I replaced the original 17" Pirelli P Zero Nero M+S tires even though they had only 17k on them. They were over six years old.

These are the tread depth measurements I got going from the exterior to the interior: 8/32", 9/32", 9/32", 7/32". I measured in four places around the circumference, and each tread groove was uniform. It's going across the tread that I found the differences.

I check my tire pressure monthly, and generally keep the pressure 2-3 psi over the recommended 32 psi.

The tires were rotated at a Ford dealership every 5000 miles, although I didn't check every time to see that this was done properly. One time I did check and found that the tires had been switched front and rear, but the front tires had not been crossed when put on the rear, as called for in the Owner's Guide. The service manager was unaware of the correct rotation procedure.

Any thoughts about the wear pattern? Thanks.

 

Those measurements are fine. Nothing to worry about.

 

Even if the the tires are frequently rotated, pressure is properly maintained, alignment is spot on, suspension components are not worn or defective, and the car is conservatively driven, the inner treads will always show more wear than the middle or outer treads for these cars because the front alignment spec has a negative camber.

 

1/32 to 1/16 difference...looks great

 

I'm not a believer in the 5,000 mile tire rotation, but then again, I don't do burn outs (too often) and I don't do a lot of hard cornering. I have 26k miles on my current tires and they've not been rotated. Other than the rears looking a bit more worn than the fronts (as expected), there's little uneven wear to speak of. I have 12k miles on my SUV's tires and have not had them rotated.

Unless I have a balance and/or a wear concern, I don't religiously rotate and balance unless it's free. And even free, I'm leary of most shops getting it right.

 

Thanks a lot for the replies. It's good to know all is apparently okay.

As for not rotating tires--There is a school of thought that says it's better not to rotate because if you have a suspension or alignment problem that causes a bad wear pattern, you can isolate it to a particular component more easily.

With my new set of tires, the Ford dealer will rotate and balance them at no charge. I didn't knock myself out shopping around for the lowest price, but I did check the price with one tire shop that has a good reputation. When factoring in the Owner Advantage Rewards and an $80 rebate from Ford, the dealer had the better deal by about $100. The new tires are the Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season. When I talked to the service adviser on the phone, I said I wanted fresh tires. He called the warehouse and got me a set that was about six weeks old. Pretty good!