Tires: Jeep tires cupping, jeep grand cherokee laredo, jeep grand cherokee

Question
Hi - I took my 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo in because I have about 93,000 miles on it and knock on wood have never had much trouble with it.  The repair person said I need shocks front and rear, wheel alignment and because my tires were "cupping" and overinflated I needed some work done because grease was leaking from the CVC something and something to do with the axle.  This will be about $300 plus he said I need new tires (they are only 1 1/2 years old).  What is cupping?

Answer
Cluadia,

Cupping is a term that is frequently used incorrectly.

Cupping is supposed to mean a wear pattern where the tread is "scooped" out like a cup would do when dipped into a gallon can of soft ice cream.  This type of wear is caused by out of balance or bad shocks.

But the term has also been applied to various forms of irregular wear.  These are caused by misalignment and can be aggravated by insufficient inflation pressure and insufficient rotation practices.