Serious tyre problem today - can't find a solution

[sgould]

Today I had a call from the garage doing the work on my car to say that all four Nokian zLine tyres on my car had worn through to the canvas on the inside edge! 

I thought it unlikely as I had removed them all when doing the shock absorber change four weeks ago and they were fine then.  I say that because I had all the wheels off the car and I had carefully inspected them for small stones and so I had slowly inspected the outside.  As it was the weekend before the Saab National I also washed the wheels and dried them.  I cannot believe that I missed any damage like this.

So, if all four tyres were "OK" four weeks ago and less than 500 miles later they were destroyed, what is going on?


The rear springs and shock absorbers were changed a month ago before the Saab National.
The damage was found by the garage doing the front struts and springs today.
All four have lost the inside edge.  The tyres are assymetric and marked "Inside" & "Outside"
All four have been properly inflated all the time.  The Tyrepal monitor will bleep if the pressure drops.
The tread on all four is legal - only just on the front and with 4mm on the rear.
The front pair and rear pair were bought at different times about 8 months apart.

The damage to all four is similar







Tomorrow will involve a close check of all sorts of things by me, but I'm not sure where to start looking, unless it's a manufacturing fault.  But on two different batches?

[Geoff1951]

Blimey, Will. Good luck with getting to the bottom of this.

As the police would say, only asking as a process of elimination - do you know the garage doing the current work?

[sgould]

Yes.  I'm happy with the garage.  It's a guy that attends the local meets. Saab specialist.

I did briefly wonder when they phoned that they "had a set ready to show the customer" but how many people have a set of four fairly obscure Nokian zLines in 225/40 18 92Y? And with them worn the right amount.

[prossington]

This is a bit of a guess, but I'm wondering if you've driven through something that has attacked the tyre rubber. I would imagine anything you came in contact with on the road would have effectively been wiped off the main body of the tyre after a few miles apart from on this edge, where it would have had prolonged contact and maybe severely softened the rubber. If the edge has then come into contact with road, when for example severe cornering, the softened rubber would have been easily worn away.

I just can't see any other reason why you should get wear on this particular part of the tyre and not on the main part, especially when you take good care of your vehicle and look after your tyres.

I don't know if these tyres are made of an unusual set of rubber compounds, such as more natural rubber than butadiene based rubber, but most rubbers will be attacked by solvents eventually with prolonged contact. Have you been anywhere where there has been a serious petrol or diesel spill, or methanol? (This is used in making bio-diesel and is notorious for attacking rubber compounds.)

If you do find another cause, I'd love to know because I've just not seen anything like this before.

I guess the worse bit is the extra bill for four new tyres! I put a new set on last August, have done 20K in a year and now need to put on another set! The perils of getting to work in a comfortable bat out of hell!

All the best, Peter.

[sgould]

I can't remember being near any thing bad.  The only "off-road" experience I have had is three laps of Cadwell Park during the Saab national slow speed parade laps.

20-25,000 miles a year was nothing, but now I struggle to get to 12,000 a year and that includes a couple of driving holidays in Europe.

The cost is not too bad, as I needed to change the tyres soon.  It's just sudden and unexpected.

[phoenix]

Hmm.... interesting. I had my last two winter tyres go like that, although not as quickly.

It suggests either extreme negative camber of perhaps they are catching on something.

The swapping of shocks etc will probably have changed the alignment marginally, but I wouldn't have expected it to do that.

[Audax]

When was the alignment last done and by who?

It's either going to be alignment/suspension and that it is set so badly it has caused this on all tyres which either suggests their equipment is bent/broken or the person doing it was using the wrong specs, and given my experience with getting people to do alignment.... wouldn't surprise me.

The other possibility would be tyre design or defective tyres.

As it's all 4 tyres the rears shouldn't be catching on anything unless the right height is so wrong with those shocks and 18" wheels that you have a serious problem?

[sgould]

Saab can only offer a garage in their group - Watford Audi.  Estimated at £300 for a check and adjust!! 

Anyone able to recommend a good place for a four wheel alignment near me?

Watford/S. Herts/SE Bucks/N. London...

[Audax]

Watford/S. Herts/SE Bucks/N. London...

I asked a similar question recently (although a bit further North) the other week and got no replies but I did find http://www.jpswheelalignmentcentre.co.uk/ in Milton Keynes which is obviously a bit out the way for you but might be worth investigation. No idea if they are any good though.

[stevetreacy]

Hi,

Looks like delamination at tread and side wall interface , wouldn't think you had any alignment issue. Nokian don't have the best reputation for construction quality but that would be bad luck. What are date of manufacture for them? Interesting to see if they from same batch

Steve

[sgould]

Too late to check.  I didn't bring them home with me, but they were bought almost a year apart, if I remember correctly.  bought through MyTyres.

[Audax]

Nokian don't have the best reputation for construction quality but that would be bad luck.

Do you have a source for that? As far as I am aware they are one of the highest regarded manufacturers out there.

[jmblack]

I had EXACTLY the same thing on both front tyres at end of the winter - Avon ice touring. I check them regularly and were down to just below 3mm and looked even across tread. First I knew was a blow out as through to canvas right inside. Got tracking checked and all straight! No idea what caused it. I suspected tyre manufacture problem, but oddly identical to your problem! Funnily enough I'm now running nokians...

[TomPaine]

Anyone able to recommend a good place for a four wheel alignment near me?

Watford/S. Herts/SE Bucks/N. London...

May be worth asking Saabtech for their advice Will? Always friendly and happy to help.

[sgould]

I was thinking along those lines. I may pop over next week.

I beginning to think the local ex-dealer is getting overstretched.  The big car park next to their site which is shared with the Seat new cars has closed due to contamination and they may not get it back.  The group company seem to have taken over the area.  They came into the area with an Audi dealership; then opened Seat on the old Saab site, but kept the Saab servicing. Yesterday I drove past the BMW dealer and their name was on that, and today I found out that they have bought the Jaguar dealership along the road.