OT - Struts

Ben did pass the time by typing:

Failing struts, just like bad shocks, can cause excessive tire wear. It is usually felt as "cupping" caused by the tire bouncing.

Cupping can be felt by moving your palm around the tire tread and feeling depression/bump/depression/bump/etc

Not 100% on this but I think struts also affect the front geometry in those types of vehicles and can lead to other tire damage such as fethering.

Feathering can be felt by moving your palm one way (where it just slides around) and then the other way where it feels like the tire is grabbing your palm.

I'd run ... ok, drive, to a Saturn shop for a second opinion. My experience with other makes and with normal driving, struts last a long long time.

Struts or shocks (two items that do the very same job in almost identical manners) can fail in a manner that will cause the tires to wear badly along the edges, especially if the tires are underinflated.

The wear pattern is called "feathering" or "cupping". You can feel this feathering by sliding your fingers along the tread. In advanced cases, you can see the feathering quite plainly.

I would stay as far from the dealer as I could. I would never go there for a second opinion. I would perhaps go to another tire store or similar such service center.

Struts last no longer than any other type of shock absorber, and the OP didn't give us any clue as to how old his Saturn is. It could easily have shocks that are due for replacemnt.

Yet another observation from Captain Beside-the-Point. Can I get a group "DUH!"?

We understand that completely, but is not part of the question.

The tires wear because the struts or the shocks are worn, allowing the tires to bounce in a harmonic pattern that results in cupping along the edges of the tires.

I can't ever remember seeing a strut fall apart to the point that the suspension suffered a catastrophic failure of the type you are talking about. The strut has significant structural components to hold it together even if it fails to the point that the tires bounce and wear out unevenly.

That is completely and utterly without relevance to the question we are addressing.

The topic was about tire wear, NOT shocks or struts.

I explained how shocks or struts can cause tire wear.

The differences in shocks and struts is very clear to me, and you postings are without relevance. But thatnks for playing, Captain BesidethePoint.

Jeff, the topic is "Struts" as in the subject line. To paraphrase, he asked whether he should believe the advice that they are "shot". Like you he doesn't know what a strut is! I took the liberty of pasting in the original post that you seem incapable or finding:

"From: "Ben" Wed 3:32 PM Subject: OT - Struts I was getting the oil changed in my Saturn at this tire shop and I was told by the Tech that the struts where shot and they were shredding the tires.. I have never heard of that before... Can someone help me on that one? I know it isn't a Jeep question, but I thought that the shredding tire thing was interesting... Ben

God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O mailto: snipped-for-privacy@aol.com

When the struts fail, the affect is identical to the failure of a shock. The resulting tire wear looks a certain way, and it looks the same way - for all practical purposes - regardless of whether the car is fitted with shocks or struts.

You are talking about the tires falling off the car, I am talking about the tires bouncing. Bouncing happens with shocks or struts. Falling off never happens.

The question was, (paraphrasing here) "Why are my tires worn out and the struts are to blame?" I answered that question, and included the reference to shocks because for some strange reason some people grasp the job of a shock but fail to grasp the idea that a strut does the same thing. The strut also is a major suspension component, but the quality of a strut that affects tire wear is the quality that it shares with a shock, and the suspension component HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS.

Thanks again, Captain Beside the Point.