Unusual tire problems

mjmsprt40 · Mar 29, 2015

At least, I sure hope it's unusual-- even though it's plagued me for the past several months.

I have a problem that sure looks like belt-separation in the tires. The tire will start out nice and round, just like a tire is supposed to be--- then down the road a few thousand miles it will develop a bulge in the tread along with a characteristic "thump thump thump" as you drive down the road. This is beginning to get irritating to say the least, and I wonder what could be causing it. Faulty tires or something else. I note that I've experienced this on all four corners, plus I've kept up with alignment and she steers straight.

Chevy 2500 series van, 1998 (yeah, it's old) with 540,000 miles on it so far.

Thanks in advance.....

Mailer · Mar 29, 2015

Check this out....

http://blog.tirerack.com/blog/make-driving-fun/is-there-a-bubble-on-your-tire

mjmsprt40 · Mar 29, 2015

Good--- except that what I've experienced isn't sidewall damage. It's in the tread area. Not that bad roads couldn't be the cause of course--- the roads have been bad and getting worse for a long time.

I've had bad sidewalls of course. One like the photo in the link above is close to blowout, the sooner that tire is changed the better.

Moot · Mar 29, 2015

I had a belt separate on 1998 Chevy Express. I was driving on a rough stretch of road on the way to a pick-up. When the road surface improved, I still noticed a rough ride. I pulled over and checked my tires. One of the front tires had a bulge in the tread face. It looked like a fist poking through from inside the tire.

After making the pick-up I changed out the bad tire. Later my tire guy confirmed that it was belt separation, but there were too many miles on it to get any kind of monetary adjustment. In over a million miles on two vans, that was the only case of belt separation I have encountered.

What brand and load rating tires are you running? Are you seeing a distinct bulge in the tread area or could it be cupping due to worn shocks?

mjmsprt40 · Mar 29, 2015

Could be worn shocks up front--- right now that seems to be the worse problem too. I've had tires this past few months that had distinct bulges though-- so much so that the tire guy said it was defective tires. I had a rash of bulges this past summer and fall-- which prompted this thread.

Last time I had belt separation this bad, it was purely my fault--- and on a Sable wagon. I had driven the tires to the point where they were due for changing anyway, and one prompted the matter by belt separation to the point where a steel knot poked through the treads. That's been more than 15 year ago now.

Mailer · Mar 30, 2015

"This damage to the (normally) air tight inner liner of the tire allows air to seep out, causing the bubble."

I was just thinking, the bubble may not have reach the side wall just yet.

Do you think you can snap a picture and post?

OntarioVanMan · Mar 30, 2015

I am with Moot....Its probably a broken belt....it happens...especially if the "rise" is all the way across the tread surface....a bubble separation or ply separation would create a bubble where the separation occurred.... I made Firestone tires and in final inspection for 9 years.......Police tires and high speed vehicles usually come equipped with tires that have a "Teflon belt" as teflon does not over heat which is the cause of most problems...steel belts will get so hot they cause a lot of problems....

greasytshirt · Mar 30, 2015

Brand and model of tire?

mjmsprt40 · Mar 31, 2015

I haven't checked the brand-- it IS an off-brand though-- but the size and load rating are correct for this vehicle.

I have a suspicion the problems here are multiple. The left-front tire is showing significant damage in the tread. Further, I have reason to suspect-- by the nature of the damage and the vibrations in the steering wheel-- that the left-front shock is "along for the ride" and not actually doing anything. Tomorrow the front tires get replaced, and all four shocks for good measure.

Last year I had trouble with "Sentinel" brand tires. Bubbles in the tread, all four corners. Worse tires could not exist.

FlyingVan · Mar 31, 2015

Probably it has nothing to do with the van. Cheap Chinese junk tires. I had a set of such tires a few years ago on my car. 3 of them did something similar one within a short time. I replaced them all with quality tires, haven't done anything to the care and no more problems.

mjmsprt40 · Apr 2, 2015

I just got the van back after having a ton of work done on it. I'm going to be keeping an eagle-eye on those new tires. Sentinels again. Maybe this time it will be better. If not----....Well, at least I'll know what the problem isn't.

greasytshirt · Apr 2, 2015

mjmsprt40 said:
I just got the van back after having a ton of work done on it. I'm going to be keeping an eagle-eye on those new tires. Sentinels again. Maybe this time it will be better. If not----....Well, at least I'll know what the problem isn't.

What size are they? I want to look at their wholesale cost and compare it to a brand with a reputation.

mjmsprt40 · Apr 2, 2015

They are LT225-75R16 tires, other markings DN-HT701. Made in China, wouldn't you know.

billg27 · Apr 2, 2015

Those may be the wrong size tires. Specs call for LT245/75R16 with a load range E.

mjmsprt40 · Apr 2, 2015

billg27 said:
Those may be the wrong size tires. Specs call for LT245/75R16 with a load range E.

Thanks for making me check the door plate. Nope, my tires ARE the correct size so that's not the problem. So-- if these tires go bad I know that the size and load range aren't the problem because those are correct, I know the shocks aren't the problem because those have been replaced, and I know the alignment is OK. So that leaves faulty tires as the likely culprit.

Edit; add-on: I specifically mention shock absorbers because a bad one can allow a wheel/tire to bounce while driving, causing a rather furiously rough ride and cupping wear on the affected tire. The left front tire showed this sort of wear this last time so of course the shock gets the blame for this one-- and replacing all four shocks, given the mileage these had on them is cheap insurance.

scottm4211 · Apr 2, 2015

Why go cheap on tires?

mjmsprt40 · Apr 2, 2015

I'm not sure I would have specified that. Seems my trusted tire-shop sells them, along with the more trusted name brands. I would guess they look at the age of the van (it's a 1998) the mileage (it has 542,000 miles on it) and decide that they can get away with cheap on a vehicle that might not live long anyway. Next time I'll have to ride herd quite a bit tighter-- up to and including choosing another tire-shop.

I would note that at this tire shop, Sentinel seems to be "mid range" in price for that size.

greasytshirt · Apr 2, 2015

Well, no sign of Sentinel from our regular supplier.

Want to see what wholesale prices look like? The cheapest in this size with LT designation and E load range are around $95 each. Firestone Transforce HT are $125 each, Goodyear Wrangler SR-A are $163 each. There are around 50 different choices.

greasytshirt · Apr 2, 2015

http://www.tirebusiness.com/article/20130129/NEWS/130129932/del-nat-adds-entry-level-sentinel-line

This article explains that the main attributes of Sentinel tires are that they are round and hold air, and they are priced accordingly.

If this is your tire dude's mid-range brand, I'd hate to see what the cheap ones look like.

mjmsprt40 · Apr 3, 2015

OK. I keep an eye on these tires. IF they hold up, OK maybe. But, another dose of tread separation way earlier than the tire should be kaput--- with still significant tread left on the tire---it's time to get serious. Cheap tires are hardly ever really inexpensive, it costs more to replace cheap than it would to buy quality in the first place.