I should be dead.

HOLY ****...!!! i'm glad you're okay...! Have you checked your other tires...?!?

 

Wow, all the way around the tire too, that looks bad. By the way are you sure those aren't Michilens?

 

glad your ok !!! i think that tire can be patched.

 

diagnosis: underinflated and not enough use of the camber or too much camber for highway use.

 

Four friends were so confident that the weekend before finals, they decided to go up to Dallas and party with some friends up there, slept in and missed class and a test on Monday. They decided to find their professor after the final and explain to him why they missed it.

They explained that they had gone to Dallas for the weekend with the plan to come back and study but, unfortunately, they had a flat tire on the way back, didn't have a spare, and couldn't get help for a long time. As a result, they missed the final.

The Professor thought it over and then agreed they could make up the final the following day. The guys were elated and relieved.

They studied that night and went in the next day at the time the professor had told them. He placed them in separate rooms and handed each of them a test booklet, and told them to begin.

They looked at the first problem, worth 5 points. It was something simple about free radical formation. "Cool," they thought at the same time, each one in his separate room. "This is going to be easy."

Each finished the problem and then turned the page. On the second page was written:

(For 95 points): Which tire?

 

LOL...! The way it's blown out, i'm wondering if it's a Firestone...

 

LMAO!

 

I had a Pirelli that lost it's carcass at 65mph on a 70 Datsun 240Z. The belts stayed on but, the rubber tore itself off, at first still connected by some portion. The rubber spinning around at that speed bent back the metal bodywork into the wheel well at the rear of the car. I was stunned at this as I've always checked my pressures every few months.

After I'd told a friend who used to work at a tire dealership he nonchalantly said "oh yea, we'd see that kind of thin once a week." Apparently tire malfunctions aren't as rare as everyone thinks they are.

As another side note my GF and I live in the hills above the I-5 Freeway here in L.A. and we hear a blow out at least once a week near us.

 

At least it looks like the carcass stayed on the wheel. I've seen an Integra with thousands of dollars of body damage due to the tire starting to peel apart and whipping the fender, fender well, hood, and door.

 

Glad you are OK!

Any idea of the reason for the failure?

Any evidence of road hazard?

Was the pressure correct?

 

how many miles do you have on that tire? I had the same thing happen at around 10,000.. They told me i was pushing it.

 

That's nonsense...! i've pushed a lot more miles on a lot less caliber tires and never had a problem... There's something wrong with that tire... How big is the wheel...? Is it an aspect ratio problem...?

 

What a cry baby! You have most of the tire left!

LOL... kidding.

Glad you're ok.

Sunny

 

Less caliber tires are meant for it. However, if the tire was inspected visually every few thousand miles, he would have noticed that it was cording. It doesn't 'automatically' cord. I'm still voting for underinflated tires.

And unless you were at a high rate of speed, with the low profiles, you wouldn't be dead.

 

After a real close look at the picture, that tire had the belt showing well before it blew. Not inspecting your tires for this sort of wear AND going 95 was not the smartest combination for safety. BAD BOY!

 

That belt exposure was probably more than 300 miles worth. You are very lucky! I'll bet you'll check out alignment after that episode!

 

I'm going to disagree with the guys saying the belts were exposed for a long time. I have seen the tires on Maserati rims take damage from potholes and rough roads that causes a bubble on the inside of the sidewall. My guess is with enough speed (heat) over enough distance, that bubble finally gave way and caused the damage you have pictured.

You definitely want to check the inside of the sidewalls of your remaining tires. You'll need to jack up the car so you can spin the wheels and check all the way around. Even better if you can put it on a lift and take a look.

Larry

 

Not exactly. A bubble could have been the cause, but this is belt shear. 95? Doesn't matter really. The belts were showing well before this happened. Gotta inspect the car over, especially the tires prior to driving a sports car of any kind.

 

Not that I'm looking to argue, I was just offering my opinion/experience, but I'm curious how you come to that conclusion off of the picture he posted. All I see is a tire that failed at 95 mph and obviously took some additional damage as he slowed down and regained control. I doubt he stopped very quickly from that speed.

Also, not being a tire engineer (or any engineer for that matter), I would guess that the bubbles I have seen on these sidewalls are the result of some kind of belt failure caused by road hazards. Does that mean we generally agree from different points of view?

I do agree that the tires of any vehicle need to be inspected regularly, in fact it was always one of the first things I looked at when I had a car or motorcycle up on a lift. Not only a visual inspection, but any vehicle I worked on left with the tire pressures set to the manufacturer's recommendations as well.

Larry

 

yeah looks like typical sidewall failure due to underinflation. The rim tends to heat and grind the sidewall from the inside out - if you notice it early enough the sidewall feels very soft and inside the tire you'll find the powder of what was once nylon cord. Obviously at that point the tire is still ruined.
Impossible to say what caused the underinflation, but this looks like you ran it hard for 10+ miles on a soft tire.

Although, in that scenario I'd expect you to feel a tug at the steering wheel from the extra fricton created by the sluggish tire.

Glad yer okay!

 

WOW, glad you're OK.

Amazing the tire held together at all.

 

Uh...

i guess you can sue the maker, at least for a new tire.

There is clearly a problem with the tire. My dad had this on some of his trucks, and always got a new tire for free (and that's in europe...in the states you could say you don't dare to drive anymore, you have nightmares etc etc)