The left front tire on my wife's 02 Grand Am is worn more than the right front. Both have even ware accross the tread. Both tires were purchased at the same time and are the same make and model. What would cause one side to ware faster on the same axel?
She just wants to replace the one tire. We'll de replacing the pair and keeping the better one "in case we need it later". She seemed ok with that solution.
Bad alignment. Probably have a worn out tie rod end.
Or someone is doing burnouts and you don't have a limited slip differential, so you are just spinning one wheel.
In reply to HappyJack:
I figured a bad alignment would result in uneven ware across each tire.
I dint think she's doin burn outs. But she isn't exactly smooth on the go pedal.
Hmmm, tire ware. Is that like tupper ware? Sorry, that was bad, but I couldn't resist. ( WEAR) How much more is it worn? Equal PSI in both?
I second the tire pressure question.
also, um, how do I put this?
Is there a large difference in weight from one side of the car to the other?
HappyJack wrote: Or someone is doing burnouts and you don't have a limited slip differential, so you are just spinning one wheel.
Yup. The solution to this is to buy a limited slip differential, of course!
based on the comment about even wear it doesnt sound like it would be something steering related...... to me!
maybe it is somewhat "burnout" related. taking a left turn out of a parking lot most people floor it more often than they do taking a right out of a parking lot (something about the fear of getting hit by oncoming traffic in YOUR door makes people antsy). since the turn to the left lets pressure of the right front tire, maybe it is spinning a little each time when this happens and thus wearing the tire out faster on that side. just a thought. no science behind it.
SillyImportRacer wrote: I figured a bad alignment would result in uneven ware across each tire.
Nope, you can have one side that's out of spec. When was the last time it was aligned? It might be worth it to just have the alignment checked by a reputable shop. Only $20 at the shop I use here in the ATL. If you don't have any issues at highway speeds or uneven wear it probably isn't alignment, but a check is a cheap way to cross it off the list.
It could be:
doc_speeder wrote: Hmmm, tire ware. Is that like tupper ware? Sorry, that was bad, but I couldn't resist. ( WEAR) How much more is it worn? Equal PSI in both?
I was thinking , silver ware.
I would go with tire pressure first. Of course It depends on what kind of wear. Even, one side, both sides. failure to rotate the tires. Go with two tires. You could get quirky steering etc. Also get an alignment.
neither alignment nor pressure will cause one tire to wear evenly faster than others. toe out/in will cause one side of the tire face to wear more than the other. too much negative camber will result in a smaller contact patch causing wheelspin and wear on the inside of the tire face, positive will do the same thing on the opposite side. high pressure will cause the inside to wear, low pressure will cause the outside of the tire face to wear. even wear at a higher rate sounds like uneven weight, how much does your wife weigh?
Is your wife so heavy she's causing a massive camber/ toe change on one side?
Tommy,
Tact: n. Acute sensitivity to what is proper and appropriate in dealing with others, including the ability to speak or act without offending.
See Turboswede's post.
Per, do we still have that tattoo set we got at the Challenge a few years ago? I'm thinking that definition is one the teenager should keep with him.
Margie
In reply to Marjorie Suddard:
He was just saying what we were all thinking.
grimmelshanks wrote: neither alignment nor pressure will cause one tire to wear evenly faster than others. toe out/in will cause one side of the tire face to wear more than the other. too much negative camber will result in a smaller contact patch causing wheelspin and wear on the inside of the tire face, positive will do the same thing on the opposite side. high pressure will cause the inside to wear, low pressure will cause the outside of the tire face to wear. even wear at a higher rate sounds like uneven weight, how much does your wife weigh?
Lots of good and bad information here. Being an ex-certified tech specializing in alignment, I just want to say that the statement above is absolutely correct. To clarify, high pressure will cause wear in the middle of the tire tread, and low will cause wear on both outer sides of the tread. The only thing that will cause a difference in "even" wear between the two front tires would be uneven loading, or one being rotated more than the other. Short of that, maybe a defective tire with a lower durometer rating or some freaky thing like that.
Otto_Maddox wrote: In reply to Marjorie Suddard: He was just saying what we were all thinking.
Exactly. Two or three people had already said it, I just clarified.
Road is crowned toward the driver's side. You steer toward the crown. Most people drive in the slow lane. you're scrubbing the left tire off.
That's if the mechanicals are correct, of course.
Buy the girl a tire.
How much difference in wear between the two front tires ? Could be a normal thing. On my cars, I notice slightly more wear on the right side tires. Dirrectional tires. No heavy passenger.
To clarify, high pressure will cause wear in the middle of the tire tread, and low will cause wear on both outer sides of the tread.
That statement was semi-true back in the days of bias ply tires. It doesn't hold well with radial tires. They lay their tread down flat pretty much regardless of tire pressure. The reason I say it was only semi-true is because you had to run the pressure well out of spec to get the tire to deform enough to change tread wear, and the tire had to be wide enough for the tread to change angles appreciably as a result of the wrong air pressure.
To the OP, no two tires will wear down the same. Don't make a mountain out of a mole hill. They are both worn out, and that is normal.
foxtrapper wrote:To clarify, high pressure will cause wear in the middle of the tire tread, and low will cause wear on both outer sides of the tread.That statement was semi-true back in the days of bias ply tires. It doesn't hold well with radial tires. They lay their tread down flat pretty much regardless of tire pressure. The reason I say it was only semi-true is because you had to run the pressure well out of spec to get the tire to deform enough to change tread wear, and the tire had to be wide enough for the tread to change angles appreciably as a result of the wrong air pressure. To the OP, no two tires will wear down the same. Don't make a mountain out of a mole hill. They are both worn out, and that is normal.
It's still as true as ever. It just happens to a lesser extent with radials. And as far as wearing the same or not, I've NEVER seen two tires on the same car, treated the same way, wear evenly to differing extents. That is not normal.
My wife consistently wears one front more than the other. She drives like the proverbially bat out of hell. On her Venture it is the right front. I would love to see how many times a month the traction control kicks in a month. 
And both wear evenly? Same wear across the entire tread?
bigger less "performance" oriented cars like the grandam and up usually have some pretty funky weight dynamics. The only way to tell would be to get the car on some scales to see how the corner weights are.
I also agree that perhaps the tyres came from different batches. One may be older than the other and there for is deteriorating faster
Thanks for the input. I plan to get 2 tires & an alignment.
btw, she's 5'7" & 125lbs.....but don't tell her i posted that.
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