Got home in the early hours of this morning (4am to be precise) and could hear a faint hissing when I put the car in the garage. Couldn't see anything with a torch and first thoughts were that it might be water splashed onto the exhaust.
Get car out of garage this morning and rear nearside tyre is half flat. Inflated it and drove down to ATS.
This was we found when the wheel was taken off the car: a damn great cut in the tyre
img824.imageshack.us/img824/9210/imagenpj.jpg
That's not the whole story though. Upon further inspection of the tyre, it showed similar cuts and small cracks appearing all the way around the inner edge of the tyre. Tyre could have given out at any time.
img854.imageshack.us/img854/1181/imagefzy.jpg
img837.imageshack.us/img837/2406/imagexvl.jpg
img813.imageshack.us/img813/1092/imageqgo.jpg
img835.imageshack.us/img835/674/imagexlf.jpg
img205.imageshack.us/img205/3148/imageobm.jpg
img856.imageshack.us/img856/1281/imagetci.jpg
To say I was lucky is an understatement. I'd just completed a 200 mile round trip to Birmingham and back on this tyre on the M40 and A34 at, lets just say, a high speed.
I regularly inspect my tyres for wear, but this couldn't be seen unless taking the wheel off the car.
I got ATS to check the offside rear, and that tyre has a few small cracks appearing in it as well. No where near as bad as the nearside one though. eg, like this one img835.imageshack.us/img835/674/imagexlf.jpg
Guy at ATS asys he's seen it before on BMW's and other Vauxhalls. Main cause being the rear wheels have a negative camber and the inner edge wears more than the outer edge.
Fortunately I had an old tyre kicking about the garage to save having to put the pram wheel space saver on. New tyres on order - cheaper than ATS can do them for.
Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 28 Jan 12 at 16:57
|
|
I don't think I'll be buying any Uniroyal tyres.
|
|
Glad you got back from Birmingham safely. Lady luck was on your side.
|
I have seen similar on Goodyears on the front of one of my MB's, inner edge wore just like that and a large crack appeared which if left looked like it could have lifted a whole section of tread along the edge.
When 124 MB's are turned on hard lock the front wheels lean at a strange angle, coupled with the very tight steering lock this does cause some strange wear if you tight turn a lot.
Your Vauxhall suspension doesn't develop strange angles on tight turns does it?
Another thought i had when i saw the pics was those damned traffic calming humps that you try to straddle causing the inner edges to get a battering.
Glad you found it before something serious happened though.
edit, silly me i see it was rear tyre which is incredible for wear like this.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sat 28 Jan 12 at 19:37
|
>> Guy at ATS asys he's seen it before on BMW's and other Vauxhalls. Main cause
>> being the rear wheels have a negative camber and the inner edge wears more than
>> the outer edge.
I'm no expert, but surely that would just cause exaggerated wear to the inner edges rather than gouges like this.
I would be very tempted to drop Uniroyal a line. My sister in law had to prematurely replace a 4000 mile old pair of Continental SportContacts through odd looking cracks / splits appearing in the tread, and Continental were very concerned and interested. She got the tyres replaced FOC.
Has to be worth a letter / email.
Cheers
DP
|
It looks like the inside edge of both rear tyres are wearing prematurely, they're nearly buffed smooth.
I'd suggest you need it looking at.
IIRC you're on VX forums, might be worth looking on them?
|
>> I don't think I'll be buying any Uniroyal tyres.
Could have happened to any tyre due to the inner shoulder being worn down.
>> Glad you got back from Birmingham safely. Lady luck was on your side.
You can say that again. Doesn't bear thinking about if that had let go at 70 mph (cough)
>> edit, silly me i see it was rear tyre which is incredible for wear like this.
They were originally fitted on the front until last June. Had 4mm of tread left on them and covered 15,000 miles when swapped to the rear. No abnormal wear pattern when swapped. Done 8,000 miles on the rear (yes, sad that I keep records of how long the tyres last)
>> Has to be worth a letter / email.
I'm very tempted, but as the tyre has worn down on one edge, they'll probably say that is the cause.
>> IIRC you're on VX forums
I am indeed. Gonna post it on there next time I log in.
Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 28 Jan 12 at 20:20
|
|
Shocking state for a Vauxhall tyre!! - wheres the tyre-wall black?! no wonder its perished!! ;-)
|
I can see the tyre has worn badly on the inner shoulder - which seems odd; almost as if the rest of the tyre hasn't been touching the road at all...
I cannot establish whether the tyre is still legal? If it is then this certainly shouldn't have happened, should it?
|
>> I cannot establish whether the tyre is still legal? If it is then this certainly
>> shouldn't have happened, should it?
Having thought about this for a while, i've been trying to imagine the forces involved to remove so much tread from the shoulder, must be considerable maybe even visible.
Presumably both sides are the same or i'd have thougt the car would be showing signs of rear steer at times, if its one side only i'd be looking for worn suspension bushes and dampers etc or something misaligned.
Be interesting to drive behind and beside you own car on various road surfaces Vx and see exactly what is going on, like to observe my own cars in this way now and again, you soon see if anything is likely to need attention how it behaves over undulations from various angles, excessive or unequal pitching, peculiar tyre angles etc.
Just shows how important it is to get down and have a proper poke nose though and not just peek at the bit of tyre you can see easily.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Mon 30 Jan 12 at 12:19
|
>> I cannot establish whether the tyre is still legal?
According to www.motuk.co.uk/manual_410.htm it still is.
Reason for rejection
1. The grooves of the tread pattern are not at least 1.6mm throughout a continuous band comprising
. the central three-quarters of the breadth of tread, and
. round the entire outer circumference of the tyre
Note: Each side of the central band of the tyre can be devoid of tread (ie. ‘bald’) and still meet the pass. See diagram below
www.motuk.co.uk/photos/tyres_4.1_page6.gif
|
|
If they're the original tyres, or of the same make and specification as the original tyres, then I think you should take the matter up with the car manufacturer. tinyurl.com/768ezcb
|
|
Isn't it inevitable that a wheel with camber will cause the tyre to wear more on one side?
|
>> Presumably both sides are the same
Nope. Worn more on the inner shoulder. As mentioned earlier, its a trait of having a negative camber set up. Also, as this is the nearside tyre it gets more abuse thrown at it than the offside (potholes, kerbing, gravel, etc).
Bloke at ATS says he's seen it before - think I mentioned that in my first post.
Offside tyre isn't worn as much as the nearside, but then again that's always been the case ever since I owned the car (some 4½ years now). Inner edge still worn down more than the rest of the tyre though.
>> If they're the original tyres, or of the same make and specification as the original tyres..
They're not. The original tyres were Goodyear NCT5s. Or Ditch finders as I prefer to call them.
>> Isn't it inevitable that a wheel with camber will cause the tyre to wear more on one side?
Yep.
|
>> The original tyres were Goodyear NCT5s. Or Ditch finders as I prefer to
>> call them.
My Focus was fitted with Goodyear NCT5s when new, and all the replacements have been the same. In the area in which I live, roadside ditches and dykes (that's a wide and deep ditch, in case you were wondering what I meant!) are commonplace and the roads are narrow and twisty, but I've never ended up in a ditch.
|
The NCT5 suits some cars better than others.
On the Vectra-C they're truly awful tyres. They were put on by Vauxhall with reps in mind that clock up mammoth mileages. The tyres are long wearing because the rubber is so damn hard. No good for grip though.
|
>> In the area in which I live, roadside ditches and dykes (that's a
>> wide and deep ditch, in case you were wondering what I meant!) are commonplace and
>> the roads are narrow and twisty, but I've never ended up in a ditch.
>>
Or a dyke?
|
>> >> .......... but I've never ended up in a ditch.
>> >>
>>
>> Or a dyke?
>>
Not as far as I know!
:-D
|
>> Isn't it inevitable that a wheel with camber will cause the tyre to wear more
>> on one side?
You're absolutely right. But just because tyres wear more on one side than on the other, they shouldn't split or crack. Early Hillman Imp front wheels had an enormous camber and wore very unevenly across the width of the tread, but the tyres never split.
Car manufacturers carry out extensive testing before they choose what tyres are fitted at the factory. This is why I queried whether the tyres are the same as the original fitment tyres. If they are, then the matter should be taken up with the car manufacturer.
|
L'escargot,
They're the recommended size, speed rating, etc for my car.
|
>> They're the recommended size, speed rating, etc for my car.
