quote:

Note to self: Don't put off tire rotation. Every 5k from now on. No exceptions.

Rotate them when you change the oil at 5K, just part of the normal maintaining of the vehicle.

You stated earlier that you've had these tires "<1 year", and they're already that badly cupped?

How many miles did you put on them in less than 1 year?

5k rotations is a nice round number, and doing it every time you change the oil is a good pattern that's easy to follow, but most tires should be fine going 7.5K or even 10k between rotations. So if you skip a lone 5k rotation and end up going 8k-10k on them, they still shouldn't end up "cupped as hell".

This suggests to me that there's another underlying issue there that's causing undue wear and cupping besides just skipping a single rotation. (Unless of course you're driving 20k in <1 year... )

Or did you buy them used, and the used pair they put on your rear were previously already cupped and you just didn't notice until they were rotated to the front?

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

quote:

Note to self: Don't put off tire rotation. Every 5k from now on. No exceptions.

Rotate them when you change the oil at 5K, just part of the normal maintaining of the vehicle.

This is SOP for me.
A bit tougher with my wife's Expedition, so i didn't rotate on the last oil change [impending rain didnt help either]. Will back to it on the next one.

Early in my career I got fed up with the old farts telling me "You can't reverse a radial tire, they'll separate." (Now I'm the old fart.) Since that wasn't worth arguing about, I gave up and developed the habit of rotating non-snow/non-all-season tires straight front to back. This is fine with most car tires; I've done it to my own and other cars for decades. But a truck tire with an aggressive tread should actually be rotated in an X pattern.

Cupping can be mitigated by rotating the tire, but it doesn't remedy the source or cause of cupping.

Google AI says:

Tire cupping is a wear pattern that occurs when tires develop irregular dips or cups in the tread. Here are some common causes of tire cupping:

Poor quality tires

Inexpensive tires may be thinner, have less tread, or be imbalanced or misshapen.

Worn suspension parts

Worn suspension parts, like shock absorbers, struts, and bushings, can cause tires to bounce while driving.

Misaligned wheels

When wheels are misaligned, tires don't make contact with the road at the correct angles. This can cause uneven wear on the side of the tread.

Unbalanced tires

If a tire is out of balance, the centrifugal forces from spinning the wheel can cause the tire to bounce, leading to cupping.
Bent wheels

A bent wheel can cause cupping over time.

To prevent tire cupping, you can: Rotate and re-balance your tires regularly, Check your vehicle's suspension and alignment annually, and Keep your tires inflated.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
Early in my career I got fed up with the old farts telling me "You can't reverse a radial tire, they'll separate." (Now I'm the old fart.) Since that wasn't worth arguing about, I gave up and developed the habit of rotating non-snow/non-all-season tires straight front to back. This is fine with most car tires; I've done it to my own and other cars for decades. But a truck tire with an aggressive tread should actually be rotated in an X pattern.

Yessir, same here we both old farts and been around fixing stuff for way too many years . Totally agree on the x pattern, in fact Toyota wants you to move the fronts straight forward and x the rears on this model.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Rotate them when you change the oil at 5K, just part of the normal maintaining of the vehicle.

I haven't had a vehicle that required so frequent oil changes in years. Toyota recommends every 10k for my vehicle. The future is here, man! Even changing every 10k, the 0W-20 looks tons better than the oil coming from older vehicles requiring it every 5k.

This wasn't from skipping a single rotation; I'm thinking I've slacked for several. My commute is nearly all 80mph freeway, about 50 miles round trip, 5 days a week. There were some cross-country trips thrown in, too. Basically, I put on some miles. I'm pretty anal about brakes, oil, filters, tranny, etc. for regular maintenance. I guess I took the tires for granted more than I should have.

These are Coopers, so I wouldn't exactly consider them "cheap" tires.

The suspension components are all good, but I should still get an alignment check.

As I understand it, a directional tire gets rotated front to rear. Bidirectional goes corner to corner every rotation to achieve the stated milage life of its tread. I use the Coopers too and for a few reasons, they never got rotated. My fronts are now crap. I will put on new tires in a day or two but, again I get to deal with Toyotas fucked up 2 piece lug nuts. Sam's club couldnt/wouldn't take them off. They swell from water between their stainless skin and the nut itself. Heat transfer helps this to happen. I have to drive on the 21mm impact socket. Done it before. Shit nuts from Toyota. Don't skimp on those oil changes. 5000 to 6000 is time to change and rotate the tires. The world will make lots more engine oil.

Oh and, that f'd up looking gang of wheel weights on your Toyo rims, this is achieved by the person mounting and balancing not knowing how it's properly done. They usually put the dumbest person in the shop on tires so they can screw up your tires and rims while being paid. I've been victim to this myself.

I am pissed! My new 1 piece lug nuts cost me $45.00. And they screwed up a simple tire balance on your truck. Happy f'n New Year. It's off to a great start... . It's snowing now, lovely. Think I will just have another hot cup and talk to my kitty.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

Rotate them when you change the oil at 5K

You're telling me that I never have to rotate my tires?

That’s interesting about the lug nuts; I havent had any issues, but I wonder if being in a dry area is helping.

Not all lug nuts are created equal, some even ‘swell’ with any cheap coating.
I’d kinda think if the same all around, lug nuts wouldn’t screw up the balance.

I like a touch of lube on my studs, another potentially controversial subject.