Mercury Cougar One tire is wearing faster than the others Inspection at your home or office.

Common reasons for this to happen:

There are a number of different issues that can result in one tire wearing faster than the other three:

• Improper air pressure in one tire: Tires are designed to have a specific level of air pressure in them. If they are under-inflated, the outside of the wheels can wear too much, and the tire is susceptible to cupping. If they are over-inflated, the middle of the tire is the only part in contact with the road, and the pressure of the tire can cause the vehicle to bounce slightly, causing further damage to the tire.

• Wheel misalignment: An alignment sets your wheels at the ideal angles, so that each wheel is lined up with the others. This allows the car to be able to drive in a straight line, corner effectively and predictably, and it helps the tires wear slowly and evenly. If the wheels are not properly aligned, one tire may be subject to more wear and tear than the other three.

• Tires have not been rotated: It’s important to have your tires rotated on a regular basis, because different corners of your vehicle may experience different wear and tear than others. For instance, one of your right tires (front for a front-wheel drive car, rear for a rear-wheel drive car) will be subject to the most wear and tear, especially in a powerful vehicle. This is because slightly more power goes to the right side of the vehicle, because that is the side that hosts the drive wheel. This wear and tear is minimal enough that it will be negated by proper tire rotation, but if the tires are not rotated regularly, this may result in noticeable wear in one of the tires.

• Damaged suspension: Many of the components in the suspension system – such as the shock absorbers, struts, control arms, and ball joints – can have an impact on tire tread wear. The suspension connects your wheels to the frame of your car, and helps evenly distribute the weight of the vehicle and the impact of the road. If a shock absorber, strut, control arm, or ball joint becomes damaged, it can put large amounts of pressure on one wheel. This can cause abnormal wear, or simply throw off the alignment, which will eventually result in uneven wear and tear.