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Chris,
The faster wear in the center of a tire could be in fact, the result of severe overinflation that significantly changes the size of the contact patch by raising the shoulders completely off the ground. But in practice, it doesn't have to be this drastic... the entire tread width (shoulders and all) can remain in contact with the road surface, while the center of the tread carries the majority of the load.
Most tires are designed to operate (and therefore wear best) within a fairly narrow band of pressures. Get outside that band, and loads across the tread face can begin to distort significantly.
Gary L.
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1971 142E ITB racer, 1973 1800ES, 2002 S60 T5
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