>>
Unfortuinately, that doesn't necessarily mean they're suitable for your car. Many year ago I had an XR3i fitted with Firestone Firehawk tyres ~ recommended size, speed rating etc. They made the car pull to one side. I proved it was the tyres by swapping them side to side and it made the car pull the other way. Changing the tyres back to the original fitment Michelin cured the problem.
|
VxFan,
If you read these reviews you'll see that owners of some car models give good reviews to certain makes of tyre, and owners of other car models dislike those tyres. tinyurl.com/n6kcxx
You'll also see that Uniroyal are classed as mid-range brand and Goodyear atre classed as premium brand.
Last edited by: L'escargot on Mon 30 Jan 12 at 13:37
|
|
Coincidentally, I parked at work today next to a Vectra C (that's the square-cut, early-00s one, isn't it?) As I looked over to check how much space I had to open my door, the load rating on its rear tyre caught my eye - 93W. My 1500kg Volvo runs on 91W tyres, and our similarly hefty Verso on 91Vs, so is there a clue here that the Vectra is unusually heavy on tyres - or had the owner just bought the wrong ones?
|
All that I know is that the Uniroyal Rainsport2 keeps my car on the road, whereas the NCT5 it was a gamble on every corner.
I've had the Rainsport2's previously on this car and not had any problems with them.
I think the figures for the NCT5 and Rainsport2 speak for themselves.
NCT5
www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Goodyear/Eagle-NCT5.htm
Dry Grip 74%
Wet Grip 59%
Road Feedback 64%
Progressiveness 58%
Wear 77%
Comfort 66%
Buy again 56%
Rainsport2
www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Uniroyal/Rainsport-2.htm
Dry Grip 86% (12% better)
Wet Grip 93% (34% better)
Road Feedback 79% (15% better)
Progressiveness 79% (21% better)
Wear 78% (1% better)
Comfort 83% (17% better)
Buy again 87% (31% better)
>> You'll also see that Uniroyal are classed as mid-range brand and Goodyear are classed as premium brand.
The website also says:-
The Uniroyal Rainsport 2 is a Ultra High Performance Summer tyre designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars
The Goodyear Eagle NCT5 is a Premium Touring Summer tyre designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.
|
>> Goodyear atre classed as premium brand.
Quite a lengthy thread about the NCT5 cracking up.
www.vectra-c.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20717
|
>> >> Goodyear are classed as premium brand.
>>
>> Quite a lengthy thread about the NCT5 cracking up.
>>
>> www.vectra-c.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20717
So Vectras crack Uniroyal, Vectras crack Goodyear, Vectras crack ..........
Mmmm!
|
>> So Vectras crack Uniroyal, Vectras crack Goodyear, Vectras crack ..........
Vectra driver cracks snail shell!
|
>> If they're the original tyres, or of the same make and specification as the original
>> tyres, then I think you should take the matter up with the car manufacturer.
The make and model of car tyres varies on the same car. I've seen three Mondeos coming off a transporter, direct from the Ford factory, wearing Continental, Michelin and Pirelli tyres. About all you can guarantee is that each car has four identical tyres. What they are is 'pot luck'. There is no such thing as an "original equipment" tyre.
The only exception to this can be in the case of certian performance derivatives which often have 'specially developed' tyres from a given manufacturer, and which are consistently fitted to that specific model. For 'cooking' models, you get whatever they have in the factory at a given time.
|
You just need the wheel alignment setting up on all four wheels, i had this done to my 58 plate Vectra along with some other warranty bits when i got it as my rear tyres were feathering away.
It was a long way out and suspect it left the factory like that he told me.
Was £145.00 at vx but free as under warranty ring round for your best quotes.
|
I had a couple of tyres wear similar to that. Took it for tracking and it was found to be OK. Fortunately the guy doing it was interested enough to investigate further. The worn edge of each tyre was higher than the rest of the tread. It would appear the carcase was separating.
The manufacturer wasn't interested.
It's one reason I never buy Dunlop or SP.
|
>> >> If they're the original tyres, or of the same make and specification as the
>> original
>> >> tyres, then I think you should take the matter up with the car manufacturer.
