Do Not Buy Falken Tires!!
03-10-2008, 08:03 AM
#82
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Originally Posted by StreetOC192
DO NOT BUY A TOYOTA!!!
I had a Toyota Tacoma pickup that had 300,000 miles on it. One day the engine just stopped working. Toyota sucks and the world must boycott!!!
I had a Toyota Tacoma pickup that had 300,000 miles on it. One day the engine just stopped working. Toyota sucks and the world must boycott!!!
DO NOT BUY GLASS CUPS!
it fell on the floor at no fault of my own and the fuking thing shattered! Proof positive that it was a manufacturer's defect! Bolding stuff makes it more even more true-er.
03-10-2008, 08:22 AM
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First off, I'm glad you're ok, and these types of situations do suck. But I have to play devil's advocate a bit and ask who in their right mind would expect a quality product from a company called "WheelMax?" I never skimp on the quality of the rollers and rubbers, I think this might teach you to do the same in the future. Good luck getting back on the road safely.
03-10-2008, 08:26 AM
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OP -
Let's assume you checked your air pressure seconds before getting in your car. Then you ran over a nail, or a screw or any number of objects regularly found on the road. This caused your tire to begin losing air pressure....this caused your car to begin pulling to the left which you ignored and continued to drive on a deflating tire until it failed. This is either no fault or your fault....but it's not Falken's fault and it's not wheelmax's fault. You're in Texas? Geezus man, cowboy up and deal with it.
Let's assume you checked your air pressure seconds before getting in your car. Then you ran over a nail, or a screw or any number of objects regularly found on the road. This caused your tire to begin losing air pressure....this caused your car to begin pulling to the left which you ignored and continued to drive on a deflating tire until it failed. This is either no fault or your fault....but it's not Falken's fault and it's not wheelmax's fault. You're in Texas? Geezus man, cowboy up and deal with it.
03-10-2008, 08:30 AM
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you were driving the car with the alignment ****ed up for a long time, look how worn it is. Not a tire defect, alignment issue. I personally would never buy falkens for my Z, but I do have them on my dads truck and on my daily driver. I wouldnt buy AZA wheels either.
03-10-2008, 08:33 AM
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I had the same thing happend to the stock RE040s - I heard a loud bang and all of a sudden the car was squirrly in the back. It turned out that I ran over a nail on the freeway. Luckily, I was able to drive about 10 more miles to get to work. Does that mean the Bridgestones suck? They do, but not in this case.
I am riding on ST115s and even though I spun out on them, I know they aren't high performance tires. I only have myself to blame...
I am riding on ST115s and even though I spun out on them, I know they aren't high performance tires. I only have myself to blame...
03-10-2008, 08:41 AM
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Here is some great info:
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/artic...umentid=435303
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/artic...umentid=435303
Originally Posted by MSN Autos
The Problem of Underinflation
Surveys have shown that as many as half the cars on the road may be riding on one or more underinflated tires. Part of the problem is that tires lose air through the rubber and at interfaces with the wheel and valve, sometimes so slowly that many people don't realize it has happened. Seasonal temperature changes may also cause the tire pressure to drop.
Because the sidewall flexes more at lower tire pressures, underinflation compromises the driving control that a tire is designed to provide. Even a small pressure loss—such as 4 psi—can affect a car's handling, making it harder to control. It can also make the ride softer and the car wallow. In addition, underinflated tires lower a vehicle's fuel economy, which can cost you more money at the pump.
A sidewall that flexes too much can also cause heat to build up excessively, which can shorten a tire's life and possibly lead to a tread separation or blowout. Using a computer simulation program, the Crash Safety Research Center at Penn State's Pennsylvania Transportation Institute has shed more light on how a tire performs with lower air pressure. Every tire has a speed at which a deformation called a "standing wave" occurs along its circumference, causing a rise in temperature and eventual failure. The research center has found that when the tire pressure is lowered, the energy used by the tire is increased significantly. The result is a rapid rise in temperature, rolling resistance, and tire fatigue.
