I may need new tires...

[CaptMoe]

Came home from vacation to find one of my front tires completely flat on my .93 IROC R/T. Local tire repair shop couldn't find any leaks after filling the tire back up. However, after removing the tire there was quite a bit of rubber powder inside. He remounted the tire and it has not lost any air ever since.

Yesterday I took the car out on the highway for the 1st time since then and when I hit around 65-70 the steering wheel started to shake like it was going to fall off. I'm thinking the wheel may have been knocked out of balance when the tire was remounted but not sure if an unbalanced wheel will cause that much vibration.

Any ideas/suggestions? These tires (BFGoodrich Comp TAs) were mounted on my spare set of Ninjas and look brand new, though I don't know how long they sat in storage. They sat for 1yr with me before I mounted them and I had no issues driving the car to Carlisle this summer and back (over 600miles).

Thanks...

[turbovanman²]

I personally wouldn't use any tire that has power inside, that means it has been run flat or close to it.

I would just buy one tire and replace the damaged one.

[CaptMoe]

I personally wouldn't use any tire that has power inside, that means it has been run flat or close to it.

I would just buy one tire and replace the damaged one.

Well I did have to drive about 1/4 mile to the repair shop. Could that have damaged the tire? Never went above 5mph...

[contraption22]

Well I did have to drive about 1/4 mile to the repair shop. Could that have damaged the tire? Never went above 5mph...
Yes, that easily could have destroyed the tire. Basically when a flat tire is rolling, you will have two surfaces on the inside of the tire rubbing againse each other.Very bad. A repairable tire can easily be destroyed in a few feet.

[turbovanman²]

Well I did have to drive about 1/4 mile to the repair shop. Could that have damaged the tire? Never went above 5mph...

You can destroy it at 1mph and in a few feet, :(

[CaptMoe]

That sucks. Guess I'll try buying a new tire then and hopefully that's all I'll need.

It has yet to go flat again. Wonder why it did in the first place...

[Mario]

Came home from vacation to find one of my front tires completely flat on my .93 IROC R/T. Local tire repair shop couldn't find any leaks after filling the tire back up. However, after removing the tire there was quite a bit of rubber powder inside. He remounted the tire and it has not lost any air ever since.

Any shop who would re-mount a tire after finding rubber particles / powder in it should be taken off your list of shops that you will ever return to. What a bunch of morons.



Yesterday I took the car out on the highway for the 1st time since then and when I hit around 65-70 the steering wheel started to shake like it was going to fall off. I'm thinking the wheel may have been knocked out of balance when the tire was remounted but not sure if an unbalanced wheel will cause that much vibration.

My guess is this. The shop is so damn cheap and incompetent that they marked where the old wheel weights were and marked your tire in relation to the wheel weight and valve stem and remounted the tire in th exact same position as before. They then filled your tire back up and slapped on those old wheel weights. The genius who did this probably didn't take into account that a decent amount of mass, or should I say weight for the guy who put the tire on, was removed from the tire, thus the wheel and tire wouldn't balance out as he did before.

In short, it sounds like he took the long way / .50 Cent savings way and either put the old weights back on or didn't balance them. There's also a great possiblity that he counter balanced your wheel / tire.


Any ideas/suggestions? These tires (BFGoodrich Comp TAs) were mounted on my spare set of Ninjas and look brand new, though I don't know how long they sat in storage. They sat for 1yr with me before I mounted them and I had no issues driving the car to Carlisle this summer and back (over 600miles).

As long as you don't see any ozone checking on the sidewalls, you should be fine. Those tires have been out of production for quite some time and you may find it quite hard to find a replacement. As you brought up in the other thread, it sounds like it's time / you are interested in a set of drag radials. The BFG's would be an excellent choice.

So....

Yes, tires can be destroyed when not properly inflated and driven on even for a short period.

If there were rubber particles present inside of the tires or you can see a visible line on the exterior of the tire / weak spot.....DO NOT DRIVE ON THE TIRE OR RE-MOUNT IT.

Make sure the shop removed ALL of your old wheel weights and re-balanced the tire(s). If they can't spot you new wheel weights or don't have the decency to charge you a small fee to have the wheel re-balanced, don't return.


Wonder why it did in the first place...

Could have been something as simple as some corrosion or dirt between the bead areas or some ------- may have let the air out of one of your tires. Unlikely, but still a possibility.

[CaptMoe]

Mario, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Effort like that is greatly appreciated on my part and pretty standard so far from the majority of guys in this community. Another reason I am glad I'm here.

