Mercedes-Benz SLK230 Cupping on tires Inspection at your home or office.

Common reasons for this to happen:

There are four common reasons for tires to cup:

• Faulty suspension system: Your suspension system is what allows your car to drive smoothly. The impact of the road is absorbed by the suspension, primarily the struts and shock absorbers, so that your car does not have to be subject to all of the force of the road. When your struts and shock absorbers break, your suspension becomes stiff, rather than flexible, and that means that your tires take on the brunt of the impact. If you’ve ever seen a car driving fast over a bumpy road, while looking completely in control, you’ve witnessed the power of a good suspension system. When the shock absorbers and struts fail, your car becomes more like a skateboard, rattling and bouncing over every imperfection in the road. This results in the tires bouncing up and down with regularity and force, which can result in cupping.

• Poor quality tires: Cupping can sometimes be the result of new, low-quality tires. Low quality tires do not have the thickness, strength, or durability of standard issue tires. As a result, they’re far more likely to experience permanent damage, such as tire cupping.

• Underinflated tires: If your tires do not have enough air pressure in them, they may be damaged and cupped. Underinflating your tires weakens them, and makes them susceptible to potholes, rocks, and other debris or abnormalities in the road.

• Misaligned wheels: Wheel alignment is one of the most important facets of car maintenance. Wheel alignment makes sure that all of your wheels are at the perfect angle, so that your car drives the way it was designed to. Wheels that are at an incorrect angle are subject to extreme wear and tear, such as cupping.