Surveys have shown that as many as half the cars on the road may be riding on one or more underinflated tires. Part of the problem is that tires lose air through the rubber and at interfaces with the wheel and valve, sometimes so slowly that many people don't realize it has happened. Seasonal temperature changes may also cause the tire pressure to drop.
Because the sidewall flexes more at lower tire pressures, underinflation compromises the driving control that a tire is designed to provide. Even a small pressure loss—such as 4 psi—can affect a car's handling, making it harder to control. It can also make the ride softer and the car wallow. In addition, underinflated tires lower a vehicle's fuel economy, which can cost you more money at the pump.
A sidewall that flexes too much can also cause heat to build up excessively, which can shorten a tire's life and possibly lead to a tread separation or blowout. Using a computer simulation program, the Crash Safety Research Center at Penn State's Pennsylvania Transportation Institute has shed more light on how a tire performs with lower air pressure. Every tire has a speed at which a deformation called a "standing wave" occurs along its circumference, causing a rise in temperature and eventual failure. The research center has found that when the tire pressure is lowered, the energy used by the tire is increased significantly. The result is a rapid rise in temperature, rolling resistance, and tire fatigue.
03-12-2008, 04:38 PM
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Originally Posted by Wholey Smokes
I think the only thing this thread is "proof" of is that the OP tends to jump to conclusions and be overly dramatic. It seems like you might be compatible with some of my ex-girlfriends.
Best post in this thread goes to you
03-13-2008, 06:28 AM
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Let's quit bumping this thread. The original poster was obviously upset by his tire blowing, and is now too embarrassed to admit that it was most likely his fault. His lack of further responses shows this.
03-13-2008, 08:23 PM
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You've worn well past the wear indicators on the tires. You've only endagered yourself.
Tow truck drivers are all idiots too. (EDIT: That's not true, just every one I've met.)
Tow truck drivers are all idiots too. (EDIT: That's not true, just every one I've met.)
Last edited by Cheezwiz; 03-13-2008 at 08:25 PM.
03-13-2008, 09:38 PM
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Originally Posted by DDS_RACER
Right. That's b/c I bought the tires and wheels together as part of a package from Wheelmax. If you read my previous thread DO NOT BUY FROM WHEELMAX (link above) I made a point that their wheels were not safe. Now I can add tires to their growing accolades. 
Good questions.
1. I do check my tire pressure regularly. I do all my own work on my car, including oil changes.
2. 18's. Not certain about offset, let me check.
3. No
4. Not long, my car only has 19K miles, so I figure the tires had about 10K on them if that.
Good questions.
1. I do check my tire pressure regularly. I do all my own work on my car, including oil changes.
2. 18's. Not certain about offset, let me check.
3. No
4. Not long, my car only has 19K miles, so I figure the tires had about 10K on them if that.
03-15-2008, 12:59 AM
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I appreciate the support I've gotten from most of you. I've been silent lately because I wanted to take the time to reflect objectively on this matter and respond when I was ready to look at this from all angles and set aside my biases. Also, for those of you who don't know me, I'm in my last year of dental school. Hence, I don't get to play very much on here during the week as I am completely consumed by clinic and lab work.
Almost a week has passed since this incident. I've had the chance to calm down, read all the posts, and also talk with people who I trust and are well-informed. There are several theories that consistently surface in this thread and in my conversations with others. I will discuss ideas which have probable merit in this case, but obviously methodologies that would provide the most accurate and conclusive findings would best be saved for forensic analysis (as someone already mentioned). However, the work of such scientific analysis would be pricey and I would not have the resources to do that. Therefore, despite the exchange of reliable information in this section, this discussion remains speculative at best. There's no harm, however, in trying to understand what caused my tire to fail so that others can learn from this and prevent a similar occurence.
