Car topping and accelerated tire wear?

Advice
#21

Yes but
I have very bad luck with tire longevity and uneven tread wear. I usually get about half of the tire’s rated life, and usually run into uneven wear early on. I buy medium-quality tires and rotate them every 3-6000 miles.



I don’t think tire wear this has anything to do with transporting a kayak. I think it’s more things like alignment, rotation, etc. On my current set of tires there was an undiagnosed failing axle that made the car pull for over a year and probably hastened the demise of the tires. Finally the axle broke and the car straightened out as soon as the axle was replaced.

#22

few things to consider

– Last Updated: May-01-12 8:10 PM EST –

Type of driving: freeway vs. local/city
Other changes in driving conditions
Same or similar tires?
Rotation frequency
PROPER rotation
Proper alignment
Proper brake function (I know, but it really can make a difference)
Change in driving habits
significantly unbalanced load (I'd be dubious this is causing it)

#23

That’s the thing
Most of these were unchanged.



Type of driving: freeway vs. local/city

? Other changes in driving conditions

  • Same or similar tires?

    Rotation frequency

    PROPER rotation

    Proper alignment

    Proper brake function (I know, but it really can make a difference)

    Change in driving habits
  • significantly unbalanced load (I’d be dubious this is causing it)



    Of course, these were different cars and therefore different tires.



    And the other change is the kayak!



    Road-wise, I traded city roads full of pot holes (New York City) with curvy country lanes. I would have thought the trade-off pretty much balanced out. But I can’t be sure of that.
#24

I’m not sure that…
…what you are doing is Car Talk approved:



http://cars.cartalk.com/content/advice/tirepressure.html



I use a calibrated gauge (wasn’t cheap) and run my tires maybe a pound or two over the car manufacturer’s suggestions, which is nowhere near the tire’s sidewall rating.