires wear evenly, and I only rotate side to side not criss cross/ front back. I do alot of highway, rural road, city and the occasional drive through a muddy backroad, field or in the woods.

Nothing wrong if anything it is probably right, but i think that every 12k is a bit excessive. Maybe with a Honda, or if you hit alot of large potholes.

Just about. An oil change is much cheaper than an engine. Just like an alignment is much cheaper than a set of tires. Besides, like I said, CHECK the alignment. You can't realign something if the measurements are correct. You can do whatever you want with your truck, I'm just stating how to keep the OP's problem from coming back. At the very least get an alignment when tires are replaced, but it's still best to have it checked every now and then to prevent from wearing the tires early. I don't know about you, but I'd rather spend a little now to prevent spending much more later.

There are many good places of business that will offer you a free alignment check. They won't advertise it because everyone off the street will come in for nothing but the freebie and they may only offer it for regular / good customers. Lifetime alignments are a good deal depending on the stipulations attached since they will check and adjust it every 12k miles or 1 year usually. You just have to ask.
 

blazinlow89

Member
Jan 25, 2012
2,088
I get mine through a friends shop, most tire places here are crap. The local Walmart is the only place I will go to get new tires installed that I get shipped offline. They are the only place that has no issue with me watching the entire process and I know the people that do it. Mr. Tire/ Tiresplus complained when I stood by the door which is BS. That and they come to me with BS that is not bad, or not even on the vehicle. Told me I needed new ABS sensors on my 89 S10 Blazer, which had no ABS. I have alot of stories about this.

IF I had a tire balancer and the other equipment I would do it myself but the lack of a garage is a big issue.

That is your decision on the 3k mile oil change, to me it is a waste of resources and money. IT has been proven that you can go 5-6k on mineral oil and 10k+ on Synthetic. I run 10-12k before my OLM kicks in. Most I have gone was 15k, least was 6k (first change after i bought the truck). Oil still comes out with a purple tint to it.
 

CaptainXL

Member
Dec 4, 2011
2,445
blazinlow89 said:
That is your decision on the 3k mile oil change, to me it is a waste of resources and money. IT has been proven that you can go 5-6k on mineral oil and 10k+ on Synthetic. I run 10-12k before my OLM kicks in. Most I have gone was 15k, least was 6k (first change after i bought the truck). Oil still comes out with a purple tint to it.

Yeah, I have never needed to change my oil every 3K. My oil is still amber after 5K. That type of oil change interval was used back in my Dad's day. Cars now are much cleaner burning . FWIW, I use Supertech 5W-30 synthetic from Walmart which is about $25 for 7 quarts including an AC Delco filter.
 

91RS

Member
Dec 4, 2011
105
blazinlow89 said:
I get mine through a friends shop, most tire places here are crap. The local Walmart is the only place I will go to get new tires installed that I get shipped offline. They are the only place that has no issue with me watching the entire process and I know the people that do it. Mr. Tire/ Tiresplus complained when I stood by the door which is BS. That and they come to me with BS that is not bad, or not even on the vehicle. Told me I needed new ABS sensors on my 89 S10 Blazer, which had no ABS. I have alot of stories about this.

IF I had a tire balancer and the other equipment I would do it myself but the lack of a garage is a big issue.

That is your decision on the 3k mile oil change, to me it is a waste of resources and money. IT has been proven that you can go 5-6k on mineral oil and 10k+ on Synthetic. I run 10-12k before my OLM kicks in. Most I have gone was 15k, least was 6k (first change after i bought the truck). Oil still comes out with a purple tint to it.

It truely is unfortunate how many places out there still try and take advantage of people, makes the good ones look bad. No one really likes being watched, but the customer has a right to if they want and shouldn't be shunned because of it. It's their vehicle after all and they're paying the bill.

I've seen the insides of many engines that go by the oil life monitor (with regular and synthetic) and I'll keep doing my oil changes long before that.
 