Let me also take the time to address information requested by some which I failed to share...that of my offset sizes. Front: 18 x 8.5, Rear: 18 x 9.5. It was not my intention to hide this information from anyone (how could I...it's public information on the Wheelmax.com website). The reason I didn't come out with this information from the get-go was because I knew my offsets were a non-issue in this case. These offsets are within normal limits given my tire sizes, and thus should not be given anymore further consideration.
Tires just don't violently blow-up! This begs the question, what caused my left-rear tire to fail on me during a normal highway commute? After all there was no debris on the road, no pot holes I encountered, and no noticeable road hazards. The tire appeared sound; most of the tread remained; there was no weathering degradation evident. The vehicle was kept inside away from weathering elements. In short there was nothing to indicate a potential problem. Tire pressure was at mfgr's specification. No noticeable road hazards were encountered. What then? I will discuss three possibilities (in no particular order) that in my estimation hold the most merit:
#1 This one was so apparent as to a contributing factor that frankly I was annoyed at myself for not noticing this. As some have mentioned, the thread indices on the tires were such that they were in need of replacement and thus I was driving on "borrowed time." If this is the case, clearly I would accept responsibility for my tire's blowout. Part of why I posted pics in the first place was so I could get advice/possible clues as to the cause of this. Obviously figuring out how much tread I have left does not require a forensic scientist -- when I get some time, I will take the blown tire along with the (intact) right rear tire (for comparison purposes) to a tire replacement shop for an opinion.
#2 Another contributing factor, brought up by many, was that my tire was improperly inflated, specifically under-inflated. In my last post, I discounted this theory because I check my tire pressure regularly, keep my car in meticulous mechanical condition, and because for the simple fact that I am certain I did NOT have a low pressure reading to begin with. However, a good friend of mine as well as some keen readers posted, that it would have been possible to get a low reading had a foreign object punctured my tire unbeknownst to me, which slowly caused a leak, causing the subsequent loss of pressure and overheating. After careful examination of the tire, I did not find any evidence of a foreign object which could have caused this. Could the foreign object have been expelled during the blow-out? Absolutely. But it's been my experience with previous flat tires that foreign objects, such as nails, don't just bounce off once they've penetrated the tire....in fact, they are usually still found while the tire is being repaired. Also, because the distance between point A (home) and point B (the location of the blowout) was less than 4 miles I really don't think this is sufficient enough time for a tire to become overheated to the point of failure IF one is driving conservatively. Had I been speeding, driving aggressively, or perhaps taking a long distance trip maybe, but I was not...it was a Sunday evening cruise, the weather was cool, around 65-75 deg (versus 100+ degree Texas heat), and I was taking my time driving. I'm really skeptical that this is what caused the tire failure.
#3 The last possibility I will consider pertains to subpar tire manufacturing process. The following information supports this as a valid consideration:
"Of all the known problems resulting in tire tread and belt separation, the leading cause of belt separation is failure of the metal tire components to stick to the rubber. The method most often used to bond these elements involves plating the metal with brass and then applying a rubber compound containing sulfur. If the sulfur and other compounds are not to the correct mixture, then incomplete adhesion occurs. If the brass plating is allowed to oxidize, poor adhesion will likely occur. If there is a shiny brass look to the belts, then most likely there was a deficiency in the tread bonding process, which could also be compounded by other defects. Tread and belt separations can also occur from poor adhesion of the tire components. Poor adhesion results from the use of old and expired adhesives, improper temperatures and unclean manufacturing facilities used in the manufacturing process. Poor adhesion may also be the result of contaminants introduced during manufacturing such as rust, moisture, oxidation, grease, sawdust, gum wrappers and even cigarette butts."
"Many tires sold in the U.S. look normal but may have defects or manufacturing short-cuts that lead to fatal car accidents.
Although it comes as a shock to most consumers, many tire-manufacturing companies employ short-cuts to reduce the cost of products and labor in the tire manufacturing process. The bottom-line profit drives many tire manufacturers to produce large quantities of tires with low overhead.
