Just noticed what looks like a serious issue with one of my front tires. I would think this is from a pothole, but the rim is in perfect condition - no marks at all. Just over 11,000 miles. Never seen something like this.

Can't catch a break with this car. Dealer has to order the tire. Close to $400 after tax plus installation cost. Have an appointment for Monday.

Any ideas what could have caused this? Could this be a defect?

 

I had one of those on my C7 not long ago, not as bad but was bulging. I had stopped for gas a short distance from home to fill up before a jaunt through the GA mountains and spotted it. Decided to take the Palisade instead. I remember hitting a pothole on the interstate prior to this discovery. Guessing you just struck something.

 

Hitting something is definitely possible. What threw me is that the rim shows no sign of damage. I've had pothole damage on other cars. Even with considerably less tire damage there was some kind of mark on the rim. This tear is right where the tire meets the rim. Odd.

 

The hit was juuuust right.

 

Same here driving from Florida to North Carolina. Hit a small pot hole, but didn’t expect the tire to be damaged. Fortunately, Discount Tire had a tire available and was able to replace it the next day. Payed $400 for the whole thing and continued my trip. Next time I will be extra careful, because the pot hole wasn’t that bad.

 

Unfortunately, I'm on Long Island. We have more potholes than road.

Another reason I'm surprised by this. I've driven washboard roads for the past 11k miles. Pretty good at watching out and avoiding them at this point. Nothing until today, and I can't recall hitting any holes. Guess I just got lucky on the right bump in the road. At least the rim is ok.

 

Likely a pothole, even a rail on rail crossing hit at the wrong angle or rate of even combination of angle and speed -- I've had tire damage without damage to the wheel with C4, C6, C7, C8, and on a 2011 CTS-V Caddy Coupe.

 

Been there.
Having my data recorder on saved me. I contacted DOT in my state (FL)and they RE imbursed me for a full
set of tires. It took 4 months but was worth it.

 

Very well could have been a pothole, and combined with a weak bead/sidewall, it caused the damage as shown.

 

Yup, had this happen to both of my front tires from a pothole, plus both wheels bent. The rim might not look damaged, but when you replace the tire & it they spin it to balance, you will then see if the wheel is really bent. The bill for two tires & two wheels came to about $2000. I had tire & wheel insurance (5 years for $ 1149) so it was covered. I would not drive this car on Long Island without tire & wheel insurance. Stock wheels.

 

You titled this thread as 'tire problem'. It is more accurately a road problem.

 

Who know why... it's dangerous! Get it replaced immediately. And, be sure to have the wheel checked for true even though it looks okay to the eye. All the best, despite this.

 

Of course. Car is in the garage now. No plans to drive it until I take it in for service. Most places I called told me the tire is very hard to find and might take some time to come in. I found a dealer who also told me it is hard to find, but could also get it within a day or so. First time I have available is Monday. I'll make sure they check the wheel as well.

Thanks

 

Those tires aren't hard to find. Tire Rack has both the PS 4 and All season in stock.....hmmm???

 

It looks almost exactly like mine, but mine is bigger and oriented the same relative to the spoke. I almost guarantee that it was a pothole. Mine was a pothole that had developed on an entrance ramp where the blacktop joined the concrete. Hitting it by the spoke probably waved your wheel, it did mine. I found the tire easily at Tire Rack and went to their warehouse the next day to pick it up. Tire mounted by noon the next day. The wheel checked out fine. BTW, my tire never lost any air. Those Michelins are great. My wheel did have a witness mark. I'll bet if you look close you'll see one on your wheel. It's the rim cutting the tire when you hit the hole. This is a known problem for low profile tires .

 

It looks almost exactly like mine, but mine is bigger and oriented the same relative to the spoke. I almost guarantee that it was a pothole. Mine was a pothole that had developed on an entrance ramp where the blacktop joined the concrete. Hitting it by the spoke probably saved your wheel, it did mine. I found the tire easily at Tire Rack and went to their warehouse the next day to pick it up. Tire mounted by noon the next day. The wheel checked out fine. BTW, my tire never lost any air. Those Michelins are great. My wheel did have a witness mark. I'll bet if you look close you'll see one on your wheel. It's the rim cutting the tire when you hit the hole. This is a known problem for low profile tires .

 

Might depend on where you are. Two dealers told me it would have to be ordered.

One other told me there are none in the tri-state area (NY/NJ/CT). However that same dealer also told me he could get it in one day. Maybe they are ordering it from Tire Rack. The other dealers weren't so sure about the wait. I could have had them take care of it on Thursday, but I'm going to be away until Monday, so it's getting done then.

I might have been able to get a local shop to do it quicker, but I've had mixed results with third party tire stores. I brought my daughter's car to what is probably the largest and most popular tire shop in the area. She needed a full set. I stressed that I just wanted the safest tires because my daughter and granddaughter would be in that car. Less than a year later she had two blowouts on the highway. That's when I found out that the "new" tires they sold me were well past the "expiration" date. (Before then, I never knew tires had a shelf life). The tires were so old they had rot.

It's easier to find an honest politician in NY than it is to find an honest person in the auto trade. I'd like to think a dealer has slightly more accountability than a third-party. I'm not sure I trust one of these tire shops to put this car on a lift. Although I wouldn't be surprised if this dealer tells me I "need" hundreds of dollars of "work" done to my car.

 

Take your wheel and have it checked for round.

 

Had this happen on I-10 from El Paso to Tucson. Exact same problem and lost pressure however. Wheel OK (I had them check) but tire was gone.

 

Note: TireRack has distribution centers around the country. It has been one of the (or the) most prominent wholesalers to retail tire places including major dealerships as well as chain-store tire sellers. Been that way for over 20 years.