Everything about Tyres

[mickthemaverick]

I think you should email Bridgestone about these Marc and attach your picture. I would ask them what they believe it to be and request a refund!!

You can fill in a form about it here:
https://www.bridgestone.co.in/en/custom ... contact-us

[GiveMeABreak]

Hi Mick, yes have done that yesterday - I'm not expecting anything to happen to be honest, as these were the original tyres fitted to the car at the factory as far as I can tell.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Another Tyre Horror Show cropping up within the threads of the FCF.

thread link
viewtopic.php?p=692696#p692696

9,350 miles worth of wear on the rear tyres of DS7 e-Tense



Regards Neil

[4cvg]

I assume that alignment was kept on spec.

[GiveMeABreak]

The original post is on the DS Forum, so may be worth replying there if anyone has any suggestions or queries:

viewtopic.php?p=692696#p692696

[NewcastleFalcon]

Just like pints in a pub have survived metrification, so it would seem have wheels and tyres.

So here we have the 21 inch tyre.

265/45/R21 108H

...so how much a corner would they be (if you can find them!)

Regards Neil

[Hell Razor5543]

Probably a bit more than four pints of Speedway Stout!

[GiveMeABreak]

Marc has ditched these year old tyres, and had a decent rant about them!

as posted in his blog here
viewtopic.php?p=692585#p692585



Regards Neil

Well today was a glorious day!

Off to ATS for my pre-booked appointment and got rid of these nightmare tyres from Hell.

Now I have 4 new Michelin Cross Climate Plus tyres on and what a difference it has made already. Much quieter, and a smoother drive, I am really pleased. They will also work perfectly with the Grip Control System in winter or going down 'Cow s**t Alley' when the farmers are on a dairy / sheep drive where we are.

I was waiting outside ATS as one of the blokes was throwing his hammer about the place cursing a BMW trying to get a tyre off a little too close to my car for my liking so I kept well within viewing shot. Quite a stressful experience....

Any how, whilst waiting, an email came through from Ali, the field Engineering Technician at Bridgestone regarding the photos I sent him yesterday. This is what he had to say concerning the tyres for those interested:

Thank you for the photographs of the Bridgestone tyres fitted to your car.
Concerning the ‘cracking’ in the shoulder groves and tread groves (circumferential grooves); this we have seen many times in the past. (across many products, and most brands) where the top layer of surface rubber begins to oxidise and appears perished. (we refer to this as ‘crazing’, as ‘cracking’ generally relates to splitting after force or trauma during operation.
It is worth noting that as part of tyre manufacturers’ compliance to environmental responsibility legislation, there are increased restrictions on the materials used in tyre construction.
‘Crazing’ can also be caused by other factors:
• Extended exposure to sunlight. (UV light dries out the anti-aging oils in the rubber which give a tyre it’s tackiness and elasticity).
• The application of ‘Tyre Dressing’. - Used by dealer forecourts and carwash companies mainly to make the sidewalls/shoulders of the tyres look ‘more black’. These can be quite strong and some are even mildly corrosive if used consistently over time.
• Poor pressure maintenance during the tyre’s life. This causes over flexing in the tyre casing eventually causing tyres to prematurely age.
• Exposure to contaminates. - Petrol, anti-freeze, motor oil, tyre ‘dressing’ (used on the sidewalls to appear more “black”).
• Regular, but short frequent trips in the vehicle (lack of use), where the tyres are heating up, then cooling down over a short period of time. (essentially preventing the aforementioned oils from percolating/migrating throughout the tyre fully). We add anti-aging oils into the rubber compound, however for these oils to be released the tyres need to get to an operating temperature. If the tyres are not used regularly then the releasing agents in the anti-aging oils are unable to percolate through the casing and ensure the tyre stays subtle.
The upside to this phenomenon is that ‘crazing’ only affects the top cap layer of rubber, so is only cosmetic in nature. - This type of appearance does not have any effect on the tyres handling or performance, and based on the appearance in the image provided we would advise that these tyres are ok to continue running. However as with any appearance-based condition reported in the market, we always advise to monitor the tyres regularly.
In their current conditions the tyres will not cause any detriment to the tyres serviceability or affect the cars dynamic performance abilities. The tyres will most likely wear out before the crazing gets worse. If the tyres are well serviced and the correct tyre pressure is maintained the tyres will continue to provide an excellent service life.
In the photographs provided we can notice some extensive tread shoulder wear, this is usually associated with incorrect tyre inflation pressures for loads carried. When the tyre pressure for a specific loads is correct the tread will wear evenly across the tread. However when the tyre pressure is too low for a given load, the tyres will wear more on the shoulders, this causes the displayed uneven wear. Extensive movement in the tyre casing can also eventually lead to cracking and creasing in the tread grooves.
Finally, we fully understand that you have full rights to return the tyres under warranty. If you wish to pursue this route, I’ve attached our General Warranty Statement and official BTMA complaints process guidelines.
I hope this info has helped, please let us know if there is any more info you require on this subject to assist with your enquiry.

He has sent me all the claims forms and warranty process - but am I going to follow it up? - No. I can't won't go back to my dealer - they are in Canterbury and I just can't be bothered with the whole Carlos Fandango affair of the paperwork involved.

So I have kept the 2 best rear tyres that are almost brand new and will be giving those to my mate who has just bought a Ford Focus Estate that has the same exact tyres funnily enough!

So he can at least shove these on the front when his wear down and save £300!

[4cvg]

I have two meta-comments on Ali's comments.

First, shoulder wear might well be caused by under-inflation but a very common cause for that in front tyres is the greater work these do under cornering & car makers' propensity to set up suspensions that favour understeer (thus working the outside edges even more). This can be ameliorated by increased front pressures which provide a more neutral balance & by rotating tyres.

Second, I think that be is not totally right about the dynamic benignity of crazing. Wet grip is ultimately a matter micro-locking of surface imperfections into the "rubber" of the tyre & the extent to which that can occur is compound-dependent. A compound that is crazing for the reasons he outlines is less capable of that micro-locking.

[GiveMeABreak]

Thanks for the comments.

I've never had tyres that have done this in my entire life. I always check my tyre pressures and we don't carry loads - just the 2 in the front and shopping at the rear - no crazy boy-racer manoeuvres and no taking corners at unsafe velocities. On my previous C5s, they ate front tyres for breakfast on every model variation I had - so went through a set of fronts every 6-7 months - but that was even wear over the tyre and I put that down to the front wheel drive and weight at the front plus the roads here (lack of tarmac - just stone chipped).

I may get the car tracking done now - or checked as to whether it needs doing with these new tyres on just for peace of mind, but I won't be buying Bridgestone for future replacements and will probably stick to All Seasons now and in future.

[myglaren]

My two C5s also gobbled tyres up. None ever lasted more than a year - around 7,000 miles.
Except the ones that were on when I scrapped it, Sailun Atrezzo Mud and Snow. They were like new when the car went - a year old and >6,000 miles.

The ones on the Civic are lasting well too, only >5,000 miles this year but still perhaps another year on them ( some unheard of ditchfinders that came with the car)- except one that failed the MOT for a bleb on the inside wall - out of sight on a rear tyre.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Do you know how a Dunlop Denovo Tyre worked...

There's 11 minutes on it here



Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

How difficult was a denovo tyre to fit. Bit more gubbins than an ordinary tyre but this guy makes it look straightforward



REgards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Fleet news is always worth a flick through for automotive news and articles.

Taking the shock out of electric vehicle tyre management

Interesting enough read. Still I would be a little sceptical if the tyre manufacturers all started producing special "EV tyres". Mine are pretty bog standard from Maxxis, average noise, average economy, surprisingly A rated in the wet .

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Fleet news is always worth a flick through for automotive news and articles.

Taking the shock out of electric vehicle tyre management

Interesting enough read. Still I would be a little sceptical if the tyre manufacturers all started producing special "EV tyres". Mine are pretty bog standard from Maxxis, average noise, average economy, surprisingly A rated in the wet .

Regards Neil

Here's Hankook's latest offering on "special EV Tyres".

Hankook to launch iON family of tires tyres specifically designed to deliver more range and a quieter ride to premium EVs





Regards Neil