Bill Russell said: “CapriRacer: I once saw a tread that had just separated from an automobile tire, rolling down the highway next to the auto, at 60 MPH. If that’s not due to a defect, what is it due to?”
We have a name for a condition where the tread becomes detached from the sidewall in the form of a hoop - Run Flat - and just like the name says, it is caused by operating the tire with little or no inflation pressure. When I see this condition, 90% of the time I can find the puncture.
What about the other 10%? It is very likely in the damaged sidewall area and can’t be identified?
How do I know that 10% of the time, tires get punctured in this area? Because Rex Grogan has the statistics in his book: The Tire Investigators Guide to Tire Failures. I have confidence that Rex got this right, because my statistics are very similar.
Keith said: “Capri Racer, I assure you it was a defect. I take very good care of my tires and often get 100k miles out of them…”
With respect, I assume you take good care of your tires - as I assume all the Car Talk regulars do. But defects have names and can be identified with a location on the tire - and unless you actually identified a defect, you can’t be sure. Typically “sidewall blowouts” are NOT caused by defects, but either a puncturing object or an impact. I’ve examined 10’s of thousands of failed tires and allow me assure you, I know what I am talking about here.
