Tire feathering is the name for tire wear in a particular position. It can be uncomfortable and dangerous for you while driving.
Fortunately, you can completely overcome and limit this situation to your tires. The following article will show you how to use tires effectively to help prevent tire feathering from happening.
What Is Tire Feathering?
Tire hair will occur when your tire shows excellent to wear at a place on the tire surface. This corrosion will result in a smoother sidewall than the rest.
So, what causes tire feathering wear? It is due to a malfunctioning suspension or uneven tire alignment. When you detect this condition early, you can fix it quickly. The timely repair will save you a lot of money on tire change tasks.
Tire Feathering Vs Cupping: Main Causes
Tire feathering
Tire feathering detection is quite simple. You can quickly feel it instead of observing it from the outside, including the tire tread being worn on one side compared to the opposite side. The main reason why this happens is that your wheel alignment needs to be better. The appearance of tire hair is a sign that the car’s suspension system is having severe problems.
When you discover this situation, you should seek the help of units with experience in auto repair. The simple way to fix this is to rearrange the wheel. Or they can help you tighten the suspension details.
This may require the replacement of related parts such as shock absorbers, struts, etc. At this point, the mechanic will tell you the specific condition and what factors need to be replaced to ensure good performance for your vehicle.
Tire Cupping
Bad Wheel Bearings
When you hear a distinctly strange sound when you change direction, it may be due to a problem with the wheel bearing on the side of the sound. These determinations are only preliminary guesses. To be sure, you need to seek the help of professional mechanics.
Bad Shocks or Suspension
As you know, the shock absorber system is one of the most important key components. It will help you always feel smooth and safe while driving. These shock bars will have a lifespan of about 60,000 miles. Then it will not be able to guarantee stable performance, and you need to replace the part.
In case the suspension is corroded or unstable, it will cause the wheels to bounce unevenly. When it does, it wears off quickly, and you can feel it. If you still have doubts, in this case, take your car to the service center, and they will assist you in checking it quickly.
Tires Out of Balance
When the weight is not balanced between the tires, it will cause bending. At that time, vibration and bounce will not be able to guarantee on your tires, and it will cause tire wear and bumpy driving. At this point, you will need to balance your tires. This job does not cost too much and will help you limit tire feathering on outside edges.
In addition, you will not have to change new tires. The cost of each product is very high, and you always have to consider this when investing in them.
Tire Runout
With this condition, your tires will no longer be able to round evenly. There are two types of tire wear: transverse wear and transverse wear. The cause is due to the shaking and swaying phenomenon occurring.
When you have a Tire Runout problem, you are buying a poor-quality tire, or the installation process is incorrect. This lack will put you in danger when the grip and firmness of the tires are significantly reduced.
Bad Alignment
Wheel misalignment currently includes many cases: camber, caster,… Tire cupping is a typical symptom that your rear tires are out of alignment.
So, wheel alignment is a method that will save you a lot of money while still being effective.
Bad Tires
With low-cost tires, it will include a significantly thinner layer of rubber. They will be less durable due to temperature differences and harsh external conditions.
The best way to fix cupping is to replace it with a new high-quality tire, and you won’t need to consider any of the limitations of a cheap tire before.
Can Tire Feathering Be Repaired?
Have. You can completely troubleshoot tire feathering on the outer edge. When you detect this condition in your car, you can fix it by aligning the tires. To do this, you need to seek the support of a technician with experience in this field.
Tire alignment is different from other maintenance and repair tasks. If your tire has a large amount of wear that significantly reduces traction, you will need to replace the tire completely. Because currently, there is no alternative and more effective way than using a new set of tires.
On the other hand, if you just replace the tires with new ones without checking for other problems, you will still get abnormal tire wear on the new kit.
When your suspension problems are resolved, your car can return to its normal working condition. Therefore, it is essential to seek the help of a technician, and you need to do it as soon as you detect feathers appearing on the tires.
How Do I Prevent My Tires From Deflated?
Most feathers are caused by incorrect tire alignment. Or due to a severe problem with the suspension system.
Therefore, you need to comply and periodically check both of these parts. If not, you will most likely have a problem with feathers appearing on your car’s tires.
To do this job effectively, you will need the help of a technician with many years of experience in the profession. They will help you do this task well.
Usually, tires’ alignment and rotation will occur once a year. Check your car’s service book to know exactly when you’ll need a tire alignment. Different types of vehicles will have different maintenance intervals.
On the other hand, it depends on your driving level. If you drive a lot, you must re-align your tires and check the system more than specified in the vehicle’s service book.
In addition, when your tires are worn, alignment will help you prolong the life of your tires. When the tire wear is too significant, the technicians assign a new tire to your vehicle.
Can You Drive With Tire Feathering?
With tire feathering, you shouldn’t be driving under any circumstances. At this point, when the tire wear is uneven, it will not be able to work correctly.
For example, in the case of emergency braking, you will not be able to stop as soon as you apply it so it will be hazardous for you and everyone around.
In addition, your tires will likely wear out and deflate. Therefore, they will need help to provide good traction. You will clearly feel this condition when feathers appear on the tires. However, if the tire does not have too many feathers appearing, it will not affect your driving and you will not need to worry too much about this case.
When you encounter feathers on a tire, the best thing to do is to re-align the wheels and the car’s suspension. This job is not easy, and you need the help of experienced people. Avoid going through wet areas if you are driving and cannot stop.
Because, at this time, the tires’ traction has decreased significantly. It can cause you to skid and cause a dangerous accident.
FAQs
What do feathers look like on your car tires?
You can feel the hair more easily than you can see it. When you run your hand down your tire, you will feel the difference between the 2 sides of the tire wall.
One side will feel sharp, and the other will be more rounded. You can feel this condition when feathers appear more. At this point, you will need a new tire right away. It will help ensure the safety of both you and the car.
Do feathers make noise?
When the tire has feathers, the noise will appear, and you will hear it. That noise will be the sound of you rolling on the road.
The more feathers appear, the more you will feel the noise. Instead of continuing to drive, you need to stop and determine its severity.
Take your car to the repair center, and they will help you check the condition better.
Do hairy tires need replacing?
In case feathers appear less, you will not need to replace them. But when feathers appear in abundance, you will need to replace them as soon as possible. Because now the tires’ grip has decreased a lot, you will be in danger if you continue driving. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the new tire in this case.
Conclusion
This article will help you understand more about tire feathering. The appearance of feathers on the tire will significantly reduce the grip of this part. In severe cases, you need to replace the tire with a new one for safety.
Also, you can check for feathers on the tire simply by touching it instead of trying to look. Ask for the help of someone experienced in this field, and they will help you fix the problem the best way.
A guy who graduated with honors with 2 college degrees Ferris State University & Austin Peay State University.After finishing school, he specialized in researching and testing tires, rims as well as brakes.Especially he has a love for off-road vehicles…
