Tire cupping can cause vibration

By Doug McAllister

Recently we had a client come back to the shop complaining of a droning sound and vibration feel after rotating their tires.

It had been a while since the tires were rotated and they had a little bit of cupping on the treads we moved from the rear to the front. It turns out this was the culprit. Once we moved them back, the noise and vibration was not as noticeable.

I would not have thought the minor cupping that the tires had would have caused that severe of a ride disturbance, but it did. We recommended changing the worn shocks and struts, which is what caused the cupping in the first place.

Additionally, regular tire rotations can go a long way to reducing poor wear patterns on your tires. Every 6,000 to 9,000 miles is a good interval, depending on your car and type of driving.

Whenever you get new tires, most shops or tire stores include free rotations. By taking advantage of this, you will extend the life of your tires by thousands of miles and reduce the chance of any ride disturbance.

• Douglas Automotive is at 417 W. Main St., Barrington; 123 Virginia Road, Crystal Lake; and 416 Northwest Hwy., Fox River Grove. For information, visit douglasautomotive.com. Send questions to underthehood@dailyherald.com.