Tires are supposed to wear down evenly across the tread over time. When they don't, the specific pattern of wear is actually a useful clue about what's causing it.
Wear on Both Outer Edges
Wear concentrated on both outer edges of the tire, with the center still in good shape, is a classic sign of under-inflation. The tire is bulging slightly and contacting the road more on the edges than the center.
Wear Down the Center
The opposite pattern — wear concentrated in the center of the tread — typically points to over-inflation, where the tire is contacting the road mostly in the middle.
Wear on One Edge Only
Wear concentrated on just the inner or outer edge (not both) is a common sign of a camber alignment issue — the tire is leaning in or out more than it should, wearing that one edge faster.
Feathering or Choppy Wear
A feathered pattern, where tread blocks are worn at an angle (smooth on one side, sharp on the other), often points to a toe alignment issue rather than camber.
Wear on Only One Tire
If just one tire is wearing differently from the others, it can point to a suspension issue specific to that corner of the vehicle — a worn strut, ball joint, or bushing — rather than a general alignment problem.
Uneven wear patterns are worth diagnosing rather than just replacing tires and hoping it doesn't happen again. See our wheel alignment and tire services pages for next steps.
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