CaptainXL

Member
Dec 4, 2011
2,445
91RS said:
I've seen the insides of many engines that go by the oil life monitor (with regular and synthetic) and I'll keep doing my oil changes long before that.

That's a bold claim. You are basically stating that the OLM doesn't work. Ok, so what were your observations that made you stick with the 3K oil change? I am gonna call BS here. I think it's more of a psychological thing.
 

91RS

Member
Dec 4, 2011
105
CaptainXL said:
That's a bold claim. You are basically stating that the OLM doesn't work. Ok, so what were your observations that made you stick with the 3K oil change? I am gonna call BS here. I think it's more of a psychological thing.

I was going 4k on my old Trailblazer - 5k was my max but I usually did it at 4k. I haven't changed the oil yet in my SS. No, I'm not a believer in the OLM. My observations are dirty engines and nasty looking/feeling/smelling oil. Seen way too many engines lately using loads of oil, eating cams and lifters, oil pumps. The 4.2L is a very robust engine and has far less machanical problems, but I have seen sludging on them (that is how the cam position actuator solenoid valve gets clogged).
 

Chickenhawk

Member
Dec 6, 2011
779
Well, I believe less in the look of the oil and more in science, physics and documented evidence. There has been no documented situation where an engine ever failed prematurely due to excessive mileage between change intervals if they followed the oil life monitor.

On the other hand, there has been LOTS of documented evidence from highly respected folks such as Blackstone Labs who have tested oil and found it is easily acceptable even when changed at extended intervals according to the oil life monitor.

As to recommending alignments to prevent the reoccurrence of the OP's tire wear ... as far as I know (and I am not an alignment expert) there is NO possible alignment problem that can cause premature wear in the center of the tread. It can ONLY be caused by low-quality tires, overinflation or rims too narrow for the width of the tire.

Unnecessary alignments, short oil change intervals, oil "flushes," nitrogen-filled tires and unnecessary air and fuel filter replacements are designed solely and exclusively to take advantage of people and pad the bottom line. They are the local garage or dealer equivalent to the "fabric protection" and "undercoating" scams of the new car industry. This is where places like this forum and the great folks who contribute can be invaluable in sharing experiences.
 

CaptainXL

Member
Dec 4, 2011
2,445
Chickenhawk said:
Unnecessary alignments, short oil change intervals, oil "flushes," nitrogen-filled tires and unnecessary air and fuel filter replacements are designed solely and exclusively to take advantage of people and pad the bottom line. They are the local garage or dealer equivalent to the "fabric protection" and "undercoating" scams of the new car industry. This is where places like this forum and the great folks who contribute can be invaluable in sharing experiences.

Very well said.
 

CaptainXL

Member
Dec 4, 2011
2,445
91RS said:
that is how the cam position actuator solenoid valve gets clogged.

From my experience (and I am sure most of the other OS people would agree) people come to sites like this and find that their CPAS is faulty because they just bought the truck within a year, the CEL goes off and we ask them when the vehicle was last serviced. 9 times out of 10 they say certain things like "I don't know when the differential fluid was changed" or "I don't know when my brakes were serviced". Stuff like this is what I have noticed.

It's stuff like this that throws up red flags saying "hey, my oil hasn't been changed at least every year like it says to in the owners manual". You basically do not know how a used vehicle was serviced/maintained unless the previous owner kept diligent records.
 

91RS

Member
Dec 4, 2011
105
Chickenhawk said:
Well, I believe less in the look of the oil and more in science, physics and documented evidence. There has been no documented situation where an engine ever failed prematurely due to excessive mileage between change intervals if they followed the oil life monitor.

On the other hand, there has been LOTS of documented evidence from highly respected folks such as Blackstone Labs who have tested oil and found it is easily acceptable even when changed at extended intervals according to the oil life monitor.

