Volkswagen Golf Service & Repair Manual: Outer shoulder wear

Volkswagen Golf Service & Repair Manual / Wheels and Tyres Guide - General Information / Tyre wear / Outer shoulder wear

Unsuitable use of self-levelling adjustments on pneumatic suspension system

The use of the offroad level is recommended only for driving offroad. Permanent use of the offroad level during normal road operation can lead to increased tyre wear as the height of the wheel position is different to the road level.

The way to prevent one-sided tyre wear is to ensure the wheel alignment is correct on one hand and on the other hand to make sure the vehicle is used only for its intended purpose:

Regular servicing of the vehicle and tyres helps to prevent tyre wear. The following should be noted in particular with regards to this:

The prescribed minimum tyre inflation pressures must be adhered to.

Different wear on the front and rear axle depending on the driving style is unavoidable. This condition can be compensated for by rotating the wheels from front to rear. The ideal opportunity to do this, for example, is during the seasonal change between winter and summer tyres. This change also has a positive side effect in that the tyres can wear down equally, meaning that a completely new set of tyres can be fitted. This prevents differences between the tread depths of the tyres on each axle, which can have negative effects on road holding.

Saw tooth formation is a normal wear pattern, particularly if the driving style is very careful → Chapter. This can lead to increased rolling noise, which generally becomes less as the tread depth decreases. In the event of light saw tooth formation or if saw tooth formation is just starting, exchanging the wheels between axles is normally sufficient. If saw tooth formation is very pronounced, the wheels have to be changed in accordance with → Chapter so their direction of rotation is reversed. This does not apply for tyres with a directional tread pattern.

Some tread patterns may create an impression of premature wear: if winter tyre sipes or channels in the tread are worn down, only compact profile blocks without patterns remain, thus giving the impression of a worn tyre. In this case, the remaining tread depth must be measured in each groove. If this is at or below the minimum tread depth, the tyre can continue to be used without restrictions. (In Germany, the minimum is 1.6 mm; it is recommended, and in Austria, required, that winter tyres that are worn down to 4 mm be used only in summer )

One-sided wear

This is often caused by driving style, but can be the result of incorrect wheel alignment. Increased one-side ...

Diagonal washout

Diagonal washout on a tyre Diagonal washout runs at an angle of approx. 45° to the direction of rotation. It usually occurs a ...

Other materials:

Indicator lamp
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Measuring axial play of camshaft
Special tools and workshop equipment required Universal dial gauge bracket -VW 387- Dial gau ...

Safety precautions for when working on vehicles with air conditioning and when handling refrigerant R134a
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