We always find it quite mind-boggling that only one tire will wear faster. Most of the time, it would be one of the front tires.
When something like that happens, we often question the quality of the tire itself.
But when one tire wears faster, it doesn’t always mean there is something wrong with the quality of the tire.
Have you recently asked yourself why only one tire of your car wears faster, and you’re unsure what to do to solve this problem? Our article answers that question and highlights some crucial causes for the wear of your tire:
What Would Cause Only One Tire to Wear?
If one of your tires is underinflated or out of alignment, it will wear faster than the other three. It doesn’t matter if that tire is in front or back. If the air pressure and alignment are not proper, that tire will wear faster than the other three. This is the typical reason one tear will wear faster than the others.
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Is It a Bad Sign When One Tire Wears Faster?
It is a bad sign when one of your tires wears faster than the other three.
When you notice unusual wear on one of your tires, it may mean your tire is of poor quality. But it could also mean that there is a problem with your suspension.
So it would help if you didn’t ignore a bad sign like this one.
Take your car to your mechanic to thoroughly inspect your suspension system when you see this happening. The mechanic will also check all four tires to ensure they have the correct air pressure.
If there is a suspension component that you should replace, the mechanic will replace it for you before it causes further damage to your car.
Those four tires constantly come into contact with the road. The four tires should always share the road evenly. All four tires should balance through proper air pressure, wheel alignment, and a great wheel suspension.
But if one tire is out of balance, it will begin to wear faster.
Why Is One of My Tires Making Noise?
As you drive your car, you will hear noises caused by the treads of your tires.
Those noises are normal, and they shouldn’t cause alarm. But if the noise is louder and strange, you should be concerned about your car.
When one of your tires is out of balance, it is likely to make strange noises.
You may hear a strange humming or drumming from your tires as you drive. This noise warns you that one of your tires has already started to wear unevenly. The noise typically happens as your tire comes into contact with the road. And what you hear are tread depths of one of your unbalanced tires.
Besides the uneven wear, one of your tires may make noise if there’s something wrong with other components of the suspension. For instance, one of your shock absorbers may make unusual clunks and rattles.
Let’s look at the causes of the noises:
- A damaged suspension:
When components of the suspension such as ball joints, control arms, or struts are damaged, they will affect one of your tires. As your suspension struggles to distribute weight evenly, one of your tires will begin to make strange noises. - Improper air pressure in one tire:
When one of your tires doesn’t have enough air, it will make a squealing noise. This noise from your tire will be air going between the treads and the tire.
As you drive, your car’s tire will flatten and add more pressure to the edges of your tire. - Wheel misalignment:
You will hear a low humming or drumming sound when your car needs alignment. The ride may sometimes become uncomfortable, and your steering difficult to control.
Is It Normal to Have One Tire Wear Faster?
It is never normal for one tire to wear faster.
Unless you know that you bought one of your tires used, in that case, you should expect it to wear faster than the other three. As such, you should avoid buying used tires at all costs.
On the other hand, a tire that is wearing faster than the others should signify that you need to take your car in for inspection. Why? Because it is difficult for most ordinary drivers to inspect the problem and solve it themselves.
We recommend that you don’t wait for too long after noticing that one of your tires is wearing faster. Schedule an inspection as soon as possible, and get that problem fixed before it can cost you more.
A lot more.
Remember, front tires are 2.5 times more likely to wear faster on some cars. For instance, if your car is a front-wheel drive, your front tires will carry more weight and do most braking.
Hence, they will wear faster than back tires.
Why is one of my tires making noise?
Your tire may be making noise for different reasons.
- First, the noise could be a normal noise any car tire makes when contacting the road surface.
- Secondly, this could be a sign of something wrong with your car.
That said, excessive tire noise is one of the most irritating noises a car can make.
And it is not easy for most drivers to rule out the cause of the noise immediately. If you are like most, you will only find the cause of the noise a tad too late.
Of course, that is if you know how to fix your car.
Another common noise you may experience is the sound of a bad wheel bearing. The wheel bearing problem typically happens because of a worn tire or extreme chassis misalignment.
The more you continue driving your car without fixing your wheel bearings, the louder the noise.
How Do You Fix Uneven Tire Wear?
Unfortunately, once unusual wear of one tire begins, there is usually nothing you can do to fix the wear itself.
The least you can do is to take your tire for shaving.
They will put in a machine that will shave the cupping and leave the other tread. However, we recommend that you fix the cause of the uneven wear first.
Seeing a mechanic is one of the best ways of equalizing the wear.
The mechanic will spin and rotate your tires. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, you should turn and rotate your tires every 5,000 to 8,000 miles.
However, tire rotation cannot work for some vehicles.
If the uneven tire wear is due to improper air pressure, check your owner’s manual. It should spell out how you should adjust the tire pressure.
Also, consider doing the following:
- Align your wheels
Leaving your wheels unaligned for too long may impact the camber angle. - Air pressure your tires properly
Leaving one of the tires under-inflated may cause it to wear down faster. Check out our article here about how fast a tire should lose air. - Repair your damaged suspension
If you don’t get your suspension fixed, your tire will continue to wear faster. Even worse, it may cause damage to other components of the suspension.
Final Thoughts
It is always a good idea to replace all your four tires, as replacing one tire at a time would mean your tires will have uneven treads.
Replacing all four tires is even more highly recommended if your car is all-wheel drive.
If you don’t replace all four wheels, your car will have trouble supplying torque to each wheel.
Uneven tread depths cause your tires to spin at a different speed. If you leave this problem for too long, it may affect the drivetrain of your car. The tires of your all-wheel-drive should wear at the same rate, especially if you make an effort to rotate them regularly.
If you notice abnormal wear on one of your tires, it could be due to misalignment.

