bald tyre

[stebby]

Eighteen months ago I had 4 new tyres fitted to my BMW E36 1993.
Today I discover that I have one completely bald tyre on the nearside rear, the wear was completely even right across the width of the tyre, the other four still have 5mm.
Does anyone know what can cause this, the chap in the garage said it's something to do with the diff throwing out more power to one side! but why?...........

[NORMANTHEDOG]

because the car is 13 yrs old,and parts dont last forever

[stebby]

thanks for that no need to remind me
but that doesnt answer my question
I was hoping for a more intelligent answer

[oldhenry]

Have you checked the tyre pressure,these have a bearing on the wear. over inflation is a cause of middle tread wear.
what about suspension faults?, is there a loose joint that is causing problems.
I doubt it was a fault tyre, unless real cheapos.
BTW 13 years is not old!
I had a 20 years old VW van until this year ( and sold it for good money) and it performed very well with no silly problems.
so 13 years is a mere baby

[NORMANTHEDOG]

it could be the diff,it could be wheel alignment,it could be unbalanced,it could be the way the car is driven,it could be lots of things,your lucky its only one tyre you need to replace.

[stebby]

thanks for all your comments.
The car is in exceptionally good condition.
I've always looked after my car and bacause I carry my young grandaughter I want to make sure my car is safe for her to travel in.
I had new shockers alround last year also and the man in the garage didnt really seem to want to commit to an answer. so I think I should just go to another garage for a second opinion
thanks again

[ugly_bob]

nearside tyres usually wear out quicker than offside ones, due to roundabouts.
If you turn right, the left tyres get more wear and vice versa.

Doesn't explain why your rear one is more worn than your front though - in fact it's usually the other way round.

Maybe the tyre was from a different batch and used a slightly softer rubber compound.

[suzie2119]

Is it a limited slip diff (LSD) you have???

[stebby]

The car does not have LSD

I did have a problem once before where the car was tramping to the right when I went over bumps or holes in the road but that was corrected when I had new shockers fitted and the car is running straight

[woodchopper]

If yor car is rear wheel or front wheel drive your wheel which has the shorter driveshaft will wear slightly quicker than the other one -due to the torque being delivered to each wheel is slightly different dur e to the length of the shaft - the wear will be more noticeable if you have a tendency to accelerate quite quickly even without spinning the wheels.
Don't know if this applies in your case.

[The Mack]

i thought normans responce was a valid one. why not ask they garage when they diagnosed?