My cheapest solution right now is to have the wheel rebalanced and then road test it. The tire still looks good and I had it looked at by a guy I trust who told me the same thing. So I will attempt a rebalance and report back with my findings.

Thanks to all of you for chiming in with your comments/suggestions. I appreciate your help...

Moe

[Xtrempickup]

should have been rebalanced, probably would have felt alright

[tryingbe]

Well I did have to drive about 1/4 mile to the repair shop. Could that have damaged the tire? Never went above 5mph...

Driving on a flat tire is like taking dull blade, putting 700lbs on it and press it against the inside of the tire. Should have just take the wheel and tire off and use a different car to transport it.


The tire still looks good and I had it looked at by a guy I trust who told me the same thing.

Looks good from the outside? Of course it would look good, the damage is inside of the tire.

[Mario]

Mario, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Effort like that is greatly appreciated on my part and pretty standard so far from the majority of guys in this community. Another reason I am glad I'm here.

My cheapest solution right now is to have the wheel rebalanced and then road test it. The tire still looks good and I had it looked at by a guy I trust who told me the same thing. So I will attempt a rebalance and report back with my findings.

Thanks to all of you for chiming in with your comments/suggestions. I appreciate your help...

Moe

My pleasure. Anytime Moe. However the damage is prob on the inside. Again, any rubber particles present upon inspection, I wouldn't drive on it again.

[contraption22]

Don't drive on this tire. Please.

[turbovanman²]

Any shop who would re-mount a tire after finding rubber particles / powder in it should be taken off your list of shops that you will ever return to. What a bunch of morons!!!!!


As long as you don't see any ozone checking on the sidewalls, you should be fine. Those tires have been out of production for quite some time and you may find it quite hard to find a replacement. As you brought up in the other thread, it sounds like it's time / you are interested in a set of drag radials. The BFG's would be an excellent choice.

So....

Yes, tires can be destroyed when not properly inflated and driven on even for a short period.

If there were rubber particles present inside of the tires or you can see a visible line on the exterior of the tire / weak spot.....DO NOT DRIVE ON THE TIRE OR RE-MOUNT IT.

Make sure the shop removed ALL of your old wheel weights and re-balanced the tire(s). If they can't spot you new wheel weights or don't have the decency to charge you a small fee to have the wheel re-balanced, don't return.



Could have been something as simple as some corrosion or dirt between the bead areas or some ------- may have let the air out of one of your tires. Unlikely, but still a possibility.

I agree 1000%, I would NEVER remount a tire that was full of rubber, that's a lawsuit/accident waiting to happen. Now if I didn't like you, that would be a different story, :eyebrows:


Don't drive on this tire. Please.

Again, I agree 1000%, its like a ticking time bomb, it might last, it might blow tonight, :(

[Mario]

If you want a set of BFG DR's I can get them for about $130 a piece plus shipping.

[CaptMoe]

I just drove around the block REALLY fast!!! I couldn't resist proving everyone wrong...:D

I purchased ONE Nitto 555r 225/50R16 DR and will be buying the other soon. Apparently this size is no longer made and is difficult to find but it's the one I need for my 6" wide Ninjas...

[contraption22]

Did you really buy just one drag radial?

[cordes]

+1 to everything Mario said.

I would add that there can be a powder in the tires from time to time. The michelins would have it, but that was from the factory and it didn't seem like it was rubber.

It check and see if the tire is damaged, make sure it is up to proper pressure specs, then pull the core and smell the air that comes out. If it smells like burnt rubber buy new tires. If not you are most likely good. I've never seen a tire I wouldn't drive on after being run flat not have a visible groove or that smell.

[CaptMoe]

Did you really buy just one drag radial?

Yes I did. eBay special and they were only selling one. Go figure...

[CaptMoe]

Ok so, after having exhausted all possible resources trying to find ONE Nitto NT555r Extreme DR to match the one I bought on eBay, I just decided to give up and go another route. There is a guy in Canada who has a pair. I've posted the info in the parts for sale section.

I purchased a pair of Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1s, 225/50R16s. I can say after driving the car today that the steering feel has improved immensely. The car feels totally different and handles even better than before. I'm seriously considering picking up another pair to complete the set. Hopefully I'll be able to take it out Sunday and make a few runs on the track. I'll let you guys know how it goes...

[Xtrempickup]

Yes I did. eBay special and they were only selling one. Go figure...

sell it to a guy with a open diff, not a obx or quaifee