CAUSES OF TIRE WEAR ROAD SURFACES. Tires provide traction because the weight of the vehicle forces the tread rubber into the road's small surface irregularities. Unfortunately, that same interaction causes wear as the surface tears microscopic pieces of rubber from the tread as it slips into and out of contact with the road. And just as coarser sandpaper removes material faster, coarser road textures cause more tire wear. The following mileage estimate is typical of what a 40000 mile rated tire driven on smother asphalt would deliver if driven exclusively on other road surfaces. Smooth Asphalt . . 40000      Coarse Asphalt . . 36000 Concrete . . 28000                  Extra Coarse Asphalt . . 24000 Country Road . . 20000          Crushed Stone . . 8000

WHEEL ALIGNMENT. Wheel alignment controls the distribution of vehicle load across the tire's footprint. Camber is the tire's tilt inward (negative) or outward (positive) when viewed from the front and has significant impact on handling and should wear. Caster is the angle of steering axis tilt when viewed from the side and while it does not affect wear, it does affect the vehicle's handling and tendency to track straight down the road. Toe is the direction that the tires are aimed when viewed from above. Toe-in is when the tires are pointed towards each other; toe-out is when the tires are pointed away from each other. Toe greatly affects tire wear since a setting just 1/16 of an inch off will make the tires want to travel sideways about 150 feet every mile. DRIVING STYLE: The way you drive your vehicle - passively or aggressively - can greatly impact wear.

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