Why do my tires walk after five years?

Question

My last two sets of tire have failed the same way. After 5 years and with plenty of thread left, one tire will fail and I have to replace the set. The failure is noticeable by a belt slipping and the tire walking to where my car wobbles at low speed and the tire thumps at higher speed. I rotate my tires every 7k miles and keep them balanced with the proper air pressure. Still, it never fails that one tire fails because of a bad belt. I changed brands with no luck. I drive about 8K miles per year and never get to wear out a set. Is this a problem with all radial tires? Do they go bad after 5 years regardless of care? I live in northern Florida and we get three seasons so I don't sign up for that 'excessive heat' story. What do you say?

Answer 1

I also drive between 5 - 10k miles / year and to some extent you will outlive your tires, but as a general rule they should last 8-10 years at which point dry rot can become an issue.

First, I would implement a program for yourself where you check each tire's air pressure and make sure it is proper, and do so at least once / month but no more than once / week, the idea is you have to do this or there's no point in it.

I would next see about finding a competent mechanic who can thoroughly check out your suspension and steering system, more than anything it sounds like your shocks could be worn and that would be my first guess but it could be anything from an alignment to worn bearings or tie rods ends, but I think a slipping belt is around the last thing to worry about unless perhaps your power steering unit needs repair, again a competent mechanic would know this much better than what I can tell you.

Good luck

Answer 2

I've worked in the tire industry for almost 6 years. I have never seen a tire failure that could not be attributed to an external cause; road hazard (pothole, curb impact), improper inflation or improper alignment. The only exception was a 19 year old tire that failed spectacularly after many years in storage (age related failure).

I wonder if what you are really describing is a belt failure or if in fact your just wearing them down to the cord. I suspect it is really the latter and this is caused by uneven wear due to improper inflation or improper alignment. You don't mention having the alignment done at any point but even a few hundredths of a degree out of range can cause severe tire wear issues over time.

Keep the tires inflated to the car manufacters specifications (NOT what is says on the tire sidewall), check that pressure at least monthly, preferably weekly, rotate every 5,000 miles (RMA guidelines), re-balance every 15,000 miles, have the alignment checked once a year and don't hit any big potholes or curbs and you should NEVER in your lifetime experience a premature tire failure due to wear or separation issues.

Answer 3

Not sure what you're talking about belt slippping...

Are you absolutely sure your car was never involved in an accident? I've seen many times where someone will buy a salvage vehicle that has a tiny offset in the frame, which will cause strange and uneven wear of the tires. Have a qualified shop look for any signs of a previous damage. Most can spot it quickly by looking for wear marks on the heads of bolts. NO body bolts should look like they have had a wrench put on them.

Also have them look at the ride height at all four corners. You may see the car sagging on one corner, indicating a problem.

Answer 4

Five years is a healthy amount of time for a set of tires! How many miles are you putting on them in that time?

Don't forget to have your alignment done too. Alignment can make all the difference in how your tires are wearing. I'd suggest looking into it, given that it seems you have a car that's over 10 years old.

Answer 5

This is a unique and intriguing problem!

I normally would start with the brand of tires, but since you have already changed brands with the same result, it is probably either a suspension problem or possibly a wheel problem (I'd lean towards the suspension).

Have a mechanic check out your alignment and suspension. If there is a problem with either, it will wear out your tires. If road conditions are unusually bad in your area, that could do it too.

I wish you luck. Check out the link I left for more common problems.

Answer 6

Normal. Potholes can do the damage regardless of the brand. Some will even dry rot at that low mileage. Checking into the rubber. Tires parked for a while will thump more the older they are. The rubber is not as pliable as it was when new.

Answer 7

I have never had this problem. but if you were asking if this is normal, i would say no. I have had the same set of tires on my car for 4 years now, and still have a lot of life left in them.
on average the 50,000 mile radial tire, is only good for about half that.
is your truck or car heavy?
weight has a lot to do with it
is your steering in alignment?
this is a strange problem......

Answer 8

tire life is also time. The exposure to the sun and air will cause decay in the tire. It is not just wear that causes tires to fail. Parking out of the sun can help delay this failure. 5 years is a long time for a tire's life.

Answer 9

three seasons in florida is hot hotter and hottest,heat is a major contributor to tire seperation,a lot of cars set tire pressure on the low side for softer ride,try running your pressure 3 to 5 psi higher espesialy in the summer as the harder tire will disipate heat better.most manufacturers will recomend a little higher pressure with high temp or high speed driving to lower internal temps

Answer 10

It all depends on HOW you rotate them, if you rotate them such that you change the direction of original spin, then you will get tread/sidewall separation.

front to back is usually the way to go when rotating.

Also be careful which tires you are buying....there are retail codes for tires.....some of them can be sold as takeoffs....for cheap...my bro in law learned the hard way...we ended up getting stuck in the middle of baja changing an effen tire...

pay close attention and ask your tire shop questions.