Tire wear, cupping?

[TonyLS]

LS 2004 V6

I hear a rolling/rotational noise starting at ~40mph. I was told by the dealer that the wheel bearings and hubs are fine and that the noise is from cupped tires. From what they told me cupping is when the tire has high and low spots on the inside edge. The tires have about 16k miles on them, plenty of tread left. The cupping seems to be mainly on the right side of the car.

I brought the car to a reputable alignment shop and they told me that everything is dead on. they joked that they couldn't even make a minor adjustment so that they could charge me! He looked at the front end, tie -rod, struts...everything checked out. He said everything felt tight during the test drive also.

So now I'm puzzled as to what is causing the bad tire wear. The tires are continental touring contacts, not a big fan of this brand.

Has anyone experienced this on their LS?

Any info is appreciated

Thanks

 

[DunItRight]

Sounds odd and probably a dumb question but do you keep up with the air pressure without over inflating it or letting it to low?

 

[nearlyhalfamile]

Cupping is usually caused by suspension components, not the tires. The cupping effect can be more apparent on the tires if they haven't been properly rotated though. Chances are the cupping is being caused by the struts being in need of replacement/getting worn out. Atleast that is usually what happens.

 

[Foz]

I had a tire "cut" on my 02 grand cherokee... The noise started around 20k, and didn't really figure it ou till 10k later, it's was the wife's daily driver. I replaced the one tire and the noise went away. Never aligned the car, never replaced a suspension part. and for reference, I replaced that tire in the 30's and another in the 40's due to a blow-out the other two I didn't replace until It was in the 60's. iThey were Goodyear Wrangler Radials, and only had a 36,000 mile warranty. It was odd it happened out of nowhere... tire putting your spare (if it's full size) or rotating tires for a few days see if the noise moves or goes away...

 

[wildstang607]

when i had my stock 16's on i also had a set of club tires on from walmart and they cupped in about a thousand miles. i then bought a set of good michelin pilots and they did fine.

 

[macboy]

Sometimes cupping just happens. And once it starts it just tends to get worse, like 'washboarding' in a road. You can only try to prevent it by maintaining proper air pressure and regularly rotating your tires.

Because you have had your alignment checked and it's perfect, you may be able to get warranty on the tire.

 

[TonyLS]

I do rotate them and I also keep them properly inflated. I talked with the dealer this morning about this. They said that when the car was in last week and noticed the cupped tires that they checked the suspension, struts, tie-rod... and found the car to be fine. They also test drove it and found it to be tight...as I do. I think I would notice a suspension problem that would be significant enough to wear a tire like this.

I'm thinking that the tires are cupped due to the sport/performance suspension of the LS and that the tires are not the best quality tires out there. As one person stated in this tread, tires sometimes cup.

I'm now talking to the tire company. They want me to visit one of the reps in the area, NTB is one. They will assess the tire wear and determine how much of a pro-rating continental will give me. However I would have to buy continental again, they will give a discount but not cash back.

I believe my michelin snows that have been on the car for 3 winter seasons are fine....kinda supports my theory that the continental tires are at fault and not the LS.

Has anyone else out there that runs OEM continentals (conti touring) noticed a tire noise like this? Turn down the radio and listen closely as you approach 30 to 40 mph...let me know

Thanks for help!

 

[tireman]

Yes I had the Conti's

Yeah, I had the Conti's and they are crap in my opinion. Two developed separations and the two others wore badly. I junked them for Goodyear. No problem since.

 

[TonyLS]

Which goodyear tires did you get?

 

[pektel]

Yes, please tell... I'm going for new tires next week. I know nothing about tires, and they quoted me 498 out the door for a set of continentals. Now i'm thinking they might not be such agood deal after all.

 

[tireman]

What and why I bought

I do not have money to burn on tires because I know there are plenty of unexpected expenses that pop up every year (like speeding tickets). So I buy my tires with this in mind, I want them to work hard, last a long time, do what they are supposed to do, and provide a good quiet ride. Yes it does sound like I'm looking for a wife or girlfriend and I agree. I want value for my money. I believe most guys on this forum buy high performance tires. I buy mileage.

I searched around for the best buy and found them at Walmart. I bought the off brand Douglas touring radials, stock size. 80K mileage warranty, good quiet tread design, DOT factory ID "PJ" This is a Goodyear plant. Once owned by KelleySpringfield and upgraded. I have 60K on them, no problems.