Is This Tire Wear Normal?

[OR VietVet]

What is conversely strange is that, to the opposite, those tiny horizontal nipples/fingers are present on the driver front tire but they are all disappeared on the passenger front tire. It is possible that I routinely make more right turns than left turns.

If you are a UPS driver you will.

 

[B-train]

With the driver side being towed in more, its going to pull the passenger side in as the tire tries to straighten out going down the road. Is the steering wheel straight on a flat road with no hands?

I'm no alignment expert by any means, but do understand the basics. It seems as though the camber/caster are in the acceptable area. They definitely just did a set the toe and let it go. A simple bounce of the truck on the rack can give you a slightly different final readout on the camber reading you have

 

[OR VietVet]

I had a shop in KC/MO and my alignment tech was a guy named Jeff Caeser and he was very very good. When he had everything set where he wanted it, he would bounce the front end and recheck and adjust if needed. When the readings stayed the same, after bouncing, he backed the vehicle off the rack and road tested it. He would then double check all areas he had loosened and tightened and then gave it his blessing and parked the vehicle. That guy had no comebacks.

 

[BlaineBug]

I had a shop in KC/MO and my alignment tech was a guy named Jeff Caeser and he was very very good. When he had everything set where he wanted it, he would bounce the front end and recheck and adjust if needed. When the readings stayed the same, after bouncing, he backed the vehicle off the rack and road tested it. He would then double check all areas he had loosened and tightened and then gave it his blessing and parked the vehicle. That guy had no comebacks.

Now that's thorough.

 

[BlaineBug]

With the driver side being towed in more, its going to pull the passenger side in as the tire tries to straighten out going down the road. Is the steering wheel straight on a flat road with no hands?

I'm no alignment expert by any means, but do understand the basics. It seems as though the camber/caster are in the acceptable area. They definitely just did a set the toe and let it go. A simple bounce of the truck on the rack can give you a slightly different final readout on the camber reading you have

We took a 2,400 mile road trip shortly after in late January-early February 2023 and I experienced no issues. The previous year in February 2022 we took a 2,600 mile road trip on the old tires and old pre-alignment specs and I also had no driveability concerns to report either during that trip as well.

 

[Onlyone]

Seems normal to me. Mine looks the same. Rotate them, you should be fine. Check your inflation too.

 

[BlaineBug]

Seems normal to me. Mine looks the same. Rotate them, you should be fine. Check your inflation too.

Your outer edge on the fronts wears prematurely in comparison to the rears?

 

[Onlyone]

Your outer edge on the fronts wears prematurely in comparison to the rears?

Yes. Just like yours. Same on every vehicle I have owned. Same for my Jeep wrangler on 37s. Every time you turn, it rolls that edge. Normal.

 

[89Suburban]

 

[BlaineBug]

View attachment 398893View attachment 398894

I can't see much from these pics, but what I can see is that the tread pattern and siping does look awfully familiar even though your tires are of the Starfire brand and not Michelin.

 

[89Suburban]

I can't see much from these pics, but what I can see is that the tread pattern and siping does look awfully familiar even though your tires are of the Starfire brand and not Michelin.

Poor man's Michelin's but I do like them.

 

[BlaineBug]

Poor man's Michelin's but I do like them.

What's the treadlife "warranty?" Curious.

I remember back in the day there as another brand of tire that just about copied BF Goodrich's (also owned by Michelin) All Terrain tread pattern.

EDIT - if it's the Starfire Solarus HT then it's 50,000 miles. Not incredibly different, I think my Michelin's are 75,000?

 

[swathdiver]

This is the alignment sheet back from December.

I don't like it. It's in the green but not exacting for optimum performance.

What is the tire size? Sign up for your shop manual at AllDataDIY and get the alignment specs for your truck with those tires or close to them.

I like more spread in the caster, the camber and toe is off if I compare those specs to a GMT900.

I was in the tire business. For reasons lost to my memory, the first rotation should be short and then it is good practice to rotate them every oil change or about 4-5K miles.

7-8K rotations with lots of city driving does more harm than good. We do make lots more right turns than left turns.

Having said that, something MAY be up with your truck. There should be no more than 1mm of play in the outer tie rod. There should be no more than .5 mm of play in the upper and lower ball joints. Rotate them every oil change and keep on top of the air pressure. If someone else is driving, ask yourself what their driving habits are like compared to yours. My wife gets 3 or 4 mpg less than I do and drains the crankcase of oil when she drives it, like a scalded dog!

