| Saw-tooth wear is a stepped wear pattern on the individual
tread blocks → Fig.
that can cause increased tyre noise. The saw tooth is caused by
uneven deformation of the tread blocks in the tyre's contact
patch. Saw-tooth wear is more pronounced on non-driven wheels
than on driven wheels. |
| New tyres are more susceptible to saw-tooth wear because of
the greater elasticity of the high tread blocks. As the tread
depth decreases, the tread blocks become more rigid and the
tendency to wear in a saw-tooth pattern decreases. |
|
|
|
| A - |
Tread block of a new tyre; seen in direction of motion
-arrow 1-, tread blocks are equally
high in front and back. |
| B - |
Development of saw teeth; seen in the direction of rotation
-arrow 1-, tread blocks are higher
in front -arrow 2- than in back. |
| C - |
Seen in the direction of rotation
-arrow 1-, tread blocks show greater wear in the front
section of the “saw tooth”-arrow 3-. |
| Pronounced saw-tooth wear can lead to customers complaining
about tyre noise. |
| Pronounced saw-tooth wear occurs under the following
conditions: |
| tyre pressures are incorrect |
| tyres are fitted on the non-driven axle |
| In the event of saw-tooth wear, the direction of rotation of
the tyre must be reversed. If saw-tooth wear is especially
pronounced and tyre noise has increased, interchange the tyres
diagonally. This will reduce the saw-tooth effect. |
| On front-wheel-drive vehicles, this effect is intensified by
the greater wear on the front axle. |
| Tyre noise will be somewhat louder immediately after the
tyres have been interchanged but will return to a normal level
after about 500…1000 km have been driven. |
| In the event of increased saw-tooth wear on the rear tyres –
in particular on front-wheel drive vehicles – interchange the
front and rear tyres. In the event of increased saw-tooth wear
on the outer edges of the tyres on one axle, turn both tyres
around on their rims. The left-hand wheel must then be fitted on
the right side of the vehicle and the right-hand wheel on the
left side. |
|
|
|
Wear behaviour of high-speed tyres
| These tyres are designed for very high speeds. When
developing these tyres, good grip in wet conditions is the main
objective. The tread compositions do not have the same wear
resistance as T and H tyres for lower speeds. |
| The life expectancy of high-speed tyres is therefore
considerably lower in comparable conditions of use. |
|
|
|
Questions & answers
Saw-tooth wear — Volkswagen Golf Mk7
What is saw-tooth wear on Golf Mk7 tyres?
A jagged wear pattern across the tread blocks caused by the tyre's self-cleaning action. It increases rolling noise. Regular rotation and alignment help minimise it.
The following factors influence a tyre's service life to
varying degrees.
Driving style:
Speed
...
Note
The tread depth is measured in the main tread channels.
Do not measure at the TWIs (Tread Wear Indicators).
...
