Do I need a new tire?
03-29-11, 12:42 PM
#1
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Do I need a new tire?
Hey fellow CLers, need some help here. I took the tire off my front wheel yesterday (Falken FK452 245/30/20), and the tire guy told me that the inner portion of the tire is bubbling, which means that I should get a new tire soon. He said I can roll on it for short distances, but shouldn't drive on it for long. I just wanted to check-in to see if what he's saying is legit.
I'm well aware of tire bubbling issues, but this one seems weird. Usually, there is visible deformation of the tire from the outside, but this time the tire looks perfect when it's mounted. But once it's dismounted, and you put your hand inside the wall, there is definitely an even air pocket that runs through the entire diameter of the inner tire, but only on the side closest to the suspension. It's almost like an inner tube. I ran my hand around the other side, and it was definitely flat and didn't have an air pocket around it.
I'm guessing that the two sides of the tire should match, so certainly this is not a "feature" of the tire, right? I guess I just want to make sure this is not a defect, and I'd also like to find out whether I need a new tire asap. The problem is that there is no way to tell whether my other tires are affected unless I dismount all of them.
I have attached a couple of pix to illustrate the part of the tire I'm talking about. Thanks for the help in advance!
I'm well aware of tire bubbling issues, but this one seems weird. Usually, there is visible deformation of the tire from the outside, but this time the tire looks perfect when it's mounted. But once it's dismounted, and you put your hand inside the wall, there is definitely an even air pocket that runs through the entire diameter of the inner tire, but only on the side closest to the suspension. It's almost like an inner tube. I ran my hand around the other side, and it was definitely flat and didn't have an air pocket around it.
I'm guessing that the two sides of the tire should match, so certainly this is not a "feature" of the tire, right? I guess I just want to make sure this is not a defect, and I'd also like to find out whether I need a new tire asap. The problem is that there is no way to tell whether my other tires are affected unless I dismount all of them.
I have attached a couple of pix to illustrate the part of the tire I'm talking about. Thanks for the help in advance!
03-29-11, 09:37 PM
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^ Yikes! That's crazy! I hope that didn't cause significant damage!
I'm not sure if this is an issue with Falkens...I've seen so many people run these without issues, and they have good reviews, so that's why I chose them in the first place. hm.
Thanks for the input guys. Is there a way to reveal the defect without having to dismount my other 3 tires? Otherwise, should I just dismount all 4 just in case?
I'm not sure if this is an issue with Falkens...I've seen so many people run these without issues, and they have good reviews, so that's why I chose them in the first place. hm.
Thanks for the input guys. Is there a way to reveal the defect without having to dismount my other 3 tires? Otherwise, should I just dismount all 4 just in case?
03-30-11, 03:28 AM
#6
I've seen every single brand and style of tire with that type of damage, and every one of them was because it was low on air pressure... usually you can find a nail, screw, or sometimes it was the valve or the tire to wheel connection that was leaking...
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