Camber Negative
Camber Positive
The correct pressure is the key element for tire operation
An underinflated tire has reduced resistance to impacts and increases the risk of puncture
More specifically, when a tire is underinflated by 20% (a percentage that is hard to detect with the eye on contemporary tires) has 30% less resistance to impact (sidewalks, puddles etc). The resistance of a tire which is underinflated below 25% decreases to 50%. Such a tire becomes very dangerous.
An underinflated tire wears much faster, increasing, therefore, the cost of the maintenance of the car
Specifically, a tire which is 20% underinflated wears 18% faster and 35% faster when is 25% underinflated. This means 35% loss of tread, which translates to 35% loss of money of the price of the tire.
An underinflated tire provides more rolling resistance, something that causes more fuel consumption.
According to different studies, under the normal air pressure increases the consumption of fuel of a car from 3% to 11%, depending on the vehicle.
Maintaining the proper air pressure
Tire air pressure should be checked at least every two weeks and before every long journey.
The proper pressure for passenger cars is usually posted on a sticker on the inside of the driver’s door, or on the fuel cup. The proper pressure for light trucks and vans is calculated based on the load of the car.
Abnormal Wear
Each mm of deviation from the correct geometry of the car (wheel alignment) leads to a 7% faster tire wear, meaning a loss of 7% of the money of the tire’s price.
The way tires wear is sensitive to the circumstances under which the tires operate. Mechanical problems in the suspension, steering geometry and years’ of incorrect use of pressure can be identified by recognizing how tires wear.
When a tire works overinflated, only the center of the tread comes to contact with the road; therefore, it wears more in the center. When a tire works underinflated, then the tread comes to contact with the road on the edges and therefore, it wears more on the edges.
When the car’s geometry is incorrect, every mm of deviation lead to a 7% faster tread wear. The symptom of incorrect ‘Camber’ geometry is the abnormal wear of the tires, which wear more on one side.
The symptom of incorrect geometry ‘Toe’ is usually the ‘pulling’ of the car to one side.
In this case, the tires wear faster, but uniformly, and only an expert can recognize the problem.
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Abnormal wear can be also caused by the suspension system when the tires are wearing billowy (cupping).
Also, when the problem becomes severe, there is a buzzing during driving.