As an example, tire-manufacturing workers are paid on a commission or pay plus bonus basis, which creates a powerful incentive for factory workers to complete as many tires as possible on each shift in order to maximize their personal income. As a result, quality control in tire manufacturing can be minimal and possibly superficial which leads to the subsequent distribution of millions of substandard or defective tires.
Another way tire manufacturers try to save money is by reducing the strength and durability of a tire - thereby shortening the integral lifespan of the rubber and thread, forcing the consumer to replace the tires more frequently."
In case anyone wonders what to do in the event of a blowout I found this (interestingly I did this instinctively):
"The proper action following a blow-out is to slightly accelerate. This will keep the vehicle momentum constant and will compensate for the pulling of the vehicle towards the flat tire. The steering wheel should be held straight and firm. Once the vehicle is under control and away from traffic, the driver should decelerate or brake lightly to stop the vehicle."
In conclusion, any one of these reasons could be responsible for the blowout I encountered. In the process of researching this topic I read some horrible and real eye-opening statistics on the number of fatalities of victims with blow-outs on highways, specifically, which occur on rear tires (as was mine). Again, I truly feel like I was being watched over on that day. At any rate, as far as where I stand among these 3 possibilities....for one, I've eliminated possibility #2 for the several reasons I listed above. Possibility #1 is still pending further examination from a tire repair specialist (I'm pretty sure any competent employee working at a tire shop can tell me if the tire was past its recommended age based on tread pattern). If possibility #1 can be ruled out, #3 by process of elimination would represent my best guess here. Again, all this is speculative. I will consider changing the title of this thread when new light is shed on this case....I got to get some sleep now.
Almost a week has passed since this incident. I've had the chance to calm down, read all the posts, and also talk with people who I trust and are well-informed. There are several theories that consistently surface in this thread and in my conversations with others. I will discuss ideas which have probable merit in this case, but obviously methodologies that would provide the most accurate and conclusive findings would best be saved for forensic analysis (as someone already mentioned). However, the work of such scientific analysis would be pricey and I would not have the resources to do that. Therefore, despite the exchange of reliable information in this section, this discussion remains speculative at best. There's no harm, however, in trying to understand what caused my tire to fail so that others can learn from this and prevent a similar occurence.
Let me also take the time to address information requested by some which I failed to share...that of my offset sizes. Front: 18 x 8.5, Rear: 18 x 9.5. It was not my intention to hide this information from anyone (how could I...it's public information on the Wheelmax.com website). The reason I didn't come out with this information from the get-go was because I knew my offsets were a non-issue in this case. These offsets are within normal limits given my tire sizes, and thus should not be given anymore further consideration.
Tires just don't violently blow-up! This begs the question, what caused my left-rear tire to fail on me during a normal highway commute? After all there was no debris on the road, no pot holes I encountered, and no noticeable road hazards. The tire appeared sound; most of the tread remained; there was no weathering degradation evident. The vehicle was kept inside away from weathering elements. In short there was nothing to indicate a potential problem. Tire pressure was at mfgr's specification. No noticeable road hazards were encountered. What then? I will discuss three possibilities (in no particular order) that in my estimation hold the most merit:
#1 This one was so apparent as to a contributing factor that frankly I was annoyed at myself for not noticing this. As some have mentioned, the thread indices on the tires were such that they were in need of replacement and thus I was driving on "borrowed time." If this is the case, clearly I would accept responsibility for my tire's blowout. Part of why I posted pics in the first place was so I could get advice/possible clues as to the cause of this. Obviously figuring out how much tread I have left does not require a forensic scientist -- when I get some time, I will take the blown tire along with the (intact) right rear tire (for comparison purposes) to a tire replacement shop for an opinion.
