Failed car tyres

[Salad Dodger]

I have just returned from a holiday in Devon. A round trip of nearly 600 miles which I drove on motorways and A roads.

There seemed to be loads of "failed" car tyres in the Hedges. The treaded section of tyres but without any sidewalls.

I can't remember ever seeing these on the verge on past trips. Is there some reason why the treads on modern tyres separate from the sidewalls? Or has this been a trend for a long time, and I have just not noticed?

 

[Scottish Scrutineer]

It has been a trend for many years, predominantly with large vehicles with blow-outs caused by under-inflated tyres on (twin) double wheels, usually due to under-inflation or punctures. However, if there are increasing number of cars suffering from this, I'd have thought that the tyre pressure monitoring systems would have given early warning of low pressures. The other reason is that increasingly people simply do not check the condition of their tyres; either simply worn out, uneven wear due to misalignment or running at low pressure, damage caused by potholes, damage caused by repeatedly mounting kerbs to park on footpaths, all exacerbated by the fashion for wide low-profile tyres.

 

[PeteXXX]

Cheap retreads?

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

They are a weekly check item on all 3 cars
After all, the tyres are the only item that contacts the ground, & as you state, very susceptible to damage

 

[fossyant]

They are a weekly check item on all 3 cars
After all, the tyres are the only item that contacts the ground, & as you state, very susceptible to damage

I see many many expensive cars running around on worn out tyres. People lease their posh motors, but don't like the corresponding cost of 'fancy tyres'. Most folk never check their tyre condition, mad I know. I check my tyres when washing the car, like every week.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I see many many expensive cars running around on worn out tyres. People lease their posh motors, but don't like the corresponding cost of 'fancy tyres'.

True!!
The amount that you see, if you look when walking past, with 'bare shoulders', worn smooth

Most folk never check their tyre condition, mad I know. I check my tyres when washing the car, like every week.

Wash?!
I bought my Kodiaq at the end of May, yesterday was the first time I'd washed it since
Please don't get me wrong!
It's vacuumed out, glass cleaned, oil & fluids checked, tyre-pressures checked regularly

Like the Octavia before it, rain is natures car-wash

 

[I like Skol]

Tis also contributed to by it being the end of caravan season and exacerbated by the COVID lockdowns if last year.
Caravan tyres are often neglected because they don't cover high mileage. They are often stood for prolonged periods in less than ideal conditions and frequently used when well past their expected lifetime. When they are used the pressures may not be checked unless they look low and then the final straw is that they are commonly overloaded as people try to take everything including the kitchen sink on holiday with them!
Because few people holidayed last year there are many more trying to get away this year after an additional year of tyre deterioration, hence more tyre failures.....

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

@I like Skol


I agree totally


Now ours in storage, the tyres are covered to give them some respite from UV light
I'm also considering going down & putting it up on wooden blocks, to take the weight off the tyres & suspension units
I'll consult the dealer, about suitable points to stand the chassis on them

 

[oldwheels]

Tyres seem to have a surprisingly short lifespan. My motorhome tyres which I replaced when I got the van looked perfect but were well beyond their use by date. When I sold the van I pointed out that the tyres were getting a bit old but the new owner simply remarked that there was plenty of tread and I doubt very much if they were ever changed.

 

[Drago]

Persistent under inflation will do this, and that is pure driver negligence.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I see many many expensive cars running around on worn out tyres. People lease their posh motors, but don't like the corresponding cost of 'fancy tyres'. Most folk never check their tyre condition, mad I know. I check my tyres when washing the car, like every week.

It is mad isn't it, I saw one of those outrageous penile extension Audi Q8 turbos in a car park recently. Something like a 5 litre engine with 300BHP. And all the tyres were shockingly bald, maybe 1mm of tread depth left where there was any. I'd have had them replaced a long, long time before that, when the wear bar was close (at the latest).
This guy could afford 70k for the car, but then clearly reality bit when Kwik Fit wanted 350 pounds for one tyre. And I suppose with cars like that being bought as a "lifestyle image enhancer", spending over a grand on tyres doesn't add any to his imagined "cachet" so he just battles on until they fail I guess.

 

[Ian H]

...People lease their posh motors, but don't like the corresponding cost of 'fancy tyres'...

We moved to contract hire for our company cars. With the first one I had a couple of arguments with the lease company because they didn't want to replace tyres until they were right on the limit, and then only with cheaper ones. After that I excluded tyres from the contract on mine. All ancient history now, though.

 

[Alex321]

I see many many expensive cars running around on worn out tyres. People lease their posh motors, but don't like the corresponding cost of 'fancy tyres'. Most folk never check their tyre condition, mad I know. I check my tyres when washing the car, like every week.

If I only checked my tyres when washing the car, it might just be once a year

 

[a.twiddler]

It does seem that low profile tyres are more fragile than traditional ones, more vulnerable to damage from potholes or careless mounting of kerbs.
However it has been a thing on motorways for many years that larger tyres from trucks etc have been seen at the roadside after deflating and breaking up for whatever reason so it's not a new phenomenon.

I have noticed, perhaps due to keeping cars for a long time after buying them, that cars with alloy wheels tend to suffer corrosion inside the rims after they have had several winters which means that they are less air tight than when they are new. I've had to have several ground back, repolished internally and recoated to get rid of slow leaks. A combination of low profile tyres and old alloy wheels is not a good one as losing a little air has a bigger effect than on a conventional tyre on sidewall life. With steel rims this was not such a problem.

Since having a car with low profile tyres I've had to replace a few tyres before they were worn out due to pothole damage on the rotten road surfaces that my wife regularly has to use on her daily route. They might look nice, but they're not really tough enough. Back to conventional profile wheels and tyres for the next one, if they're available.

 

[I like Skol]

I actually upsized the tyres on Mrs Skol's car when they were due for replacement and went from a 40 to a 45 sidewall ratio in the same width. Much googling and measuring up required but fortunately the manufacturer allows a healthy clearance margin so the slightly larger size fit with no issues. Just like bicycle tyres we now benefit from an almost imperceptible improvement in ride comfort, reduced chance of tyre/rim impact damage and a nice coincidental but expected side effect is that the Speedo is now almost perfectly accurate whereas it was always a bit optimistic on the stock size.
There are lots of other factors to consider such as effect in brake performance, handling, gearing, stability systems (ESP) and insurance so such changes are not to be made on a whim.