Cupping on Tyres: Why It Happens & How to Stop It

The tyres on your car play an undeniable role in performance and safety, not only because they keep the vehicle in motion by mirroring your handling from the driver’s seat, but also because they are the only fitment on the car or vehicle that makes constant contact with the road.

Of course, what this does mean is that if your tyres suffer from damage while out on the road, it can have an instant and lasting effect on safety and performance – with cupping just one of the common problems that mechanics see and drivers report.

Unsure what tyre cupping is or how to stop it? Then you’ve landed on the right page!

What is Tyre Cupping?

Tyre cupping is a form of severely uneven wear that affects the tread of the tyre and leaves it with a series of high and low points across its surface.

The best way to describe and to be able to picture this kind of damage is to imagine a wave-like edge on the tyre. The effect this has is to replace the smooth driving experience with a much bumpier ride that generates more noise and has a detrimental impact on traction and handling.

Suffice to say, if your tyres are suffering from cupping, you’ll be struck by how bumpy the vehicle feels and how much noise your tyres start to generate.

How Does Tyre Cupping Happen?

Tyre cupping is, at its heart, a form of uneven tyre wear which changes the surface shape of the tyre and the way it rotates.

The causes of this cupping vary from one vehicle to the next and can be the result of anything from budget and low-quality tyres to misalignment or poor suspension. The more you drive on tyres which are unbalanced and exhibit signs of uneven tread wear, the more severe the issue becomes – until you are left with visible cupping and tyres that need to be replaced.

How to Prevent Tyre Cupping

With that in mind then, how do you prevent tyres from becoming so unevenly worn that they give in to cupping and display an uneven wavy edge?

The number one thing that drivers should take from this article is the need for consistent and regular tyre inspections and checks. To mitigate and minimise the risk of severe cupping, you should be looking for tread wear which is even around the entire circumference of the tyre, with no notable waves in the tyre edge.

Other things to do include:

• Ensuring that the tyres you choose and fit to your vehicle are high quality and suitable for your terrain. All tyres on the market need to be meet minimum standards in terms of safety, but you’ll find that cheaper tyres are more susceptible to wear than premium models
• Check the alignment and balance of your wheels, to ensure an even amount of pressure on the tyre as it makes a full rotation
• Getting your suspension checked, to ensure its components are all functioning effectively. Improper suspension can be a more cause and exacerbating factor in tyre cupping, so ensuring all the parts are in good working order is important
• Rotate tyres around the vehicle in terms of position – following guidance based on the driving format of your vehicle. This ensures even wear across all four tyres

Adding these points to your vehicle maintenance plan should help to reduce the risk of severe cupping leading to extensive tyre damage and the need for replacement.

What to Do if Tyres Are Damaged

Finally, to those who are reading this and thinking they might have at least one cupped tyre fitted to their vehicle.

Severe cases of cupping tend to require tyre replacement – as damage cannot be reversed and the lowest points of the waved edge are often too close to the legal limit to be considered safe.

If you spot the signs of tyre cupping early, with signs including an uneven and bump driving experience and excessive noise, rotating the tyres and fixing the alignment of the wheels can help to rectify minor issues.

For more advice on this, get in touch with our team – or you can browse and find your next set of replacement tyres on our website.