Notes on tire damage

The most frequent cause of all tire damage is driving with too low an tire pressure. The tire pressure can slowly drop over time which remains unnoticed without regular tire pressure checks taken at short intervals. Too low an tire pressure initially leads to increased wear to the tire shoulders. Even a drop in tire pressure by 0.3 bar compared to the recommended value (tire pressure mark) can generate a greatly increased wear in this area. Moreover, tire shoulder and side wall are flexed more greatly which causes them to heat up greatly. On long journeys at high speeds, the temperature can elevate to the point where signs of disintegration of the tire can be seen and in the worst case, the tire is completely destroyed. It is therefore necessary to check the tire pressure regularly (every two weeks as recommended in the handbook) and correct it where necessary. Individual signs of damage to the side wall can be traced back to a sharp impact to a curb. Cord breaks in the running surface area are caused by driving over sharp-edged obstacles. Both are made worse by having too low a tire pressure. Individual locations with strongly worn tread depth can usually be traced back to a heavy braking or panic stop with locked wheels.

Tire damage patterns 

Center wear

Inner or outer shoulder wear

Shoulder wear on both sides

A worn outer shoulder has no legal consequences. The tire bed may not be damaged.

Saw-tooth formation

At the front tires of rear-drive vehicles, a saw-tooth-shaped wear can be partially seen. The individual blocks wear due to the slip which occurs when lifting up from the road surface due to the releasing of the inner tension. Saw-tooth-shaped wear can have an increased running noise as a result.

Different tread wear patterns form on the tires on the front and rear axles. In the interest of safety and optimal chassis conditions, an axle-wise wheel exchange is not to be recommended.