As to recommending alignments to prevent the reoccurrence of the OP's tire wear ... as far as I know (and I am not an alignment expert) there is NO possible alignment problem that can cause premature wear in the center of the tread. It can ONLY be caused by low-quality tires, overinflation or rims too narrow for the width of the tire.

Unnecessary alignments, short oil change intervals, oil "flushes," nitrogen-filled tires and unnecessary air and fuel filter replacements are designed solely and exclusively to take advantage of people and pad the bottom line. They are the local garage or dealer equivalent to the "fabric protection" and "undercoating" scams of the new car industry. This is where places like this forum and the great folks who contribute can be invaluable in sharing experiences.

I'm not going by just the look of the oil. This SRX went by the oil life monitor (~12k oil changes) with synthetic oil (this picture was after I installed new timing chains).

photo-1.jpg


Once again, I said CHECK the alignment every 12k miles. If you don't want to, then don't! If you can't find a place that is honest enough to give you a free alignment check, I don't know what to tell you. If you don't believe that tire rotations and periodic alignment checks will make your tires last longer, then don't do them. It doesn't make any difference to me. I'm telling the OP how to keep tire wear problems from recurring. Yes, we already know what caused his current tires to wear in the center, but why would he want another problem with his next set of tires that he'll be paying for himself? I take care of my things in the best way I can and I've been rewarded with excellent service from all of them, never been stranded, and never had a major repair expense. Oil flushes and nitrogen are a waste of money though.
 

Brian@work

Member
Dec 5, 2011
14
This thread has been kinda derailed with oil change and alignment stuff but to get back to the OP's original post, in my opinion, 30psi in your tires "may" still be too much pressure. On my ZR2 S-10 I run 31x10.50 Wrangler Duratracs at 15psi rear and 18psi front. If I pump them up to the recomended pressure and run through a puddle of water only the inner tread section is dry after driving a little. My S-10 doesn't have enough weight to compress these tires to get the tire tread to sit flat on the road at the recommended pressure. With them at 32psi on wet roads they are dangerous, but airing them down to sit flat they do pretty good and I still get 18 to 20mpg. When I have to haul heavy stuff with it I have to add air to the tires first or I run into the road walking/shifting issues of under inflated tires. I know the TB's are alot heavier than the S-10's but my logic is still the same, if you were to put high load range tires on your TB and air them up to pull a heavy load they will wear out the center without the extra load to keep the tire flat on the pavement. So let the flaming begin for me driving on "under inflated tires".
 

pejeeper

Original poster
Member
Jan 27, 2012
81
Brian@work said:
This thread has been kinda derailed with oil change and alignment stuff but to get back to the OP's original post, in my opinion, 30psi in your tires "may" still be too much pressure. On my ZR2 S-10 I run 31x10.50 Wrangler Duratracs at 15psi rear and 18psi front. If I pump them up to the recomended pressure and run through a puddle of water only the inner tread section is dry after driving a little. My S-10 doesn't have enough weight to compress these tires to get the tire tread to sit flat on the road at the recommended pressure. With them at 32psi on wet roads they are dangerous, but airing them down to sit flat they do pretty good and I still get 18 to 20mpg. When I have to haul heavy stuff with it I have to add air to the tires first or I run into the road walking/shifting issues of under inflated tires. I know the TB's are alot heavier than the S-10's but my logic is still the same, if you were to put high load range tires on your TB and air them up to pull a heavy load they will wear out the center without the extra load to keep the tire flat on the pavement. So let the flaming begin for me driving on "under inflated tires".

I don't like the way the tires "squish" out at 24psi. The last time I let the tires get too low the front pressure was around 20psi and the handling was very skittish.
 

pejeeper

Original poster
Member
Jan 27, 2012
81
I have read, reread and pondered over what all of you have posted. It is all valid information.

The only lingering issue is that my spare, which was an original tire is BALD on the center tread only. I saw the TB when it came in off trade and negotiated new tires into the price, all the tires were well worn, but the center treads were shot, and I thought to myself the original owner was an idiot and ran overinflated tires. OEM tires, Continentals I believe.

