Prepare for the Automotive Service Technician Period 1 exam. Study with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each question has hints and explanations. Get ready for your exam!

Multiple Choice

Which condition can cupped tires indicate?

Cupped tires show a scalloped, rounded wear pattern across the tread, which happens when the tire doesn’t stay in consistent contact with the road. When shock absorbers are worn or defective, they can’t dampen the suspension’s vertical motion properly, so the tire bounces more than it should. That repeated, uneven impact wears the tread in a cupped pattern. Under-inflation tends to wear the edges of the tread, over-inflation wears the center, and an uneven road surface can cause irregular wear as well, but cupping is a hallmark of poor damping from worn or faulty shocks or struts.

Cupped tires show a scalloped, rounded wear pattern across the tread, which happens when the tire doesn’t stay in consistent contact with the road. When shock absorbers are worn or defective, they can’t dampen the suspension’s vertical motion properly, so the tire bounces more than it should. That repeated, uneven impact wears the tread in a cupped pattern.

Under-inflation tends to wear the edges of the tread, over-inflation wears the center, and an uneven road surface can cause irregular wear as well, but cupping is a hallmark of poor damping from worn or faulty shocks or struts.