Lost peices of tire tread today

[eddiefromcali]

As some of you know, I have a set of OE IS250/350 wheels and tires on my Cam. Well, after 20K miles on them, I lost a good 1" of tire tread this morning. I was on the 10E going to San Bernardino when all of a sudden I hear this tapping sound coming from the fender area. I pull over and I see strings and rubber just dangling from the tire. I limped it back home and took a look at the tires a bit better. Looks like the inner and out tread area is just coming apart and wearing down faster than the middle of the tire. What can cause such wear? I had my car aligned twice in the past 20K miles and its been fine. Had the tires rotated around 15K and Discount Tire didnt mention anything. I also took a look at the Lexus website and this is what they say about IS 18s "18-in performance tires are expected to experience greater tire wear than conventional tires. Tire life may substantially be less than 15,000 miles, depending upon driving conditions." So I guess I'll be looking for a set of either 225/40-18 or 255/40-18s...anyone have any recommendations?

Moral of the story is, CHECK YOUR TIRES REGULARLY!

[JSM1284]

How is your tire pressure, sounds low.

[Yazovets]

Interesting...what tire models were these?

[eddiefromcali]

Havent checked the tire pressure lately but the light has never gone off either. I'll check when I get off work. Tires are Bridgestone Potenza RE92A or RE050, cant remember.

[njerald]

Love all these owners who because they have a TPMS system, they don't bother checking their tires.

If the system is working, you can be 3-4 psig low without a warning light.

[eddiefromcali]

And you think that 3-4psi will kill a tire within 5 miles? I check the tire pressure every oil change and set it between 35-32. The Camry is due for a change this week, hence the "I havent checked the pressure lately." PSI can vary greatly on ambient temperatures and the tire itself and how long you have been driving. Ive had the light go on in 20ish degree mornings and turn off by the afternoon when its in the mid 60s. You seriously think that someone who installed his drop kit, intake, SE grille and does his own oil changes wont know how to check tire pressures? The tire issue came as a surprise since it showed no obvious signs or odd wear untill you really look at it inch by inch. I usually check pressures and run my finger along the tread to see how low its getting, not much to it. Cant believe you have 4,333 posts of garbage, not saying all of them are, but Im willing to be the majority are. This thread isnt to put blame on the TPMS, its to raise awareness of how important it is to check the tire wear patterns closely.

[gdanaher]

A photograph would really be helpful here. I'm not sure if you are saying that the entire outer edge is badly worn and that the cords became exposed or if you hit an object which cut a chunk out of the tire. If the tire was uniformly worn, then it didn't do this in a short time unless the tire was massively out of alignment, and I think you would have noticed that.

[eddiefromcali]

I'll post a pic later today, but I lost a 1" strip all around the inside of the tire. I didnt hit anything, dont road race the car since its my wifes. Tread wear on the outside edge looks fine, just the inside is what gave out. I'll take off both fronts and will post pics. Reading more on tread wear patterns, it looks like it could be low psi or bad alignment. I had the car aligned before and it was within specs, pressure has never been below 30psi. Only thing that might be causing a problem is the fact that the car pulls slightly to the right, but the alignment showed it was within specs so I dont know.


This is from goodyear's website.

Wear on both edges: UNDERINFLATION
Underinflation of a tire reduces its treadlife by increasing the tread wear on its outside edges, or shoulders. It also generates excessive heat which reduces tire toughness. Finally, it reduces fuel economy through increased rolling resistance because soft tires make your vehicle work harder. Abnormal tire wear may also be caused by misalignment or mechanical problems.


Sawtooth edges: MISALIGNMENT
If the edges of your tire tread take on a sawtooth or feathered appearance, it's because of erratic scrubbing against the road. The solution is an alignment correction.


The drivers side is wearing out on the outside and the passenger lost the tread on the inside.

[desentrix]

You may want to read the numbers on the side of the tire. It's possible that your tire is getting old and started separating/shredding. If this is the case, I would go back to Discount and make a stink about being sold an older tire.

[eddiefromcali]

I bought the tires off CL and bought the insurance from DT, dont know if they cover this type of wear but will take them in anyways. Maybe they can help diagnose the problem. Looks like I'll be paying 170-200 per tire pretty soon. I knew they were expensive when I bought them, but I didnt know they werent expected to last more than 15K by Lexus.

Ive heard how you can tell the mfg date on the tire, will have to check these out. I bought them around Aug or Sept 07 and the guy said they came off his 07 IS with 5K miles on them. Dont know if he really had 5K on them but they looked fairly new. I'll assume the tires were 1.5-2 years old, that puts them at 4 years old right now which is acceptable. Wont know for sure until I look at them though.

[gdanaher]

Measure the toe. Sounds on the surface that one wheel has excessive tow out which would explain the inside wear and the pull to one side.

[lammydi]

Originally Posted by eddiefromcali

I bought the tires off CL and bought the insurance from DT, dont know if they cover this type of wear but will take them in anyways. Maybe they can help diagnose the problem. Looks like I'll be paying 170-200 per tire pretty soon. I knew they were expensive when I bought them, but I didnt know they werent expected to last more than 15K by Lexus.

Ive heard how you can tell the mfg date on the tire, will have to check these out. I bought them around Aug or Sept 07 and the guy said they came off his 07 IS with 5K miles on them. Dont know if he really had 5K on them but they looked fairly new. I'll assume the tires were 1.5-2 years old, that puts them at 4 years old right now which is acceptable. Wont know for sure until I look at them though.

Yeah, check the date of tire was made. Ex: 3407 meant week 34th of year 2007. All tires should be replace before hitting four years of manufactured. Another word, today is 3/24/08 so all tires made before 3/24/04 should not be in use anymore. Sometimes, even big chain like Discount Tires would install tires that already a couple of years old eventhough the tires is brand new (never mounted).