On average, you should change your Audi’s tires every 5-6 years but there’s really no hard-and-fast rule, since there are many factors affecting tire life, including maintenance, driving style, road conditions etc. While it’s perfectly normal for tires to wear out, excessive or uneven tire wear is not normal and could be the symptom of an alignment or suspension problem.
Causes of uneven tire wear
Ideally, tires should wear evenly but sometimes, this is not the case. You may experience uneven tire wear if your Audi has any of the following issues:
- Unbalanced wheels
- Damaged or bent wheels
- Incorrect tire pressure
- Bad wheel alignment
- Worn-out suspension
Signs of uneven tire wear
Knowing the signs of uneven tire wear will help to maintain your Audi in peak condition, and will help you to decide when to ask your local mechanic for help:
Drags or pulls to one side
Vehicle pulling to one side when driving could be due to a number of things and one of them is abnormal tire wear.
Too much vibration
Vibration on the steering wheel is never a good sign, especially if you’re driving on a level, smooth road. If your steering wheel is wobbling too much, it could be due to uneven wear. It could also mean the wheel bearings, tire rod ends or ball joints are damaged, so you’re going to need the skills of a professional mechanic to pinpoint the issue.
Visible tire wear
A physical inspection of your tires can reveal uneven tire wear patterns such as outer-edge wear, inner-edge tire wear or center wear. If the wear doesn’t spread evenly across the tire surface, you should bring in your Audi to a professional mechanic. At Toole’s Garage Stockton we offer both visual tire inspections, as well as alignment and suspension tests.
If your Audi is exhibiting uneven tire wear problem, changing tires isn’t the solution as it’s only a matter of time before the new tires start wearing unevenly. The best thing to do is to bring it to Toole’s Garage in Stockton – we can inspect your vehicles tires, and based on the patterns we see, we recommend further inspections or repairs. To make an appointment, visit our website, or call us at the shop.