Tyre worn through!!

[jmblack]

Had an interesting experience yesterday evening! Taking daughter no 2 to Glasgow for the evening, and along the motorway started to feel a pull to the left. Got off the motorway and into a GPs car park. Tyre almost flat on front left.

I'd been running my Avon ice touring to the end of their life but still seemed to have 2.5-3 mm left evenly across the tread so planned to replace at service in June. I check my tyres regularly, and can't believe I hadn't noticed the damage I found as described below....

Couldn't find any obvious puncture so thought I'd chance pumping up and carrying on as only about 10 miles to go. Wouldn't get past 25 psi so had to use the rubbish space saver. I've only ever lifted the car with a trolley jack before - the cars own jack is rubbish! After some skint knuckles, got wheels swapped and found a surprising inner edge to the tyre! Whole of tread seemed fine, but inner edge had a huge step as the sidewall meets the tread and a section had worn through. All the more surprising as had wheels off about 5k ago and all seemed fine, when tracking was also checked. Car was running straight and no vibration!! Other side is fine. Thankfully it didn't blow out completely given I was on a busy motorway.

What would cause such a step?

Anyway, space saver rubbish! I had to go 60 miles home again in wet weather. Luckily found a late opening tyre place in Glasgow and bought a cr***y tyre from them for £55 (autogrip grip 200....) as thought it would be better than the skinny that meant I had to go at 50, had no cruise or abs...

New tyre seemed fine despite cheapness!

Think I'll buy a second hand wheel as a spare and put the new tyre in it, then get the 2 new front tyres I was planning anyway.

[wrighar]

Any Pictures?

Has the tyre been rubbing on something?

[jmblack]

Unfortunately not - didn't have my phone with me and left the tyre with the fitter - only thought on the way home I should have kept it.

Can't see anything rubbing - and I've now done 300 miles on the new one and nothing to see - if something had been rubbing I'd have thought it would leave some indication on the new one.

It's bizarre!

[Audax]

the cars own jack is rubbish!

I've not found the jack too bad to use but they do seize up a bit, I take the jack out of the car every winter when putting on the winter tyres and exercise it up and down and if it's sticky I'll lubricate the threads. It also helps to have a practise with it when you have the luxury of your driveway and warm dry weather so you know where it fits.

As for the tyre, it sounds like it might have suffered some carcass/belt damage at some point that cause a strip to wear off. This could easily be caused by hitting a big enough pot hole...

[jmblack]

The problem with the jack seemed to be handle at 6:00 = knuckles on road! 😜

It's amazing how loss of a small weight can set balance all off, but a tyre that's so disfigured feels perfect.

[jmblack]

Had a chance to have a look at the tyres pair. Outer edge appears to be breaking down. Tyres close to end of life 3mm) but not what you'd expect!

[Audax]

Hmmn, as the other one is doing it too it suggests a manufacturing fault or quality problem! At least you're already considering a set of new tyres.

As for the jack, you have to hold the handle at quite an angle so you don't scrape knuckles. I have done a sub 5 minute wheel change with the Saab jack at the side of the road after the Police escorted us to a safe place after a blow-out. The traffic cop was "helping" but after a few seconds he let me get on with it as I was faster than he could keep up with, although having a wheel brace with electrical tape marking the 17mm socket and a 2' breaker bar with the 17mm socket on it helped massively

[jmblack]

The brace is quite short too, especially for the locking nut! I may be falling into bad workman and his tools syndrome of course....

[Audax]

The supplied wheel brace is quite frankly rubbish, if someone has over-torqued the wheel-nuts then you'll never remove them. That's why I have a 4 way cross brace in the car and the breaker bar and no locking wheel nuts.

[sgould]

A few years a go I went for a separate set of winter wheels, so now I use a full size winter wheel and tyre as the spare in summer, and vice versa in winter.


As old age creeps up, I am trying some soft options...

I have an extending wheel brace with a sliding handle which is fine for most things, but it does tend to twist the locking bolts and break them.  So I us a 24 inch breaker bar and a 17 mm socket.

And I have removed the Saab jack and replaced it with one of these...

[Geoff1951]

Will, I think you've just solved my birthday present problem!

[Max Headroom]

Is that a 2 ton version Will?

And does that large looking jack-pad fit the SAAB jacking point?

[sgould]

I'm pretty sure it's 2 tonne.  At least 1.5 tonnes.

The cross grooves fit over the flange on the 9-5 jacking point.  The flats don't quite reach the flat metal on the sill, but it doesn't bend the flange as a trolley jack would.

On the 9-3ss the head fit's up into the rectangular hole OK.  I've used this jack several times on both cars and there is no apparent damage to either.

I'm not sure if that particular model is still available.  It came from a company in Potters Bar, Herts via eBay.  But I've seen some very similar ones on the internet via caravan supplies people.

[sgould]

Ah! I forgot!!.

The cigarette lighter plug is flimsy and fell apart with the car in the air.  There's an emergency handle.  It is so low geared, it would have been quicker to go to Halfords, buy a new plug and solder it on! 

I think it took me an hour and a half to wind the car back to earth, including a short tea break.

[sgould]

I think that this is the "other" one.  Looks the same as mine, but a slightly different colour.  Some of the pins etc. look a bit under-engineered, which is why I have tries to reduce the secondary forces by oiling.

http://www.mandp.co.uk/productinfo/587204/Workshop/Bike-Lifts-and-Jacks/Big-Red-Jacks


I gave mine a serious oil and grease before its first use.  It's worked without sign of distress for two years now, so six summer/winter changes on two cars and a couple of punctures and the investigation of the suspension knocking.  So a least 20 times, which is about 19 more than the standard jack will do!!