I purchased a 2006 LTD Roadster in May of 2007. It has 25K miles on it. My husband started to notice some vibration and sound from the front tires. We have since read up on it and see that it is a common problem for the Conti tires to do this "cupping". Now for our real problem, because we have been investigating this, we noticed that the dealership that we got the car from must have changed the tires on it before having it delivered to us. The window sticker has the P225/40ZR18 and P255/35ZR19 ASP tires on it. However, the car does not have the Z rated tire nor are they ASP. I am just wondering if anyone with the Z rated ASP tires are having the same problems or is the tire wear a universial Conti problem?

 

See my post of 7/18 under Roadster needs help.

mark

 

Do you have the Z rated tires?

 

I believe so.

mark

 

Sounds like front end work is in your future.
Cupping is almost always caused by alignment/front end wear issues. Since your car is still under warranty I'd take it back to the dealer (though I don't know if front end issues are covered under warranty.) & see what they say.
I have a sneaking hunch they replaced the tires & didn't fix the underlying cause.
Given that though, there is no way to save the tires, they'll have to be replaced. And, since performance tires usually don't have a tread life warranty you'll get no respite on cost......they won't be pro-rated.
On the positive side, the fronts are less expensive than the rears !

 

The dealer did not replace the tires, they put the regular tires on before they delivered the car. I am thinking that if the Z rated ASP tires were on it to start with the wear may not be so severe. The tire tread on the fronts is wavy. You can feel the waves as you run your hands over it. We would not have known the tread was wavy had we not been replacing the fog lamp. By the way, does anyone know where you can find a clear film or plastic to put over the fog lamps?? We are on our third one and at $120 a pop it is beginning to become annoying.

 

The "Z" in the rating is for speed, tires rated for sustained speed of up to 150mph if I remember right, and ASP means All Season Performance. Both of these together do not mean you can do 150 in the snow though. All tires can wear unevenly no matter the rating UHP, ASP, etc. they're only rubber under a 3000lb car.


Justin

 

Thanks for the information.

 

What type of Continental tires came on the car when you bought it?

 

In any event, replacing the stock Conti's (if that's what they are) is a good idea.
Getting good rubber, Nitto Invos in my case, made a big difference in ride and handling. Lots of good threads on tires to peruse.
Just make real sure any front end problems are addressed first.

 

https://www.xpel.com/products/headli...ke=8&model=785

https://www.xpel.com/products/paint_...ke=8&model=785

 

ok i need help and everyone i ask i feel is lieing to me. i have a 2005 crossfire ltd with 46000 miles on it. i think i hear a noise but no one else does and i took it into the dealer quite a bit and finally have given up on that ghost. it was like a chirping but like a cricket not that of a bird . i had them check the wheel bearings and i asked them if there was anything needing to be greased maybe and they said nothing was able to be greased as far as fittings. so, my second time around the dealership they told me that my tires were cupping i thought nothing of it then i told my dad and he made me paranoid. so, cupping tires? either, cheap tires (not sure what that is for this little car), bad struts/shocks/springs? someone help! im going into this place where i do my brakes and have them check the struts out for me seeing as how i feel the dealership is being shadey. also does anyone have an extended warrenty, and has anyone taken advantage of it before?

 

The way your tires wear is a good indicator of other parts of your car. Abnormal wear patterns are often caused by the need for simple tire maintenance, or for front end alignment. Tires should be inspected at every opportunity; once a week isn't too often. Learning to read the early warning signs of trouble can prevent wear that shortens tire life or indicates the need for having other parts of the car serviced. Tires should be inspected 3 ways. First, visually examine all 4 tires; second, feel the tread by hand to detect wear such as feathering and third, check all 4 tires with a pocket type pressure gauge. Feathering
Feathering is a condition when the edge of each tread rib develops a slightly rounded edge on one side and a sharp edge on the other. By running your hand over the tire, you can usually feel the sharper edges before you'll be able to see them. The most common cause of feathering is incorrect toe-in setting, which can be cured by having It set correctly. Occasionally toe-in will be set correctly and this wear pattern still occurs. This is usually due to deteriorated bushings in the front suspension, causing the wheel alignment to shift as the car moves down the road. One Side Wear
When an inner or outer rib wears faster than than the rest of the tire, the need for wheel alignment is indicated. There is excessive camber in the front suspension, causing the wheel to lean too much to the inside or outside and putting too much load on one side of the tire. The car may simply need the wheels aligned, but misalignment could be due to sagging springs, worn ball joints, or worn control arm bushings. Because load has a great affect on alignment, be sure the car is loaded the way it's normally driven when you have the wheels aligned; this is particularly important with independent rear suspension cars. Cupping
Cups or scalloped dips appearing around the edge of the tread on one side or the other, almost always indicate worn (sometimes bent) suspension parts. Adjustment of wheel alignment alone will seldom cure the problem. Any worn component that connects the wheel to the car (ball joint, wheel bearing, shock absorber, springs, bushings, etc.) can cause this condition. Worn components should be replaced with new ones. The worn tire should be balanced and possibly moved to a different location on the car. Occasionally, wheels that are out of balance will wear like this, but wheel imbalance usually shows up as bald spots between the outside edges and center of the tread. Second-rib Wear
Second-rib wear is normally found only in radial tires, and appears where the steel belts end in relation to the tread. Normally, it can be kept to a minimum by paying careful attention to tire pressure and frequently rotating the tires. Some car and tire manufacturers consider a slight amount of wear at the second rib of a radial tire normal, but that excessive amounts of wear indicate that the tires are too wide for the wheels. Be careful when having oversize tires installed on narrow wheels.

 

Over Inflation
Excessive wear at the center of the tread indicates that the air pressure in the tire is consistently too high. The tire is riding on the center of the tread and wearing it prematurely. Many times, the "eyeball" method of inflation (pumping the tires up until there is no bulge at the bottom) is at fault; tire inflation pressure should always be checked with a reliable tire gauge. Occasionally, this wear pattern can result from outrageously wide tires on narrow rims. The cure for this is to replace either the tires or the wheels. Under Inflation
This type of wear usually results from consistent under inflation. When a tire is under inflated, there is too much contact with the road by the outer treads, which wear prematurely. Tire pressure should be checked with a reliable pressure gauge. When this type of wear occurs, and the tire pressure is known to be consistently correct, a bent or worn steering component or the need for wheel alignment could be indicated. Bent steering or idler arms cause incorrect toe-in and abnormal handling characteristics on turns.

 

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Your Chirping noise that you mention sounds like the inter cooler pump. The noise will be more pronounced at the front of the car passenger side. It took forever for my dealership to figure it out. They replaced the pump and no more noise. Also i had decreased power in my SRT 6 and with the new pump all the power back.