Tire wear and Golf R alignment concern

[Thunder2019]

Hey guys, need some help here. Is this normal??? I had an alignment done in the spring and my rear wheels looked like this by September.
I have 37000klm-23000mls on the car but I run winters so maybe half of that on my summers.

drivers rear

Passenger rear

I had another alignment done in October and here is what we have From spring time to fall.

I was told that the tire wear is normal because of the specs VW gives for the R for better cornering. How true is this and does someone have the specs to not have this happen again?
And my bigger concern is inside left tire, the uneven wear is caused by toe or suspension related as in a bad shock?

 

[jimlloyd40]

Looks like over inflated tires to me. Wearing in the center and not on the edges. What is the actual tread depth across the tire? Inside, middle and outside.

 

[smashedpotatoes]

Agree with above. I'd also like to add that an alignment for better cornering typically includes dialing in more negative camber which would usually result in a bit more wear on the inner parts of your tires, something which is definitely not the case here.

 

[Thunder2019]

Looks like over inflated tires to me. Wearing in the center and not on the edges. What is the actual tread depth across the tire? Inside, middle and outside.

Yes, over inflation for sure, thanks to the dealer. As for the tread, it’s nascar depth on the inside lol, outside is 3/32s and inside goes from 3/32s to a big fat 0.

 

[Thunder2019]

Agree with above. I'd also like to add that generally speaking, an alignment for better cornering typically includes dialing in more negative camber which would usually result in a bit more wear on the inner parts of your tires, something which is definitely not the case here.

I hear ya! So hard to find a good dealership today. But why would the inside tread look like it’s jumping?

 

[aloha_from_bradley]

Can you verify your tire pressures and share here.

Your alignment specs look fine. You could have a bad strut.

The tire wear on the passenger side looks okay.

Edit - I don't let shops touch my wheels / tires... ever. I tell them not to rotate my tires during services, and I just do it myself. Saves the hassle of scratches, dents, over torqued lugs, and over inflated tires. Which they always do. I even take my wheels off of the car and clean / remove all of the old weights & tape when I get new tires installed. I once had a dealership in the Phoenix area torque my lug bolts so tight, I had to use a large breaker bar to loosen them.

 

[jimlloyd40]

Yes, over inflation for sure, thanks to the dealer. As for the tread, it’s nascar depth on the inside lol, outside is 3/32s and inside goes from 3/32s to a big fat 0.

Just get a tire pressure gauge and fill the tires yourself. Look at the label on the inside of the driver's door for the VW recommended pressure and start there and then adjust based on treadwear.

 

[Thunder2019]

Can you verify your tire pressures and share here.

Your alignment specs look fine. You could have a bad strut.

The tire wear on the passenger side looks okay.

to spec actually, 39 psi. And ya, the other tires look fine. And the rear tires were in the front for the first summer. that was my first thought when I saw the uneven tread wear, but only on the inside like that?

 

[jimlloyd40]

to spec actually, 39 psi. And ya, the other tires look fine. And the rear tires were in the front for the first summer. that was my first thought when I saw the uneven tread wear, but only on the inside like that?

Only on the inside is why @aloha_from_bradley says it a bad strut and I agree.

 

[Thunder2019]

Just get a tire pressure gauge and fill the tires yourself. Look at the label on the inside of the driver's door for the VW recommended pressure and start there and then adjust based on treadwear.

Totally agree, I do have but now will double check, as we can see, 39 psi is to much lol

 

[aloha_from_bradley]

39 PSI is fine. I believe that is to spec.

Get the rear of the car in the air and pull up on the wheels / tires on both sides. See if you can feel / see a difference between the two sides. Check the strut for leaks. Take the wheel off of the car on the driver side and inspect the strut, specifically where the rod enters the strut. If you see any fluid, you have a bad strut. You may have to remove the dust sleeve to inspect. The strut is supposed to return smoothly on it's own. If it were off the car, it would return to it's fully extended position very slowly, but so long as it returns to it's original position and it's leaking, it's still considered good.

If you are still under warranty, I'd have the dealership deal with the issue. You only have 23k on the car. If it's determined that a bad strut is what caused the tire wear, you can make a case that the tire wore out prematurely due to the faulty part. The tire replacement may also be covered. Might be a long shot, but worth a try.

 

[Thunder2019]

39 PSI is fine. I believe that is to spec.

Get the rear of the car in the air and pull up on the wheels / tires on both sides. See if you can feel / see a difference between the two sides. Check the strut for leaks. Take the wheel off of the car on the driver side and inspect the strut, specifically where the rod enters the strut. If you see any fluid, you have a bad strut. You may have to remove the dust sleeve to inspect. The strut is supposed to return smoothly on it's own. If it were off the car, it would return to it's fully extended position very slowly, but so long as it returns to it's original position and it's leaking, it's still considered good.

If you are still under warranty, I'd have the dealership deal with the issue. You only have 23k on the car. If it's determined that a bad strut is what caused the tire wear, you can make a case that the tire wore out prematurely due to the faulty part. The tire replacement may also be covered. Might be a long shot, but worth a try.

I will try feeling her up

I change my own tires, and the rest of the family and I am always looking for leaking struts and I dI’d not see a thing. i will take another look When I get her rear end up

 

[Salami]

And my bigger concern is inside left tire, the uneven wear is caused by toe or suspension related as in a bad shock?

How often have the tires been rotated?
5k miles seems to be about the ideal mileage for this kind of car and tire.

IME long rotation intervals or lack of rotation combined with rear toe being off have caused this very frequently. A bad shock/strut could be an issue but usually the wear pattern is much more pronounced.

 

[DarkArrow]

I'd also guess bad strut from what looks like cupping on the driver rear tire.

 

[Thunder2019]

How often have the tires been rotated?
5k miles seems to be about the ideal mileage for this kind of car and tire.

IME long rotation intervals or lack of rotation combined with rear toe being off have caused this very frequently. A bad shock/strut could be an issue but usually the wear pattern is much more pronounced.

I got this car July 3rd 2019, they have been rotated 3 times so it the second time this tire(drivers side) has been on the rear. I do not cross rotate.