THE USUAL SUSPECTS - Irregular Steer Tire Wear Patterns - One Sided Wear - Probable Causes and Corrective Actions

Oct 12, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk

THE USUAL SUSPECTS covers irregular steer tire wear patterns and diagnostic guidance. It describes one-sided, depression, shoulder step, diagonal, erosion/river, radial feather, multiple flat spotting, and localized depression wear (shoulder and center). For each pattern, the sheet lists probable causes such as misalignment, incorrect air pressure, worn mechanical parts, nonuniformity, balance issues, and mismount, along with corrective actions and tire disposition recommendations like checking alignment, inspecting worn parts, adjusting pressure, rotating position, retreading, or continuing use until minimum tread depth is reached.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time1 min

AccessFree to download

Irregular Steer Tire Wear Patterns

One Sided Wear

Depression Wear (Intermediate)

Shoulder Step Wear

Diagonal Wear

Erosion/River Wear

Radial Feather Wear

Multiple Flat Spotting Wear

Depression Wear (Shoulder)

Depression Wear (Center)

THE USUAL SUSPECTS Irregular Steer Tire Wear Patterns One Sided Wear | Appearance | Wear increasing from one side to the other. | | --- | --- | | Probable
Cause | Out of alignment specification parameters (camber, toe, axle parallelism) . | | Corrective Action | Check alignment and inspect for worn parts. | | Tire Disposition | Continue to run until minimum tread depth is reached. | Depression Wear (Intermediate) | Appearance | One or more interior ribs (not center) depressed more than adjacent ribs. | | --- | --- | | Probable
Cause | Incorrect air pressure, worn mechanical part, or nonuniformity such as mismount. | | Corrective Action | Check air pressure and mechanical issues. | | Tire Disposition | Rotate or retread. | Shoulder Step Wear | Appearance | Partial or full depression of the inside or outside shoulder tread rib. | | --- | --- | | Probable
Cause | This condition is common on radial tires in slow wearing operations. | | Corrective Action | None | | Tire Disposition | Continue to run or rotate. | Diagonal Wear | Appearance | Manifests in the form of oblique wear patches. Can appear singularly or repeat around the circumference of the tire. | | --- | --- | | Probable
Cause | Misalignment, radial and lateral runout, severe out of balance, loose wheel bearings or steering parts. | | Corrective Action | Check for mismount and worn parts. | | Tire Disposition | Reverse direction of tire or retread. | Erosion/River Wear | Appearance | Circumferential worn area situated on the sides of the tread ribs. | | --- | --- | | Probable
Cause | Condition most commonly occurs on slow wearing radial tires in steer or trailer position (free rolling) . | | Corrective Action | None | | Tire Disposition | Continue to run. | Radial Feather Wear | Appearance | Feathering at the edge of the tread ribs. | | --- | --- | | Probable
Cause | Usually the result of continued exposure to lateral force, such as excessive toe. Can also form as a result of counter-steering to compensate for drive axle misalignment. | | Corrective Action | Check alignment. | | Tire Disposition | Rotate to another position or retread. | Multiple Flat Spotting Wear | Appearance | Multiple radially worn areas around the tire. | | --- | --- | | Probable
Cause | Faulty shocks, loose/worn wheel bearings, severe balance issues, mismatched pressures or tire diameters, excessive high speed empty operation. | | Corrective Action | Check for mechanical issue, check air pressure. | | Tire Disposition | Continue to run or retread. | Depression Wear (Shoulder) | Appearance | Localized wear patch on the shoulder rib of the tire. This patch can repeat around the circumference of the tire. | | --- | --- | | Probable
Cause | Faulty shocks, lateral runout, loose wheel bearings,
mis-mount, severe balance issue. | | Corrective Action | Check for mechanical problem. | | Tire Disposition | Continue to run, rotate or retread. | Depression Wear (Center) | Appearance | Circumferential depression wear of the center tread rib. | | --- | --- | | Probable
Cause | Overloaded/underinflated, faulty shocks, loose wheel bearings, mismount, high speed empty haul conditions. | | Corrective Action | Check air pressures/load weight and worn parts. | | Tire Disposition | Continue to run, rotate or retread. | To learn more please contact your MICHELIN Sales [Representative or visit](Representative or visit www.michelintruck. com)[ www.michelintruck. com](Representative or visit www.michelintruck. com) To order more sheets, please call Promotional Fulfillment Center 1-800-859-0665 Monday through Friday, [8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time](8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time) United States Michelin North America, Inc. One Parkway South, Greenville, SC 29615 1-888-622-2306 Canada Michelin North America (Canada), Inc. 2500 Daniel Johnson, Suite 500, Laval, Quebec H7T 2P6 1-888-871-4444 Mexico Industrias Michelin, S.A. de C.V.

FAQs

What usually causes one-sided steer tire wear?

One-sided wear is commonly caused by out-of-alignment specification parameters such as camber, toe, and axle parallelism. Check alignment and inspect for worn parts.

What should be checked for depression wear at the intermediate ribs?

Depression wear (intermediate) can be caused by incorrect air pressure, a worn mechanical part, or nonuniformity such as mismount. Check air pressure and mechanical issues.

How should diagonal wear be corrected or handled?

Diagonal wear is associated with misalignment, radial/lateral runout, severe imbalance, or loose wheel bearings/steering parts. Check for mismount and worn parts; reverse tire direction or retread.

Oct 12, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk