blowy on the motorway

[tom1]

was on the motorway with girlfriend today and there was a lot of noise and a burning rubber smell, wait i will just post the pics for you to see

 

[Apache]

From the title and your description I wasn't sure what kind of pictures I would be opening!

 

[NozSpark]

Not a nice thing to happen in the outside lane whilst overtaking a lorry and bus..

Glad to see that you, your girl friend and the car made it ok

 

[PC Electrics]

Looks like it was soft and overheated.

On a soft tyre the side wall flexes more than it should and the friction within the construction causes the tyre to overheat and can eventually set alight.

Glad you're okay.

 

[Lurch]

Well that was an anti-climax.

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

was on the motorway with girlfriend today and there was a lot of noise and a burning rubber smell, wait i will just post the pics for you to see

Blimey that could have been really bad...

How old was the tyre Tom?

 

[Apache]

Well that was an anti-climax.

Same thoughts as me then

 

[tom1]

From the title and your description I wasn't sure what kind of pictures I would be opening!

sorry to disapoint i will pm you some dirty ones

Not a nice thing to happen in the outside lane whilst overtaking a lorry and bus..exacly were it did happen mate not busy road thoughGlad to see that you, your girl friend and the car made it ok

thanks

Looks like it was soft and overheated.On a soft tyre the side wall flexes more than it should and the friction within the construction causes the tyre to overheat and can eventually set alight.

Glad you're okay.

thanks

Well that was an anti-climax.

will pm you some pics too

Blimey that could have been really bad...How old was the tyre Tom?

about 3 years it was on the car when i got it done nearly 40000 miles on it, still had tread, michelin tyre

thanks for the replies

could have been bad but to be honest apart from the loud noise i did not notice much and then the rubber smell, just pulled across to hard sholder and changed it. i think a front tyre would have been worse, gf dad had it happen to him said it ripped the bumper off and smashed windscreen.

lucky really a small incident can lead to a big smash on motorway

 

[Lurch]

about 3 years it was on the car when i got it done nearly 40000 miles on it, still had tread, michelin tyre

Poor maintenance then.

 

[Apache]

My girlfriend had it happen to her on a motorway, back outside tyre. She said the car just seemed to slow down.

That was when we put some fluorescent vest in the cars and a blanket. The road was busy so she rand RAC to change tyre and waited an hour by the busy road.

Glad everything worked out ok

 

[tom1]

Poor maintenance then.

never really crossed my mind, tyre looked ok had tread, passed mot not many miles ago.

could have run over a nail or something, had a hole in the centre line of the tyre

 

[PC Electrics]

I have had this happen to me. Fortunately it was a rear tyre and the whole event was extremely undramatic. Which was good, because attached to my SD1 towbar was a trailer with the rally car atop!

I felt a little wobble from the back end, but thought it might have just been the road surface. Shortly after I could see we were trailing loads of grey smoke (good job it was still daylight). I thought the engine must have blown a piston even though it still felt smooth and still kicked us in the back when I jabbed the throttle (it was a V8). It wasn't untill we had stopped and got out that we could see the tyre was on fire (it wasn't yet completely flat though, so it didn't ruin my freshly refurbed Vitesse alloy).

I'm sure it would have been much worse had it been a front tyre, or had we not had an extinguisher and plenty of water on board.

I've seen (and been in) enough "offs" in rallying to know that the difference between a rather undramatic incident and a serious accident is very small indeed.

 

[Lurch]

never really crossed my mind, tyre looked ok had tread, passed mot not many miles ago.

Even though they pass an MoT all that means is they aren;t excessively worn or perished. I don;t think I've ever got 40k out of a tyre and I certainly wouldn;t leave one on the car for 3 years. They do become weak with all the UV, salt, damp, heat, rapid temperature changes etc... An often neglected part but one of the most important. I always replace in pairs per axle or all 4 and avoid mixed tyres per axle either make or tread depth. I've not had a blowout, but I have had to put the tyres to good use a few times, I like to know they are spot on.

 

[PC Electrics]

Poor maintenance then.

Not necessarily. If the tyre picks up a puncture whilst driving and goes down, then the side walls overheat and as the pressure reduces further this gets worse until the tyre sets alight.

The tyre I lost to this phenomenon was almost new.

 

[Lurch]

Not necessarily.

If a tyre has been on the car for 3 years\40k then it is lack of maintenance. I wouldn;t want to shove it up the motorway at 70mph+. Not saying it was a direct result of this, but I doubt it helped.

 

[PC Electrics]

Even though they pass an MoT all that means is they aren;t excessively worn or perished. I don;t think I've ever got 40k out of a tyre and I certainly wouldn;t leave one on the car for 3 years. They do become weak with all the UV, salt, damp, heat, rapid temperature changes etc... An often neglected part but one of the most important. I always replace in pairs per axle or all 4 and avoid mixed tyres per axle either make or tread depth. I've not had a blowout, but I have had to put the tyres to good use a few times, I like to know they are spot on.

A little over cautious, but comendable.

A tyre which remains in service but sees a very low wear rate (eg rear tyre on a FWD) should remain safe for at least 10 years, though the major tyre manufacturers generally recommend they should be removed from service after 5 years.

Rotating tyres ensures this should never be a problem (all the majors recommend tyres be rotated regularly).

 

[Apache]

(all the majors recommend tyres be rotated regularly).

I rotate mine each time I drive the car..................

:coat

 

[tom1]

I rotate mine each time I drive the car.................. :coat

thats a lot of hassle :Applaud :Salute

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

the major tyre manufacturers generally recommend they should be removed from service after 5 years.

Unused tyres.... only have a shelf life of 5 years...

according to most manufactures

Even things like caravan tyres which very rarely get their tread worn down are recommended MAX interval between changes as 5 years.

 

[PC Electrics]

Unused tyres.... only have a shelf life of 5 years...according to most manufactures

Even things like caravan tyres which very rarely get their tread worn down are recommended MAX interval between changes as 5 years.

That's because they have no control over the storage conditions. If stored out of light in dry and fairly even temperature conditions (ie not subject to extreme heat or cold) and not inflated nor distorted due to any weight on them, then shelf life can be 10 yrs +.