Question Regarding Cupping Tires
 

I have a 2005 Civic with 94K miles on it.

I started to notice a loud noise coming from the rear of my car and realized that the inside of my rear tires were wearing unevenly. The car is lowered, and it doesn't have a camber kit, so I assumed it was a camber issue. The tires don't appear to be slanting inwards at all, but I just figured I didn't know any better.

I took it into a mechanic to get his opinion and was told that the the inside of my rear tires are cupping. His first suggestion was that my struts are probably worn and need to be replaced. When I mentioned the car was lowered, he also mentioned getting a camber kit put on.

Basically, he suggested two totally different options and I'm unsure of how to proceed. So any help or advice would be appreciated!

Oh, and if it makes a difference, the tires that are on the car are higher quality and haven't been on there for a ridiculously long time.

Did you get a full wheel alignment when you lowered the car? It only takes a degree or so out to make your tires wear uneven.

Run your hands along the inside edges of the rear tires in both directions. If it feels a lot rougher going one direction than it does the other, it's toe wear and an alignment will keep it from getting worse. Camber doesn't tend to wear tires as much as everyone seems to think it does. My civic was dialed in at -3° all around for two years and around 12,000 miles until I sold it; my mustang is sitting at -2° in front and has been for three years and 25,000 miles. I have yet to experience a single camber-related tire wear issue. Toe, however, will wear down a set of tires in less than 3,000 miles (I'm talking 11/32" to cords showing)... ask me how I know.

I have no idea if the car got a full wheel alignment when it was lowered. It was actually a gift from my parents and, since it was lowered over 5 years ago, they can't recall exactly what they did. We tried to contact the shop to see what exactly was done to my car, but they got new management and don't have records from that far back.

When I run my hand along the inside edge of the tire, it doesn't feel a lot rougher going one direction; it's about the same both ways, and it actually feels really smooth (aside from the cupping thats going on). If my alignment was off, wouldn't I feel a noticeable pull to the left or right when I'm driving?

Cupping wear also occurs because the struts are bad. When they don't damp out motion of the suspension the tires end up bouncing down the road instead of rolling.