Uneven Tire Wear: Causes & Solutions

Hello!

'I'm experiencing a problem with my Audi A6 avant V6 TDI, manufactured in May 1998, with 180,000 km (NOT Quattro). The outer edge of the front left tire is wearing down much faster than the rest of the tire. I haven't hit any curbs or experienced any other similar incidents. The car drives straight perfectly! The workshops I've consulted have given conflicting opinions.'
- Lane deviation (would it still drive straight if the lane was misaligned?)
- The angle is not correct (is it even possible to adjust it?).
- Broken shock absorber.
- Damaged suspension mounts or a worn tie rod.

What and whom can one now believe!?

The second thing that has been bothering me for a while is a vibration in the vehicle at higher speeds. At around 140 km/h, you feel a vibration that comes and goes in a wave-like pattern, even though the speed is the same. It's hard to describe... At even higher speeds, it sometimes gets stronger and sometimes weaker...

Perhaps one of you might have an idea or explanation as to what's causing this.

Regards,

DENNIS

Hello Dennis.

I don't think it's related to the alignment. If that were the case, the car wouldn't drive straight. Unless the car has been lowered and the alignment wasn't adjusted afterward.

The camber can be adjusted. This would also explain tire wear on a tire. However, the camber doesn't change without external influence (like hitting a curb).

Most likely, the problem is with a defective shock absorber or strut mount. Then, at higher speeds, a tire starts to thump, which causes vibrations.
It's also possible that a tie rod end is worn out.

I would definitely have the left side checked. With that kind of mileage, things can wear out.

Best regards,
Ralf

Hello, I'm having a similar problem. Both of my tires (the outer ones) are wearing down evenly, and I've already had the alignment and tracking adjusted several times, but without success.
The workshops often use the excuse that the engine block is too heavy.

I then gave up searching further and hope to eventually find the error.

Hi Dennis, hi Golfmann,

Okay, the problem sounds like it could be related to the shock absorbers or defective rubber-to-metal bushings. Just have the shock absorbers and suspension checked (free for ADAC members, and shouldn't cost much otherwise). Another important setting in the axle area is the camber. However, this is not adjustable on many vehicles. On my old Passat, an incorrect camber setting led to uneven tire wear . This is usually caused by bumping into curbs or worn-out tie rod ends.