I'm not familiar with your car model. There are a few out there, mostly Ford products that have very poorly designed suspension systems and tires wear out three times faster than normal.
The first thing is to keep an eye on the alignment. There's three things to look for. When you let go of the steering wheel on the highway the car should go reasonably straight. If it pulls to one side, "camber" is off on one or both front wheels. That means a wheel is leaning in or out on top too much. It will cause accelerated wear on the edge of the tire. If one wheel is out-of-adjustment that won't affect the other one. A tire can cause a pull too and not really be defective. Often you can rotate it to the back and not have any more problems.
"Toe" is the direction the wheels are steering when the steering wheel is straight. If the front of the tires are too close together or too far apart it will create a "featheredge" pattern on both tires. Both wheels could be out-of-adjustment or just one could be. Usually that will also cause the steering wheel to be off-center when you're driving straight ahead.
Those three things to watch are steering wheel position, pulling to one side, and tire wear. Check the air pressure regularly. There will likely be a sticker by the driver's door that lists the recommended pressures. That is the minimum safe pressure that will provide a comfortable ride. I always made my customers' pressures higher for better tire wear.
Rapid starts and hard stops will cause more tire wear than normal highway driving.
Friday, March 22nd, 2013 AT 2:38 PM