This is a photo of my Defender, all of which look the same, P265-70-17 with 20K miles (60/40 City/Hwy Driving):



This is the rotation log for these tires:

Our suspension setups are slightly different but these are my specs and the alignment that the technician and I agreed upon when the tires were put on back in 2021:

I accepted it but would like a little more cross caster for more of a performance feel and better stability going over train tracks or gravel roads. It's fine, just slightly different than before. Rides like a Cadillac on a cloud on the highway.

 

[BlaineBug]

I don't like it. It's in the green but not exacting for optimum performance.

What is the tire size? Sign up for your shop manual at AllDataDIY and get the alignment specs for your truck with those tires or close to them.

I like more spread in the caster, the camber and toe is off if I compare those specs to a GMT900.

I was in the tire business. For reasons lost to my memory, the first rotation should be short and then it is good practice to rotate them every oil change or about 4-5K miles.

7-8K rotations with lots of city driving does more harm than good. We do make lots more right turns than left turns.

Having said that, something MAY be up with your truck. There should be no more than 1mm of play in the outer tie rod. There should be no more than .5 mm of play in the upper and lower ball joints. Rotate them every oil change and keep on top of the air pressure. If someone else is driving, ask yourself what their driving habits are like compared to yours. My wife gets 3 or 4 mpg less than I do and drains the crankcase of oil when she drives it, like a scalded dog!

This is a photo of my Defender, all of which look the same, P265-70-17 with 20K miles (60/40 City/Hwy Driving):

View attachment 398994

This is the rotation log for these tires:
View attachment 398995

Our suspension setups are slightly different but these are my specs and the alignment that the technician and I agreed upon when the tires were put on back in 2021:

View attachment 398996

I accepted it but would like a little more cross caster for more of a performance feel and better stability going over train tracks or gravel roads. It's fine, just slightly different than before. Rides like a Cadillac on a cloud on the highway.

It almost looks to me like your treadwear on the very outer edge of that outer tread block is similar. I assume your Michelin Defender sipes are originally connected and do not get cut off there at the edge when the tires are new.

Edit - Yes, the sipes flow through to the sidewall when new on the Defender LTX M/S. (My Michelin X LT were slightly cheaper than the LTX but by all appearances they appear to be identical tires. I read reviews and there was no one way or the other that signified which was superbly superior with the exception of having their letters reversed.)

 

[swathdiver]

It almost looks to me like your treadwear on the very outer edge of that outer tread block is similar. I assume your Michelin Defender sipes are originally connected and do not get cut off there at the edge when the tires are new.

Edit - Yes, the sipes flow through to the sidewall when new on the Defender LTX M/S. (My Michelin X LT were slightly cheaper than the LTX but by all appearances they appear to be identical tires. I read reviews and there was no one way or the other that signified which was superbly superior with the exception of having their letters reversed.)

At that late hour, I forgot that there was another truck in the yard with Defenders on it. An old Ferd with a brand new set, less than 5K miles, have not been rotated yet. P255/65R17 @ 35 psi.

 

[BlaineBug]

At that late hour, I forgot that there was another truck in the yard with Defenders on it. An old Ferd with a brand new set, less than 5K miles, have not been rotated yet. P255/65R17 @ 35 psi.

View attachment 399008View attachment 399009

Looks better, but that is a Ford.

 

[89Suburban]

What's the treadlife "warranty?" Curious.

I remember back in the day there as another brand of tire that just about copied BF Goodrich's (also owned by Michelin) All Terrain tread pattern.

EDIT - if it's the Starfire Solarus HT then it's 50,000 miles. Not incredibly different, I think my Michelin's are 75,000?

They are the HT's. I paid under $100/pc carryout and mounted myself. I'll get a better pic/s.

 

[89Suburban]

 

[BlaineBug]

View attachment 399018


View attachment 399019


View attachment 399020

Your center picture exhibits similar wear.

 

[89Suburban]

Your center picture exhibits similar wear.

The center picture started it's life on the R/F and is now on the L/R.

The top and bottom pics is the R/R moved to the L/F.

And when I first mounted them I used 32 psi per the tire label on the door jamb and I hated it. They looked like saggy balls sack tire bulge. So I bumped them up to 34-35 and much more content.

These are about a year and a half old. I purposely wanted a cheap tire to beat the crap out of because I have been tinkering with some suspension drop and alignment projects so I knew I would get some fast wear until I get things more dialed in and finalized.

But overall they have been a very good tire and worth every penny. I'm really surprised how well they ride and handle in all conditions so far.