The car is a 2019 VW Tiguan. The tires are original equipment and have about 23,000 miles on them. They are Bridgestone Ecopia H/L 422 Plus. They have been rotated two or three times. I have always rotated them in a front to back pattern. They are roaring like an All Terrain or Mud Tires. There are ZERO signs of abnormal wear. There is plenty of tread left on them. I have a feeling that what I’m experiencing may be common to LRR or Eco type tires. Will swapping the tires to opposite sides of the car help any or is it time to start looking for a new set?
Tires Roaring
- Thread starter MParr
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Try rotating them in an X pattern.
I just rotated them from front to back. If I rotate them from left to right, that will accomplish the same thing. These tires were smooth as glass when the car was new. They still ride pretty smooth, they just roar.
Are you sure it's the tires and not something like a failed wheel bearing?
23K on the OEM tires? Let the radio volume control be your friend until replacement time.
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Yes, it’s the tires. What are the odds of having four wheel bearings go out at the same time?
The first signs of irregular wear is noise. Noise will appear before the wear is visually apparent.
And the cause of irregular wear is usually alignment.
First, most alignment tolerances are too wide - by half. It needs to be Lin the inner half of the aspect to assure good tire wear - EXCEPT-
Any camber over 1 degree may cause wear issues,.
So you need to find an alignment tech who will set the alignment in the inner half.
And dial out as much camber as possible . That might mean a camber plate or an eccentric bolt (extra cost)
Ask UPFRONT about the tolerances and the camber. Walk away if they don't agree.
Oh and get the printout.
And the cause of irregular wear is usually alignment.
First, most alignment tolerances are too wide - by half. It needs to be Lin the inner half of the aspect to assure good tire wear - EXCEPT-
Any camber over 1 degree may cause wear issues,.
So you need to find an alignment tech who will set the alignment in the inner half.
And dial out as much camber as possible . That might mean a camber plate or an eccentric bolt (extra cost)
Ask UPFRONT about the tolerances and the camber. Walk away if they don't agree.
Oh and get the printout.
@CapriRacer
You could be right. However, the reviews on the Bridgestone Ecopia H/L 422 Plus are less than stellar. I took a screenshot of your reply for reference.
You could be right. However, the reviews on the Bridgestone Ecopia H/L 422 Plus are less than stellar. I took a screenshot of your reply for reference.
If I had to guess, your VW is slowly chewing up the rear tires and will continue to for the life of the car.
Crappy tires don't help.
Crappy tires don't help.
What don't you like about the Ecopias? I've always imagined they're hard and have low traction.
They're loud as ****, traction is okay. They've been loud since day 1. They're also wearing terribly...they're more than halfway worn down at 22k miles.
Yeah, they are the same tires. I’ve seen multiple horror stories about the H/L 422 Plus. No more Blu/LRR/Eco tires for me. Which will go first, the tires or the speakers?
for me, tires
Just an FYI.
Even though the name on the sidewall is the same, OE tires are unique in and of themselves - that is a tire coming on a Toyota Skybird (made up name) will be different than a tire coming on a Toyota Moose (another made up name!), even if EVERYTHING about the name is EXACTLY the same!
That's because the car manufacturers specify what they want in a tire and it is ALWAYS different between car models. Even from year to year, the specs can change, even if the tire name doesn't!
Even though the name on the sidewall is the same, OE tires are unique in and of themselves - that is a tire coming on a Toyota Skybird (made up name) will be different than a tire coming on a Toyota Moose (another made up name!), even if EVERYTHING about the name is EXACTLY the same!
That's because the car manufacturers specify what they want in a tire and it is ALWAYS different between car models. Even from year to year, the specs can change, even if the tire name doesn't!
What do you mean "by inner half"? (of what)
There isn't much choice. New tires (expensive), alignment, rotation (already performed), driving style (sometimes hard to change).
I agree toe in as part of the alignment should be as close as possible meet the suggested value, not just "within range". I also agree that lower camber (within range) can help reduce wear. I don't agree that camber necessarily needs to be below one degree. Between one and one and a half degree (-1°30') on rear is probably ok on very most passenger cars and small SUVs and will likely not cause issues as long as toe in is spot on. Your Tiguan deserves an alignment and I suggest you post the outcome here. I'd love to see "before" and "after" values". As a hint: Don't let them tell you the Tiguan's rear axle isn't adjustable. Both camber and toe are almost independently adjustable (there's some correlation and both have to be adjusted alternatingly to reach desired values).
I agree toe in as part of the alignment should be as close as possible meet the suggested value, not just "within range". I also agree that lower camber (within range) can help reduce wear. I don't agree that camber necessarily needs to be below one degree. Between one and one and a half degree (-1°30') on rear is probably ok on very most passenger cars and small SUVs and will likely not cause issues as long as toe in is spot on. Your Tiguan deserves an alignment and I suggest you post the outcome here. I'd love to see "before" and "after" values". As a hint: Don't let them tell you the Tiguan's rear axle isn't adjustable. Both camber and toe are almost independently adjustable (there's some correlation and both have to be adjusted alternatingly to reach desired values).
Rotating tires only front/back will also greatly increase the rate at which the tires get uneven wear/noisy. The tires have to be rotated so they change directions.
For the alignment, you have to go to someone who knows how to align this exact vehicle to a spec that will improve tire wear. There is a huge range of “in spec”. I often have to go out of that spec to prevent uneven tire wear, but I know which models need what, and when. I have to fix lots of G01s that have had an alignment somewhere else that was just set to “in spec” and the front tires get destroyed.
For the alignment, you have to go to someone who knows how to align this exact vehicle to a spec that will improve tire wear. There is a huge range of “in spec”. I often have to go out of that spec to prevent uneven tire wear, but I know which models need what, and when. I have to fix lots of G01s that have had an alignment somewhere else that was just set to “in spec” and the front tires get destroyed.
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My Patriot RT43's became noisy at around 40K miles. I see no irregular wear with 6K x pattern rotations.
Is the irregular wear you mention visible to the eye?
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