>>
>>
>> The make and model of car tyres varies on the same car. I've seen three
>> Mondeos coming off a transporter, direct from the Ford factory, wearing Continental, Michelin and Pirelli
>> tyres.
Yes, I knew that. I made the statement on the assumption that VxFan wouldn't know what other makes of tyre were also original fitment. The reason that a few makes are fitted is that if only one was fitted then the car manufacturer would be in difficulty in the event of that tyre manufacturer having a problem of maintaining a continuous supply.
|
>> Yes, I knew that. I made the statement on the assumption that VxFan wouldn't know
>> what other makes of tyre were also original fitment.
At one time, Vauxhall would 99% of the time use Continental. Now they use anyone's rubber.
I've seen anything from Firestone, Goodyear, Michelin, & Pirelli as factory fit on Vauxhalls in more recent years.
|
|
Do you drive over too many speed 'cushions'?
|
>> Do you drive over too many speed 'cushions'?
Hardly any at all. In a month I'd say 4 at most.
Speed bumps, quite a few, yes, but I don't go into the side of the road where the hump is usually tapered off.
|
New boots finally fitted yesterday - eventually. Took half day off from work to find the tyre garage that I normally use couldn't change them as all their air lines had frozen up. Their other branch approx 8 miles away ended up doing it. Turns out quite a few garages in my area had the same problems with their air lines too.
Got them changed just in time too. The remaining rear tyre that only had a couple of small cracks appearing had got worse as the week went on. Looks to me as if the cracks were forming where the joins were when the tyres were made in the moulds.
I did phone Uniroyal in the week (who are actually Continental UK) and said that they were interested in looking at the tyres going on the description of the damage. Needed to fill in a SAF form, they would then arrange for free collection from the tyre garage, inspect and then report their findings within a couple of weeks. In the end I didn't bother though. The tyre garage said that Uniroyal would more than likely put it down to wear and tear as there wasn't a great deal of life left in the tyres.
The tyre garage checked the tracking while I was there and found the front NS wheel was toe-ing in by 2 mm.
I always thought that if a wheel was toe-ing in then the outside edge of the tyre wore down, and if it was toe-ing out then the inner wore down quicker?
As it was, the inner edge had slightly more wear on it. This might explain why the tyre in the earlier pictures in this thread also had more wear on the inner edge. That one used to be on the front before being fitted to the rear and probably had the same wear.
Anyway, the tracking has never been checked in the 51,000 miles I've had the car, so it was worthwhile having it checked.
|
Turns out quite a few garages in my area had the same problems with their air lines too.
Moisture in the airlines the compressors need draining regular we did ours every week was a huge lump & oil feeders inline feed the drips of oil to the equipment.
Tracking is easily knocked out with the state of the roads, glad your safe.
|
...always thought that if a wheel was toe-ing in then the outside edge of the tyre wore down, and if it was toe-ing out then the inner wore down quicker?...
"Toe" is the direction the wheel points - slightly off dead ahead one way or the other.
The tread remains flat on the ground, whatever the toe angle.
Incorrect camber causes wear on one edge or the other.
www.ozebiz.com.au/racetech/theory/align.html
|
>> Incorrect camber causes wear on one edge or the other.
As I said, Toe-ing in or out also does as the wheels aren't parallel to one another.
www.etyres.co.uk/glossary-tyre-terms?term=toe-inout
www.familycar.com/Alignment.htm
If the garage were correct and said that my front wheels were toe-ing in by 2mm (the correct toe setting is 0mm) then the outer edge should have worn, not the inner edge.
www.askthemechanic.co.uk/tyres/tyre-wear.html
Now more confused than ever.
|
>> www.askthemechanic.co.uk/tyres/tyre-wear.html
"Turning corners fast at low speed (eg car parks) can wear the N/S/F tyre on the outer edge, even if the alignment is correct."
Also, since the introduction of power-assisted steering, a lot of drivers turn onto full lock with the car stationary. That must do as much damage to the tyres as it does to the road surface.
Last edited by: L'escargot on Sun 5 Feb 12 at 09:03
|
So, that's why my tyre has a puncture! - L'escargot