Now, mine are wearing faster in the center treads too...could this be a suspension issue, tie rods, low headlight fluid?
 

de3jr88

Member
Dec 8, 2011
45
Airdrie, Alberta, Canada
What brand of tire is the spare? It may also be a low quality tire. Are you running the stock (or at least the proper sized) rims? As another member has already stated, there is NO SUSPENSION PROBLEM THAT CAN LEAD TO A CENTER TREAD WEARING OUT. ONLY OVER-INFLATION, TOO NARROW RIMS AND POOR QUALITY TIRES. Buy some GOOD quality tires and have your alignment checked if you feel it so necessary, this will more than likely cure your problem.
 

navigator

Member
Dec 3, 2011
504
I can't think of anything that would cause wearing in the center tread other than over inflation, narrow rims or a low quality tire.
The only time I have ever actually seen it is with over inflation but I can see narrow rims or low quality tires causing a problem as well.

the tire shop I go to always inflate to the max pressure on the tire. If the tire says 44psi that is what they inflate to. I always get them home and air them down to where I want.
The bad part is if a tire starts wearing unevenly it is many times difficult to correct that.
 

pejeeper

Original poster
Member
Jan 27, 2012
81
de3jr88 said:
What brand of tire is the spare? It may also be a low quality tire. Are you running the stock (or at least the proper sized) rims? As another member has already stated, there is NO SUSPENSION PROBLEM THAT CAN LEAD TO A CENTER TREAD WEARING OUT. ONLY OVER-INFLATION, TOO NARROW RIMS AND POOR QUALITY TIRES. Buy some GOOD quality tires and have your alignment checked if you feel it so necessary, this will more than likely cure your problem.

Why don't you re-read my original post and my last post. P.S. I do not appreciate the caps, the undertone of your statement is condescending and unnecessary, you seem annoyed with my postings.
Last I checked, Continentals ARE a quality tire and with 41k miles on those original tires, the center tread is BALD. My tires may be cheap, but with 34k miles on them, the center tread is wearing similar to the original tires. I do not over-inflate my tires. There is something odd going on with my truck. It is ok if there is no conclusion to my problem found on this board, it's called a 'mystery'.

Get over yourself or don't bother posting in anymore of my threads.
 

CaptainXL

Member
Dec 4, 2011
2,445
Are you running standard tire size and rims? Occasionally center tread wear can occur if the tire is too wide for the rim.
 

pejeeper

Original poster
Member
Jan 27, 2012
81
CaptainXL said:
Are you running standard tire size and rims? Occasionally center tread wear can occur if the tire is too wide for the rim.

As I stated in the OP, everything is stock for an 05 LS. Stock rims and 245s.
 

de3jr88

Member
Dec 8, 2011
45
Airdrie, Alberta, Canada
I have read every post in this thread, and you have never said what your spare tire is until now. Your question has been answered by many posters, several times but you refuse to accept the advice given to you. Either take the advice given or dont, but please stop asking the same question over and over again while denying that the answer is there already as that in itself IS ANNOYING. Hopefully that is not too condescending.
 

pejeeper

Original poster
Member
Jan 27, 2012
81
CaptainXL said:
And these tires have over 40K on them?

34k miles. IIRC they are supposed to be 65k tires. The wear is not even across the tire, no feathering on edges, no cupping, just balding the center tread..I dont want to annoy my new friend anymore, so I'll stop asking questions.
 

CaptainXL

Member
Dec 4, 2011
2,445
pejeeper said:
34k miles. IIRC they are supposed to be 65k tires. The wear is not even across the tire, no feathering on edges, no cupping, just balding the center tread..I dont want to annoy my new friend anymore, so I'll stop asking questions.

Then they are more than likely under warranty. I would call the manufacturing company asap.
 

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