#2 Another contributing factor, brought up by many, was that my tire was improperly inflated, specifically under-inflated. In my last post, I discounted this theory because I check my tire pressure regularly, keep my car in meticulous mechanical condition, and because for the simple fact that I am certain I did NOT have a low pressure reading to begin with. However, a good friend of mine as well as some keen readers posted, that it would have been possible to get a low reading had a foreign object punctured my tire unbeknownst to me, which slowly caused a leak, causing the subsequent loss of pressure and overheating. After careful examination of the tire, I did not find any evidence of a foreign object which could have caused this. Could the foreign object have been expelled during the blow-out? Absolutely. But it's been my experience with previous flat tires that foreign objects, such as nails, don't just bounce off once they've penetrated the tire....in fact, they are usually still found while the tire is being repaired. Also, because the distance between point A (home) and point B (the location of the blowout) was less than 4 miles I really don't think this is sufficient enough time for a tire to become overheated to the point of failure IF one is driving conservatively. Had I been speeding, driving aggressively, or perhaps taking a long distance trip maybe, but I was not...it was a Sunday evening cruise, the weather was cool, around 65-75 deg (versus 100+ degree Texas heat), and I was taking my time driving. I'm really skeptical that this is what caused the tire failure.
#3 The last possibility I will consider pertains to subpar tire manufacturing process. The following information supports this as a valid consideration:
"Of all the known problems resulting in tire tread and belt separation, the leading cause of belt separation is failure of the metal tire components to stick to the rubber. The method most often used to bond these elements involves plating the metal with brass and then applying a rubber compound containing sulfur. If the sulfur and other compounds are not to the correct mixture, then incomplete adhesion occurs. If the brass plating is allowed to oxidize, poor adhesion will likely occur. If there is a shiny brass look to the belts, then most likely there was a deficiency in the tread bonding process, which could also be compounded by other defects. Tread and belt separations can also occur from poor adhesion of the tire components. Poor adhesion results from the use of old and expired adhesives, improper temperatures and unclean manufacturing facilities used in the manufacturing process. Poor adhesion may also be the result of contaminants introduced during manufacturing such as rust, moisture, oxidation, grease, sawdust, gum wrappers and even cigarette butts."
"Many tires sold in the U.S. look normal but may have defects or manufacturing short-cuts that lead to fatal car accidents.
Although it comes as a shock to most consumers, many tire-manufacturing companies employ short-cuts to reduce the cost of products and labor in the tire manufacturing process. The bottom-line profit drives many tire manufacturers to produce large quantities of tires with low overhead.
As an example, tire-manufacturing workers are paid on a commission or pay plus bonus basis, which creates a powerful incentive for factory workers to complete as many tires as possible on each shift in order to maximize their personal income. As a result, quality control in tire manufacturing can be minimal and possibly superficial which leads to the subsequent distribution of millions of substandard or defective tires.
Another way tire manufacturers try to save money is by reducing the strength and durability of a tire - thereby shortening the integral lifespan of the rubber and thread, forcing the consumer to replace the tires more frequently."
In case anyone wonders what to do in the event of a blowout I found this (interestingly I did this instinctively):
"The proper action following a blow-out is to slightly accelerate. This will keep the vehicle momentum constant and will compensate for the pulling of the vehicle towards the flat tire. The steering wheel should be held straight and firm. Once the vehicle is under control and away from traffic, the driver should decelerate or brake lightly to stop the vehicle."
In conclusion, any one of these reasons could be responsible for the blowout I encountered. In the process of researching this topic I read some horrible and real eye-opening statistics on the number of fatalities of victims with blow-outs on highways, specifically, which occur on rear tires (as was mine). Again, I truly feel like I was being watched over on that day. At any rate, as far as where I stand among these 3 possibilities....for one, I've eliminated possibility #2 for the several reasons I listed above. Possibility #1 is still pending further examination from a tire repair specialist (I'm pretty sure any competent employee working at a tire shop can tell me if the tire was past its recommended age based on tread pattern). If possibility #1 can be ruled out, #3 by process of elimination would represent my best guess here. Again, all this is speculative. I will consider changing the title of this thread when new light is shed on this case....I got to get some sleep now.
Last edited by DDS_RACER; 03-15-2008 at 04:57 PM.