2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Front Firestone blow today.

[SuncoastCustoms]

Hello all-



I had my first tire blow out "scary" experience today. I was traveling on the interstate at, well; let's say a little over the limit and the BLAM, there it went. Total disaster of a tire. The evidence in the pics are blowout damage, I didn’t even drive more than a few more second on it before I slid to a stop on the side of the interstate. What I am looking into now is that this tire might have been a retread. My dad says it may be a retread from the way it blew/looks. I bought this tire only about a month or two ago from a used tire place nearby. I think they may have screwed me and given me a retread. A tire place is never ever supposed to put a retread on a steering tire. Very dangerous. What do you guys think of this blow out, does it look like it could be a retread, especially how the sidewall and the tread separated.



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Thanks.

 

[fox]

Firestone---'where the wheel meets the road'

IMO, they are worse than Uniroyal.

I've never worn a set out. !!

 

[Straight6Jeff]

From what I can tell, it does not look like a retread. It looks like a total separation on the blowout. I have had brand spankin new firestones have tread separation on other trucks. Pressure was always up to par, and never overloaded.



FWIW, I ran retreads on my dually for about 8k. No problems at all having them on the steering axle.

 

[JoshPeters]

From what I have seen, it isn't a recap. It could have just been a bad inner sidewall. I saw quite a few when I was working at a tire joint going through tech school. You never know it's bad till it blows.



Josh

 

[Duluth Diesel]

Yeah, not a retread, just a nice, textbook separation. Good work! Carry on tire destroyer!!! Get in line behind the thousands who have filed suit against firestone for blowouts.

 

[Forrest]

It's amazing Firestone is still in business. It must be fleet sales that keeps them going.

 

[John - K5AWO]

I assume the tire had 80 psi in it before the blow out?



That said, I got burned with Firestoned back in the '70s with the same exact problem on the company cars I drove then. Texas backroads don't have a speed limit and most of us pipeliners flew just below take off speed.



never had the displeasure of owning Firestone again.

 

[GIT-R-DONE]

Glad you didn't crash or get hurt. I hope I never have to go thru that. Did you have trouble getting off to the road or trouble steering with that happening? Just wouldn't know what to expect if it ever does happen.

 

[tgrfan2]

Looks like the tread is still there to me. I worked for Firestone for eight years and still run the Steeltex tires. Never had a problem with them or the ATX that turned over so many Exploders. How old was this used tire? Looks like you can still get the DOT # off of it. Thankfully you have learned a valuable lesson. Don't buy used tires unless you know the owner and tire history.

 

[rblomquist]

We've used those crapstones on our work fleet off and on for years and have yet to wear one out (always blow). Consider yourself lucky and run to the nearest new tire dealer and do it right (I prefer Michelins).

 

[E7mack96]

based on experience, and the picture of the failed tire, I'd say the tire was ran low at one time, before you bought it used. That could have caused the sidewall to flex too much and break some of the belts. just a matter of time/conditions before it rips.

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

I use to Bandag recap my michelins, toyo, and bridgestones with an aggressive pattern since they were such good 12 ply steel belted radials. Besides I'm a cheap skate. I never had any problems, but I've always been one of those speed limit driving grandpas. However, don't think I'd do it on the fronts with the heavy CTD.



I did have a recap peel on the front end of a farm truck I was driving. It started going WHAM WHAM WHAM and the dust from the floors was flying. Thought I was going to die young. Stopped and looked things over but couldn't see anything wrong. I started off again and WHAM WHAM WHAM. This time when I stopped I could see the partially peeled recap.

 

[Shrimpy]

Looks like a classic side wall separation. My sidewall separation experience happened in my brothers lifted Chevy (1985), with a set of 39 inch Mickey Thompson baja's. ALL the air in the tire went into the sidewall !!!!!!!! Looked like a pregnant sow pig. It didn't blow, but I was driving at 60-65 mph and the left front dropped like I drove off of a cliff . That was one experience that required a good shorts cleaning .



Jim

 

[Matt42]

Used Tires

Originally posted by tgrfan2

Looks like the tread is still there to me. -snip- Don't buy used tires unless you know the owner and tire history.

Even the very best tires will fail if they are run underinflated or overloaded. It doesn't take long for the underinflation or overloading to do serious damage. It can happen before the outer edge tread wear shows up.



I dislike Firestone tires (with great intensity based on evil experience), but the brand may not have been the issue here. Used tires are a crapshoot, with someone else's loaded dice.