What causes this to happen to a tyre?

[cashmax]

Pilot Sport 5, manufactured 28/25, still 7mm tread. Took it off my lads car to check the brakes and was shocked to find the entire inside side wall deformed like this. Anyone know how this can happen?

[mmm-five]

Bouncing on & off kerbs; trying to straddle speed cushions but catching the inside edge; manufacturing fault?

[cashmax]

He just bought the wheels, paid quite a lot for them and was paranoid about pot holes or scuffing them, so super careful around anything that could have caused damage.

I was wondering if it was worth sending to Michelin?

[finlo]

Driven flat?

[NortonES2]

You can see in some of the photos that the wheels have been kerbed.

[king arthur]

Or driven with far too much weight in the car?

[sam.rog]

Pothole damage.
The inner supports of the tyre has moved or been damaged. New tyre.
Michelin might want it back if you try going down warranty route but will probably say external damage.

[Nurburgsingh]

What car? - is it modified - big ass exhaust causing loads of heat?
Front or rear? - are they the right size wheels for the car? rubbing on lock?
Is the one on the other side the same?

[John D.]

I'd go with rough roads / pot holes. Had similar on PS4S outer side wall on a Megane RS once (albeit only one bulge, not multiple!). Also had a snapped front spring at around the same time. I'm very good at avoiding potholes, but the car did get driven hard on bumpy roads.

[John D.]

Nurburgsingh said:

What car? - is it modified - big ass exhaust causing loads of heat?
Front or rear? - are they the right size wheels for the car? rubbing on lock?
Is the one on the other side the same?

EP3 Civic Type R I think. Probably not stock.

[cashmax]

Damage was on the wheels when he bought them, looks worse in the photos, just a missing bit of powdercoat.

Its a EP3 Type R, standard other than a different backbox. That could be close to the tyre and its on the right side for it. I wonder if that could have anything to do with it?

[BunkMoreland]

Looks like its been rubbing?

Has it got the correct tyres on?
Correct tyre pressures?

What's the alignment like?


IME you've got bugger all chance of a warranty on a tyre unless someone is injured.

king arthur said:

Or driven with far too much weight in the car?

You think he likes them "chunky" ?

[CoolHands]

Too many pics and too big

Is it just one tyre? Where they new when you put them on or were they already on the car / wheels when you bought it / them?

I have may have missed something

[Stewss4]

That tyre has been run flat.

[Dog Biscuit]

finlo said:

Driven flat?

That was my thought especially as its all around the sidewall

[archie456]

cashmax said:

Its a EP3 Type R, standard other than a different backbox. That could be close to the tyre and its on the right side for it. I wonder if that could have anything to do with it?

I think that's your problem, the tyre's been cooked by the exhaust.

It could do with a heatshield.

[Derry Rhumba]

Ex Michelin (Dundee) worker here....although quite a few years ago.

That is almost certainly a tyre that has been run very underinflated, and not just for 5 minutes or so.

Is it possible that your son has done that and is reluctant to tell you?

[E-bmw]

Absolutely 100% there is a combination of damage there.

It has been either run flat or rubbing to cause the long "rubbing" damage to the side wall.

The "bulges" have been caused by carcass damage due to pot-holes, kerbs or speed bumps taken too fast.

Obviously if this occurred when the tyre was under-inflated this would further explain the damage.

Any tyre displaying that type of sidewall damage (bulges) has been SERIOUSLY weakened & should be replaced immediately.

[cashmax]

Derry Rhumba said:

Ex Michelin (Dundee) worker here....although quite a few years ago.

That is almost certainly a tyre that has been run very underinflated, and not just for 5 minutes or so.

Is it possible that your son has done that and is reluctant to tell you?

This is really the only answer that makes sense, I drove the car for an hour the other night and it handled perfectly. But he did have a TPS system for his head unit, but didn't fit the sensors to his new rims because "he didn't like the way they looked". I'm guessing it must have been driven on very low for a period of time, there is no visible damage to the rims or anything that suggests rubbing and I really don't think a hot exhaust is capable of causing that unless its touching, which it isn't.

Expensive lesson learned by the looks of it.

[Megaflow]

cashmax said:

He just bought the wheels, paid quite a lot for them and was paranoid about pot holes or scuffing them, so super careful around anything that could have caused damage.

I was wondering if it was worth sending to Michelin?

Where the tyres on the wheels when he bought them?

BunkMoreland said:

Looks like its been rubbing?

Has it got the correct tyres on?
Correct tyre pressures?

What's the alignment like?


IME you've got bugger all chance of a warranty on a tyre unless someone is injured.

Because as above, that looks a lot like it has been run flat to me.