Interesting discovery about tire wear...

[johnsmellsalot]

I work in Walmart's TLE and I've noticed that on every car, the tires on the right side wear down faster than the ones on the left. My theory is that the right side wears down faster because people take left turns faster than they do right turns. It's just something to think about the next time you get your tires rotated. Below is an example of tread depth readings based on inches.

FL 7/32.....FR 5/32
RL 8/32.....RR 6/32

 

[beast3300]

Probably from steering against road crown.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: johnsmellsalot
I work in Walmart's TLE and I've noticed that on every car, the tires on the right side wear down faster than the ones on the left. My theory is that the right side wears down faster because people take left turns faster than they do right turns. It's just something to think about the next time you get your tires rotated. Below is an example of tread depth readings based on inches.

FR 7/32.....FL 5/32
RR 8/32.....RL 6/32


Based on the numbers you posted, it's the left side tires that wore out faster.

 

[johnsmellsalot]

Sorry I got the right and left mixed up.
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: johnsmellsalot
I work in Walmart's TLE and I've noticed that on every car, the tires on the right side wear down faster than the ones on the left. My theory is that the right side wears down faster because people take left turns faster than they do right turns. It's just something to think about the next time you get your tires rotated. Below is an example of tread depth readings based on inches.

FR 7/32.....FL 5/32
RR 8/32.....RL 6/32


Based on the numbers you posted, it's the left side tires that wore out faster.

 

[friendly_jacek]

your initial numbers made more sense as people take more right turns than left turns (for obvious reasons). I never saw a difference myself.

 

[hardcore302]

Would it be that the right turn is a tighter turn, so people tend to brake more?

 

[Artem]

I noticed the outer edge wearing out faster then anything else on my 98 Camry based on the driving conditions it sees. Asked the tech to add a little more negative camber on the front suspension and bam, problem solved. The last few sets of tires have been wearing out nice and evenly.

I never noticed the left or right side wearing out faster on any of the cars I service where I rotate tires.

 

[johnsmellsalot]

I notice that when people turn right, they kinda take their time. When making a left turn, you have to cut accross 3 lanes of traffic. Also, in Texas, the only time you can really make a left turn is when you have an arrow. So most people try to make the light and drive fast.
Originally Posted By: hardcore302
Would it be that the right turn is a tighter turn, so people tend to brake more?

 

[Colt45ws]

FR is always the lowest on FWD because that is where all the power goes and no one rotates. Or if they do, its always front to back so you end up with the right side lower on tread than the other side.

 

[Knox]

Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
FR is always the lowest on FWD because that is where all the power goes and no one rotates. Or if they do, its always front to back so you end up with the right side lower on tread than the other side.


+1 Most people don't rotate enough, the ones that do generally go front to back. The rule of thumb is to cross the tires to the power wheels and bring the others straight across.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I've never seen this difference in wear on left vs. right on my vehicles. Front vs. back, yes. But never left vs. right. Interesting.

 

[johnsmellsalot]

Ya I think its because people don't rotate their tires often enough.

 

[CivicFan]

For drainage purposes, the roads are built to be sloped for fast water drainage. In a crowned surface, the left side of the road is higher than the right side. That means that when the car is on a road like that, there is more weight on the right side hence increased risk of wear for the right tires.

 

[crinkles]

Passenger side fronts wear much faster than the driver front, especially if your town has a lot of roundabouts. We even have a word for it here, "tyre cancer".

 

[mechtech2]

I have never noticed a wear pattern side to side in my cars or at the shop.
I think it is coincidence or nonsense.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Do some basic geometry calculate the RF tire scrub over 10 miles with 1/32" toe + 1/8" steering adder and you will have your answer. Like another poster stated, adding neg camber to the RF in the USofA will steer the car left against the crown without a need for toe.

 

[ryanschillinger]

I inspect cars every day for work, including measuring tread depth. I find it really varies with the type of driving the person does. Most of the time the tires are pretty equal, but if there is a difference, it's usually the right side more worn. I also believe it is from turning right into traffic involving heavier acceleration while unloading the weight from right side because of the sharp turning, allowing a bit of spin on the right side drive tire.