I’ve an '04 Dodge Stratus Sedan which was stolen about a month and a half ago. The culprit had the car for @5 days and is apparent to me that he was using the car in high speed slides. My BFG’s, which are a couple of years old–Traction T/A’s=70,000 mi. tires–and there are flat spots beginning from the outside of the tire towards the inside of the tire on all four tires, esp. the rears. The ride is negligible, I can tell once in a great on a really smooth surface how screwed up the tires are.
Should I be concerned that the tires were abused and may possibly shred or slough off tread?
The tires have been on the car for some time and are broken in but, the sideways sliding this punk was using my car for took a toll on my tires and I’m wondering if this may shorten the life/reliabilty of my BFGs. The tread otherwise is still good in all but the slide spots/areas that the tire was subjected to. I tend to be hypervigilant concerning my car and its care and maintenance, never had one stolen and recovered before and I have never done to a tire what this delinquent committed.
Any thoughts/concerns/recommendations would be greatly appreciated…
Thanx, Rod.
If you have any doubts about the reliability of your tires then I would replace them…safety comes first so does your peace of mind.
Replace them! It’s really really cheap protection against a possible accident.
I’d also have the chassis and alignment gone over. Just in case.
You’re worried about the tires? What about the engine? What about the drive train?
If the car was used as you suspect while in the hands of the thief, why do you even want this car back?
I’d sell it ASAP and find something else. I’m not kidding. Why are you willing to wait for the problems to show up? Bail out now, before you start spending money.
And, please explain how one does high speed slides in a FWD car.
You get a pair of those plastic trays that use when you eat inside at a fast-food place. You put them under the rear tires of the FWD car. lock the e-brake on and let the hooning begin.
My car was stolen a few years back. The kids that stole it went joyriding and had a pot party in it. The oil was down 2 quarts as well, indicating very fast driving.
My insurance covered the broken window, a full shampoo cleaning, as well as a FULL MECHANICAL INSPECTION! Luckily the car was Ok, but if the tires had bees scuffed or flat-spotted that would have been covered.
I had a 1990 Olds Regency stolen many years back… The thief/theives had the car for about a week and only put about 50 miles on it. They had a pot party and chip fest in the car. The body shop “repaired” the broken window, busted steering column, and “…went over it…”, but the car was never the same. It turns out that a real examination into the alignment indicated that the car had been “doughnutted” in the local community (strut towers on the passenger side were wrecked, new rattles, etc.). We held on for as long as we could. If I had had the money I would have dumped it and moved on faster. My recommendation: Move on; the unit is damaged goods. Good Luck!
Gonna replace the BFGs, while in the shop and up in the air, have the suspension/chassis inspected along with the brakes, etc. The car runs and operates great. The body shop did a bang up job in fixing the dings and paint. The bumpers look brand new. Just gonna keep on keepin’ on…