I was out running errands today and the car seemed to shudder. I checked the tire pressure. Front driver was about 2-3 PSI low. I filled it up and headed home. Shudder continued. At home I took the wheel off and found this:







Two huge bulges on the inside sidewall! About ready to burst! Would these be covered under manufacturer defect? I know they were never overinflated. I keep them at about 32-33 PSI. They are 225/40/18. Any suggestions on what caused this/how to go about getting it taken care of?

Thanks

 

BLOODY FREAKIN' HELL!!

Wow... that's HIDEOUS...

I don't suppose you got road hazard protection, did you?

 

well i got them used from a local I30 guy. i'm trying to find out what kind of policy/coverage he had.

 

I don't think that tire protection carries over to another owner. You really don't know how the tires were treated before you got them. Maybe the tires are too wide for the rim .. I've never seen anything like that before. Good luck getting the problem resolved. Just my .02.

 

Hmm... you may also want to double check on what the proper size is for your car. I know for a 5th gen that's one size too small (e.g. load rating) - manufacturers will turn down warranty on that if they find out that you're using the wrong size for the vehicle.

 

HOLY **** THATS FREAKING CRAZY LOOKING ... lookds kinda freaky actually ... i actually have a very small bubble on the outside of one of my front tires..I need to get a new tire, sucks they are so much $

 

The tires have seen impact damage or ridden on with no air psi (flat tire/ even if it was only for a few feet)

 

Another reason not to buy Kumho tires. Get that replaced asap. Check w/ your local Discount Tire to see if they can help you out getting that replaced.

 

well u got them used so u never know U might have to take your lost and just get a new set of tires. lucky you got to make it home with out a flat I had mines bust on me when I was 30miles from my house.

 

god damn. thats a HUGE bee sting !!!!!

 

One of my 18" Bridgestone Potenza S-03's just developed a bubble (245/45/18). I got it used with a G35 18 off ebay... I'm attempting to contact Bridgestone and the previous owner. Tomorrow I'm going to a local firestone dealer.

 

WOW.... never seem something like dis.... only seem the small ones.... Kumho sux... coz i am using exactly da same tire as yours... mine is 235/45/R17.... i think i gonna replace it next year.... and i'll never buy that again... these tires are loud..... anyway... for that bubble.... i think u better spent some $$ on the new ones.... even tho they warrentee u with this one... u gonna need another new tire as well to match it anyway... so if i were u i'll just get a new set!!!

 

it looks like the previous owner had a quick flat while driving, and had the tire re-inflated....this weakens the sidewall and what you're seeing is the result. There's really nothing you can do but to buy a new tire, because it won't be covered under manufacturer defect....

 

I've gone through 2 sets of 712 and never had anything like that. In terms of performance-to-price ratio, they're darn good and I haven't had anything come close to them. My 3rd set are coming in on Tues.

BTW, your wear doesn't look even. How's your suspension and alignment? And did you have your tires mounted with Hunter’s GSP9700 Road Force Balancer? I also see the wheel weight on there. Did you have the wheel dynamically balanced?

added: Kumho tires are made in Ohio, and their corporate office is in Fontana, California.

Jae

 

It's in a tire company's best interest to keep the population happy. I'm sure that they'll take care of the problem, even if he wasn't the one who originally purchased them. They can always run the serial number and find out if a certain batch of tires have gone bad. I've dealt with several tire companies and they first tell you to go back to where you bought them, and 2ndly will take care of you directly.

Jae

 

I actually went to Firestone today and they pointed out how the bubble was most likely caused by a road hazard (curb, pothole, manhole, etc) because of the sidewall "tearing" right around the bubble... I'm not going to argue; I've got 2 tires in the mail, and... Well, don't ask... Let's just say the tech may have some proof behind his story...

 

check the other tires as well. thats freaking scary.

 

yea, other tires are just fine. no problems/bubbling at all. i took the mounted tire around to a few shops. they all gave me the same answer: it could have been caused by a road hazard and would not be under their policy to replace... so guess i'll be buying a new tire. oh well. at least this didn't pop on me on the road; could have messed up my rim.

gotta go tire shopping again. any suggestions? i know this forum is full of ratings and reviews and i'll probably go with the General Exclaim UHPs, but just open to anything around $100 a tire.

plan to order through tirerack.com. would it be a good idea to get their extra coverage, or is that just another way for them to make money? thanks

 

I plan to go with the UHP's whenever I decide to get 4 new tires. I've never ordered from Tirerack, but have heard good things about them and really like their tech section and reviews. As for the extra coverage... I've had 4 punctures in the past 3 years, 2 of which were in the past 7 months... I believe it's worth it, IMHO.

Also, if you only need 1 tire, you may want to try ebay. You can usually find used tires with good tread (70%) for a cheap, if not good, price. I just bought 2 225/45/18 Bridgestone Potenza RE040 for $91, and also a Michelin Pilot Sport 2225/45/18 for $67, all with over 60% tread left.

 

oh yea, good call on the ebay. i'll check that out.

 

check tirerack. they have a closeout on the so3 tire.