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Old 04-03-2014, 08:53 PM   #1
Dick Carne
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Default Front tires cupping

Late last summer I noticed that the front tires on our roadster were showing signs of "cupping", but given that it was near the end of the summer driving season, parked it for its winter nap and decided to put off doing anything until warm weather arrived. This week the temperatures have gotten up into the upper 70's, so its time to dust off this project and see what the solution might be. This is the third set of tires on this car since its restoration back in the mid-eighties, and the first sign of any such tire wear. Does anyone have any ideas as to what might be a good place to start to correct this issue?
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Old 04-03-2014, 09:07 PM   #2
Tom Wesenberg
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Default Re: Front tires cupping

Check the toe-in.
Make sure the front wheel bearing nut isn't too loose. I've seen them up to 2 1/2 turns loose.

Last edited by Tom Wesenberg; 04-03-2014 at 09:25 PM.
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Old 04-03-2014, 09:20 PM   #3
Tinbasher
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Default Re: Front tires cupping

Wheel Balance and Shocks also.
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Old 04-03-2014, 11:13 PM   #4
Dick Carne
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Default Re: Front tires cupping

Thanks guys, and any others as well who may have ideas. I'll check these out this week-end!
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Old 04-03-2014, 11:33 PM   #5
Chuck Sea/Tac
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Default Re: Front tires cupping

How many miles did you get on the previous tires, and how many this time?
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Old 04-04-2014, 12:01 AM   #6
J Franklin
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Default Re: Front tires cupping

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Modern shops should be able to give you a front end analyses and can set the toe adjustment. If you need caster or camber adjustment you will need to check for frame sag or bent axle. cupping is usually caused by tire balance, wheels not true or bad shocks.
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Old 04-04-2014, 02:09 PM   #7
V4F
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Default Re: Front tires cupping

air pressure , lack of rotation , worn shocks , balance etc. will cause cupping ........
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Old 04-04-2014, 10:23 PM   #8
Growley bear
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Default Re: Front tires cupping

Some tire treads are predisposed to a condition known as high speed ramp, similar to cupping. This condition perpetuates its self and can be dealt with by the maintenance mentioned in the above posts. Assuming that all else is good, tire rotation is a good practice. I rotate mine about every 1000 miles.

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Old 04-05-2014, 08:30 AM   #9
The Hot Rod Grille
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Default Re: Front tires cupping

I had the "cupping" problem on my '34. Tire pressure was too low.
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Old 04-05-2014, 08:35 AM   #10
bobv
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Default Re: Front tires cupping

All tires front and rear tend to cup due to braking. The rear tires however will wear more evenly because they have rotational force in both directions, they brake and drive which evens out the wear. You will see cupped front tires a lot on motorcycles because of this uneven wear and the fact they are not rotated front to rear. You wouldn't have your car set up with more braking in the front rather than the rear? That could make the cupping more pronounced. As mentioned tire rotation would even out the wear.
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Old 04-13-2014, 06:10 PM   #11
Dick Carne
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Default Re: Front tires cupping

Thanks to everyone who has responded - lots of good ideas and things to check. I had hoped to go through the front axle this weekend to see what issues might be out there, but regrettably was not able to given some other things that came up. I have a new set of tires on the spares and will rotate these to the front - hopefully a thorough check-up and tire rotation will help to resolve the problem. Thanks again to all!

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