Tire Cupping: Causes, Problems, and Prevention

Not all tire issues are created equal. Besides normal wear and tear, most tire ailments are caused by rough road surfaces, road debris, harsh climates, and improper tire maintenance. There is also a condition called tire cupping. Tire cupping is an uneven tire wear pattern on a tire tread. Cupped tires are usually strong indicators that there’s something going wrong mechanically with your vehicle.

At , we want to make sure our customers have the knowledge they need to be confident consumers. That’s how we built a reputation as one of the best tire repair and replacement centers in your community. After reading this informative blog, not only will you understand what tire cupping is and what causes tire cupping, but you’ll also learn ways to prevent or correct the condition before it becomes a more serious (and more expensive) issue.

What Are Cupped Tires?

As noted above, cupping is an uneven tire wear pattern. Cupped tires have indentations in the rubber that look like divots or gouges. Unlike typical tire wear, cupping is not usually uniformly distributed.

Because this tread issue often looks like someone carved small scoops out of the tread, it’s also commonly referred to as tire scalloping. You may also see tire cupping called feathering, scooped, or heel-toe tire wear.

What do cupped tires look like?

Cupped tires have an irregular tread wear pattern, and they may look like tiny divots of rubber have been scooped out in random areas.

Sometimes, you don’t know you have cupped tires until you start to notice changes in your car’s performance.

Signs You Have Cupped Tires

Other than the physical evidence, there are two tell-tale signs of tire cupping: your car starts to sound different or feel different when you’re driving.

What do cupped tires sound like?

If you drive on tires with significant cupping, the tire noise you’re used to gets overwhelmed by a louder rumbling sound. The noise of cupped tires is similar to the sound made by a bad wheel bearing: a grinding or growling sound. At higher speeds, the grind and growl turn into a loud and troublesome roar.

How do cupped tires feel on the road?

As tire cupping worsens, you may begin to experience excessive vibrations or a shaking sensation from the steering wheel or your seat when you drive at any speed. The vibrations and shaking intensify the faster you move.

Has your vehicle started to pull to one side as you try to drive straight down the road? This is another clue that your tires may be cupped. The need to make frequent steering corrections because your car veers to one side is also a sign of poor alignment. And, as we’ll explain, poor alignment is one of the common causes of tire cupping.

What Causes Tire Cupping?

Tire cupping occurs when a vehicle's tires don’t make regular, steady contact with the road. Instead, the tires bounce along or skip across surfaces. When a tire abruptly reconnects with the road, the rubber is gouged, causing divots or scoops to form.

When tires bounce or skip, there’s usually an underlying mechanical issue. Here are the most common causes of tire cupping:

Wheel misalignment

This can be misleading because misalignment isn’t actually a problem with the wheels themselves. Misalignment occurs when a vehicle’s suspension is improperly aligned. The suspension system is the part of a vehicle’s chassis that directly connects to the wheels. One function of suspension is to help maximize tire friction.

When the suspension is misaligned, so are the wheels. This often means the tires don’t make contact with the surface of the road at the correct angles, or camber. Improper contact often results in tire cupping.

Other suspension issues

The major components of a suspension system are the frame, steering system, links, and wheels. Then there are parts that connect the suspension components. The main suspension parts include springs, shock absorbers, struts, plus joints, bearings, and bushings. For your suspension to do its job correctly, the suspension parts need to be regularly maintained and replaced when they fail or get too old.

In general, suspension parts have a long lifespan. Depending on your driving habits and how often you drive over rough, bumpy terrain, they should be replaced every 50,000 miles. When shocks, struts, or springs go bad, your vehicle may start to bounce up and down as you drive.

A bouncing car causes the tires to lose contact with the road. When the tires come back down, the road surface gradually digs deeper craters into the tire’s rubber.

Unbalanced tires

Incorrectly balanced tires cause an uneven distribution of the vehicle’s weight across the tire and wheel assemblies. When weight isn’t evenly distributed, a vehicle will vibrate and shake when you’re driving.

As a general rule, if the front tires are out of balance, the steering wheel vibrates. Unbalanced rear tires usually cause a shaking felt through the seat.

In either case, the outcome is the same: cupped tires.

Bent or damaged rims

Potholes, large pieces of solid road debris, and hitting a curb are the most common ways to damage a rim. The damage can often go unnoticed, especially if the damage is on the inner flange. Damaged and bent rims may cause the vehicle’s weight to shift to one side of the tire. Driving on a damaged rim for a long time usually leads to severe tire cupping.

Is it OK to Drive on Cupped Tires?

No. If you see or experience signs of tire cupping, it’s important to have the severity diagnosed right away. The longer you drive with cupped tires, the more dangerous it becomes.

For one, having divots and scallops in your tire tread means there are areas on the tire that don’t make contact with the road. This directly results in a loss of traction which creates unsafe driving conditions.

Also, the associated vibrating, shaking, or bouncing caused by the various mechanical problems discussed earlier worsen as tire cupping progresses. It’s much harder to maintain control of a vehicle that bounces off the road surface or has a shaky steering wheel.

Tips for Tire Cupping Prevention

You can prevent tire cupping by following your vehicle manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule, and you should:

• Start checking your tire tread for signs of uneven wear once a month

• Schedule a tire rotation and tire balance every 3,000 to 6,000 miles

• Stay ahead of any wheel alignment issues by having your alignment checked twice a year

• Take your vehicle in for a check-up if you notice any of the signs that point to potential suspension issues

• Check tire pressure monthly (the same time you check your tire tread) and adjust the air pressure to the correct inflation levels

In the long run, taking preventative measures saves you money by maximizing tire life expectancy.

Can My Cupped Tires Be Repaired?

Although cupping damage cannot necessarily be repaired, tire cupping is a warning that there’s something mechanically wrong with your vehicle. Once the issue is diagnosed and repaired, additional damage can be prevented. And, if the tire cupping isn’t severe, you may not need new tires just yet. Sometimes it’s possible to even out tire tread with regular tire rotations.

Mavis Offers Fast and Reliable Tire Solutions

Since 1972, Mavis has specialized in tire repair and replacement. Our expertly trained technicians have years of experience diagnosing the causes of tire cupping. For the best tire deals around, visit your local Mavis. If you have questions about tire cupping or have other repair needs, your friendly technicians will inspect, diagnose, and make affordable recommendations.

Across the country, our service centers help customers get back on the road quickly. We offer a variety of services, from tire care and wheel alignment to tire replacement and brake repair.