CHALK TEST: Dynapro ATm at 16,000 miles

I did this test a couple months ago, and the subject came up in another thread, and it took me forever to find this reply I did... So, I am creating a new thread so I can find it and for anyone interested in what a tire wear chalk test looks like, who hadn't seen it before!

The Hankook's now have 20,000 miles on them, and look great (still)!


Step 1, check that your tires are all at the pressure you assunme to be correct.

For my Dynapros, they all are at 37 psi. I have (by feel) determined 36-40 psi to be a good range for these 44 psi max. tires on my lightly loaded to unloaded 4 door Tacoma.

Step 2, with big sidewalk chalk, make a one inch bar across the tread.

Step 3, drive for approx. 100 feet and then see how the chalk wears off.

If it wears mostly in the center, too much air. If more wears on the outsides, then too little air. If wears is even across the tire, you are gold!

Right Rear Before and After:





Right Front Before and After:





Left Front Before and After:





Left Rear Before and After:






There you go.... looks pretty even, yes? Maybe just a hair high? What do you think?

FYI, these tires have 16,000 miles on them. Hankook Dynapro ATm 265/75-16.

OH, and after doing the test, I have lowered the psi to 35 on all 4... soon I will re-test and see if we have improved wear even-ness...

 

A hair eye high. I'd leave them the way you've got them though.

 

STEP 1: find your little nieces chalk**

 

Thank you, however, as I said these photo were taken last April and because it showed a bit over-inflated at 37 psi, I dropped to 35 psi. It has been 4,000 miles... everything is doing great. I may do a new Chalk Test at 5,000 miles to see if the wear is a bit more even.

 

I'd say you're good - the edges of front tires wear faster than the centers anyway due to the act of turning, so it might be perfect to offset that a bit by a pattern that your tires exhibit.

I would venture to say that the chalk test is a good test for overpressure, but tires inflated below pressure would still wear the chalk evenly, yes? The only way that you could tell would be if the tires are so low they exhibit "cupping", which I believe would be a drastic level of underinflation and not be evident at, say, 30 psi.

 

If the tire is underinflated, you'll notice the edges wearing faster than the center.

Cupping can be caused by a lot of different things and it's not always clear what causes cupping. For instance an unbalanced tire or blown shock could cause cupping.

 

Eventually, yes - but my hypothesis is that this would not show on the chalk test since a full contact patch would be maintained, even with underinflated tires.

 

You're probably right in most cases unless you were severly underinflated (in which case just looking at the tires should tell you something is wrong).

What I meant though was by the time you see the tires cupping, the outter edges will be worn if they're underinflated.

I guess you're better off starting a little higher and backing pressure off until you get an even wear patch.

 

The Hankook Dynapro ATms are nearing 25,000 miles... they appear to be about 50% worn... still doing fine, although I thing I hear them more than when they were new. I have had a rock puncture the same tire twice (in the same spot, so a patch failure perhaps?) and a slow leak from a hole, but no nail or ? was in the tire... that was patched.

 

Now at 28,000 and am starting to research for the next tire purchase.

Same tire (Dynapro ATM), but in an LT version?
Toyo Open Country AT II?
Falken Wild Peak/Rocky Mountain?
???

 

Really, getting to the end of their lives at 28K? I had the 265/70/17 Es on my runner and got about 55K out of them before they wore to the "acceptable" limit, and probably could have gotten more, but sprang for some duratracs at the beginning of winter. Maybe the LTs wear better, yours were P rated or C?

The LTs I had were great, only one puncture with quite a bit of off road crawling use, and the puncture I did get was on a gravel road from a sharp piece of gravel that hit the tread block just right, who would have thought.

 

Had Toyo Open Countries on my Rav4, worst tires I've ever owned. Ice skates in the winter, and very prone to hydroplaning in turns in the wet. I ditched them for Dynapro ATMs and it was a world of difference. Can't wait for my Rugged Trails to die on my Taco so I can justify upgrading to Dynapros again.

 

I have the 295 'kook RT03's (8 ply)

like them a bunch...

I have never done any chalk test
but roll them at 34(F)/32(R) psi (street)

They seem to be wearing good.

When I rolled 285 KMII's (10 ply)... 33(F)/31(R) psi (street)
they wore fairly well.

kudos for sharing your test results

 

P rated... and I am maybe over-reacting to the wear... I showed them to a friend and he said those look like new tires... I think he was trying to make me feel good?

I guess I should take photos and post them for opinions... I like a tire to be meaty when I go off road... as I said, the thinnest tread measures 1/4" deep. I guess it can go to 1/8" (Lincoln's head), right? Again, I am thinking off road and not street or beach driving which doesn't need deep treads.

 

Interesting... I had good luck with my ATs on my '05 Taco... 35,000 miles easy. I live near San Diego just above sea level, so no ice worries... but if I ddrive to the snow, I want them to work. The DynaPros were amazing in the snow when I took them out in it 2 years ago, when they were new.

The TOYO Open Country AT II's look really better than the orignials, so that's why I considered them... as I would Cooper Discoverer ATRs I also ran on my '05 Taco.

I got rid of the Rugged Fails at 20,000 miles, after two little rock punctures (the first at 13,000 miles)!

 

I'm happy with my LT Hankook ATm's

 

How many miles on them so far OZ?

 

I will check my invoice from the shop and let you know

 

Cool, and if your truck is using KILOMETERS, I know how to convert!

 

Nice ongoing analysis, David
Thanks for sharing the Data


CC