Radial Tire Lead/Pull

Radial Tire Lead/Pull
"Lead/Pull" is vehicle deviation from a straight path, on a level road with no pressure on the steering wheel.
Lead is usually caused by:
1. Poorly manufactured radial tires.
2. Uneven brake adjustment.
3. Wheel alignment.
The way in which a tire is built can produce lead in a car. An example of this is placement of the belt.
Off-center belts on radial tires can cause the tire to develop a side force while rolling straight down the road and the tire will tend to roll like a cone.
The "Radial Tire Lead/Pull Correction" chart should be used to make sure that front wheel alignment is not mistaken for tire lead.
Rear tires will not cause lead/pull.





Radial Tire Lead/Pull Correction Chart

Typical examples of abnormal tire ahead wear and major causes:

Caution: Similar wear patterns can be caused by worn suspension parts, misalignment of wheels and tires, and other suspension related problems.





^ Spotty wear - wear localized on shoulder sections, and in an extreme cases, the tire becomes polygonal in shape.
1. Tire or wheel out of round or distorted.
2. Hub or knuckle out of round or distorted.
3. Play in hub bearings or ball joint.
4. Rotating parts out of balance.





^ Tread wear one-sided.
1. Rotating parts out of balance.
2. Tire or wheel out of round.
3. Hub or knuckle out of round or distorted.





^ Localized tread wear.
1. Once spotty wear develops in tread due to hard braking or abrupt starting, localized wear tends to be promoted.





^ Shoulder wear (generally wear develops in outer shoulder):
1. Camber or toe-in incorrect.
2. Shoulder wear caused by repeated hard-cornering.





^ Wear in shoulders at points opposed to each other.
1. Tire or wheel out of round or distorted.
2. Play in bearings or ball joint.





^ Premature wear in shoulders.
1. Flexing of tire excessive due to under-inflation.





^ One sided feather edging.
1. Wear caused by repeated hard cornering.
2. Camber or toe-in incorrect.