As the old blue one has become the other half's daily driver, I thought I'd better get the slow puncture in the front tyre repaired. It's had it since I bought the car and never really bothered me, I just gave it a blast of air every week or so at the workshop.
Dropped wheel off at local tyre wizard, expecting to have to boost their tea fund in exchange for having the bead area on the rim polished and was surprised when I went to collect to be told that they wouldn't fix it and in their opinion, it was bloody dangerous.
Found this damage to tyre around the bead wires and inside the seating area:
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They'd never seen anything quite like it before, neither have I.
Best guess would be that when the tyre was initially fitted, the oik that did it misused the tyre machine that pushed the tyre onto the rim and somehow ripped/ tore the rubber without breaking the bead wires. None of the missing rubber was inside the tyre and it would have no way of getting out.
Of course, the next problem was finding a single Grabber AT2 of the appropriate 16" size to replace it. No chance of that, could get a new AT3 for £130 (!) but I'm old fashioned and think tyres should match on axles, as well as being skint and not wanting to pay that sort of cash.
Managed to track down a good used on the bay for £48. I'll see how good and used it is when it turns up tomorrow.
Moral of the story- if it ain't broke, don't fix it...
That looks pretty broke to me.
I think I'd personally feel a lot happier knowing that was no longer between me and potentially ending up in an accident...
Two good points :)
I feel a bit queasy when I think back to the "I wonder what these cars do flat out" time on my local private test track
I thought the tale needed a moral at the end of it though, to go with the stupid Tyred & Emotional strapline
Might be prudent to have a look at the other tyres too in case Mr Bubba Oik Fitter has inflicted similar damage without actually causing a slow leak.
I reckon it didn't seat properly when first fitted despite maximum compressor output and Mr B.O.F didn't get the bead breaker in square when getting a thoroughly jammed tyre off before trying again.
The man who showed me how to use a tyre machine insisted that best practice was to verify that the tyre was going on sufficiently close to square with minimal pressure rather than relying on lubrication and full compressor output to straighten it out. I've seen similar cuts, albeit without exposing the cords, when Watling Tyres used to change the skinny front tyres on my old Yamaha GTS. Knew in advance that it would happen because their bead breakers were known not to work properly on that particular tyre and wheel combination.
Clive
You're right Clive, I should. The thought of potentially having to bin four expensive tyres with 8 or 9 mm of tread left, and the cost of replacing them does make me emotional, so the strapline now works.
This damage can only occur when removing a stuck tyre from the rim, not when fitting it,
So the guy who did it is a criminal by fitting it again and should be brought to... whoever can punish him.
Ferryman wrote:
This damage can only occur when removing a stuck tyre from the rim, not when fitting it,
So the guy who did it is a criminal by fitting it again and should be brought to... whoever can punish him.
Hello Tony- long time no hear. How's it going?
According to my bills archive the tyres were originally fitted by Protyre in Bristol on... 21st September 2010, a whole 21000 miles ago.
No record of it having been taken off since (doesn't mean it hasn't, just that I don't have a bill for it), and hasn't since I've had the car
Don't think there's much point in me taking it up with Protyre, so the mystery fitter will have to get his just desserts meted out through a greater power at a time of that power's choosing!
Hi Mark, sort of self-punishment by lurking here every day but it's just the way it is. Best for more than one reason, I'll explain later.
As for the tyre, I often have tyres had re-balanced after, say 10000 kms, especially the big wheels and tyres of the RR. To avoid loads of counterweight they sometimes take is off the rim and refit in a different position. This is where damage can occur, as said stuck on the rim shoulder where some corrosion may be present.
You're missing having a P38 aren't you Ferryman?
Jeez, that was bloody dangerous,, I always stand and watch them fit my tyres, guess I just like to know that they know what there doing,, had one try to tell me that 5 out on balancing wouldn’t matter,, it might not, but I paid so balance the bloody thing,,
Tony, if ur missing playing , your welcome here, there’s always something needs doing 👍
Spot the difference:
I think visually the 16" wheel fills the arch better
Anyway- the good used tyre I bought off the bay is now fitted. It was indeed good, and hardly used.
Had the other 3 popped off and checked at the same time. No damage to those.
Aww man. The rims dont match.
Jeez, if the damage was caused by the original fitter wonder how well he slept at night...
Probably quite well, he wasn't going to be driving it and the air was staying in there so why should he worry?
Well, there's the obvious answer of his negligence possibly leading to somebody else's accident but I expect you're right. If I did tyres and was aware of something like that I'd have held hand up and fitted a different tyre, maybe offered that tyre to someone cheap for 'off road use only' on the back axle... not that off-roaders who trailer their cars to tracks etc would likely want to buy a damaged road tyre. Wouldn't want to be doing a ton on the road with that, especially if it were on the front... Reminds me of a mate who back in the day had a Cosworth with big wheels and really low profile tyres, pulled up after doing over 140 to find one of his back tyres was completely flat and breaking up, reckoned he could hardly tell while driving it but after stopping was sickened to see it imagining what could have happened.