what causes cupping on tires

What causes cupping on tires

Tire cupping is usually caused by something making the tire bounce or wear unevenly while you drive. The most common culprits are bad alignment, unbalanced wheels, worn shocks or struts, and loose suspension parts.

Main causes

• Wheel imbalance. If a wheel is not balanced, parts of the tire hit the road harder than others, creating uneven wear.

• Poor alignment. Misaligned wheels don’t track straight, which scrubs the tread and can lead to cupping.

• Worn suspension. Bad shocks, struts, bushings, or other suspension parts let the tire bounce instead of staying planted.

• Low or incorrect tire pressure. Underinflation or overinflation can change how the tire contacts the road and contribute to irregular wear.

• Weak or damaged bearings/joints. These can create vibration or instability that affects tire contact.

• Driving conditions and habits. Hard braking, aggressive acceleration, rough roads, heavy loads, and poor rotation habits can make the problem worse.

What it looks like

Cupping usually shows up as a scalloped pattern : little high and low spots around the tread, often in repeating patches.

What to do

• Get a wheel alignment and balance check.
• Inspect shocks, struts, bushings, and bearings.
• Check and correct tire pressure.
• Rotate tires on the recommended schedule.

If you want, I can also give you a quick way to tell cupping apart from normal uneven tire wear.