A Faulty Tire??

Les, you can't beat that for talking the talk, but more importantly is seeing how they walk the walk! Michael.

Agree Boo, looks like it's been run 1/2 flat, overheated then delaminated.

It couldn't possibly be something like an undetected simple puncture, must be a faulty tyre!

Hmm agreed.

The cause could be anything, but if that happened to me, I'd say to myself "Hmm I must have been a dickhead to let a tyre get to that state. It may be a tyre failure but in reality it looks like I've been driving on a flat tyre for too long. Oh well - lesson learned. Anyway I'll give it a go with the manufacturer, they might cough up half the cost."

Posting it on EO would not cross my mind. After all there are about 30 replies speculating from 1000km away with one poor photo and not a lot of information. None really offer anything other than uninformed speculation really. Not that helpful and nothing less than you could really expect.

I'm not having a go at the OP or people responding ( even if it looks like I may be). I just think shit happens and you have to move on without involving the entire internet in minor issues.

Get the tyre rep to take the carcass to the 'lab' , even money that the cause was a slow leak causing severe under inflation [ your fault ] and a contributing factor [even money with the bookies again ] your fault for putting that s**t shiny stuff chemical compound on the tires , ,,,looks good !! Helps tire compounds to 'soften' with repeated use.......

All is possible, and all the above is appreciated.

The more pics someone asked about....

Sorry Tony, but after looking at the new piccies I might have to change my mind about a tread delamination. Looks more like a side wall failure maybe.....maybe caused by excessive flexing so maybe loss of pressure some way. If not a run of the mill puncture possibly tyre to rim leakage, or even a faulty rim.

MAYBE

Cheers
Pop

Yeah, to me it does look like tread separation rather than a blow-out and if that's the case I'd be pushing the faulty product line and looking for refund or free replacement..

In New Zealand we used to be able to get tires rounded.
They put in a thing like a giant lathe and cut the tread down until the tire is round.
Never seen that done here.

What I thought in a way Zippo, though I figured if the others were treated similarly, same purchase time, same trip(s), roads etc, and wasn't subject to a special incident like hitting a rock hard etc, then it shows this one tyre was somehow faulty.

It's well worth insisting a Bridgestone rep has a look.

Not a big fan of the D697, I feel they are too soft walled . . . mate had these on his Hilux on a Geo Centre trip May 2015 and he couldn't deflate to less than 14psi or they looked pretty much flat, too bagged and exposed to stakes.
Indeed we fixed a few small staking in his walls that trip, but then also had a couple in mine, much more HD GY Wrangler.

Les, if they were all the same (fault) then still one of them had to fail first.

Big failure though, you'd think if one did it and all were bad batch (or whatever), they might all show some signs of starting delaminating . . . but maybe rep can inspect all others too and hopefully give some sort of reassurance.
Without it the OP might be wary of trusting them again.

Yes, very relevant and glad you brought it up Roachie.
I am very conscious of tyre pressures and was running at 38 psi on bitumen roads.
The weight in the vehicle was similar to what I had when the stock standards shoes where on when I purchased the vehicle and no issues with them.

After changing to the spare I stopped every 2 hrs checked pressure and heat.
I had 1100 kms to go with NO spare just a spare tube and puncture kit.

cheers,

Yes I will keep the Forum informed of the outcome.

Firstly I will go back to the agent where i purchased the stock and also make Bridgestone aware incase it is a faulty batch.

Cheers

While not knowing how tony drive , i think there are pleanty of people out there driving far to fast for the conditions
On recent trip to the simpsom between mt dare & Dalhousie on that rocky section had two vehicles pass us in a big hurry !!
I dont think there is much wong with these tyres , pleanty people out there using them .
We have just put a set on our vehicle & returned from a trip on 90% on dirt roads 5000ks .
We also have set of coopers on our landcruiser last year did 12,000 ks trip cape york with no problems another tyre people complain about .
But if you were known to the dealer you might have a lot better chance of getting warranty.
People offen shop around for price & dont get to know there suppliers.

11,000 Km trip to Mt Augustus - begs big Q where did trip start from NZ ?

..
The TPMS tip is a great one, even an external sensor one with quality sensors.
Mine saved me from running low with stakings last trip, and the info you get from them is really useful, from how quickly they cool / heat up, to cold / hot differentials, etc.

I always thought AT (especially LT rated) tyres were stronger in the construction / side walls, and you could run them at lower pressures with less heat / chance of damage than HT or regular passenger tyres.

There are some that really bag too much sideways though, others I've had have really good stiffness.

Les, I am no expert by a long shot but I am prepared to search for and read data sheets that help me make an informed decision rather than blindly following what I read on the internet.
LT sidewalls will generally be stronger than P tyres, but the stiffer wall flexing is what creates the heat build up, so it all comes down to a balance of load, pressure & speed. Its up to the user to find the sweet spot for the conditions on the day.
It seem very hard to get specific data from a lot of manufacturers but here are a few links for sites that have some good info, some of it pretty heavy reading:
Toyo
BFG
Bushie

With the info from these sites and a TPMS you will never have another relaxed trip again, be too busy trying to fine tune your pressures.

Thnaks for the links, some of the load / pressure chart info was interesting for my tyre sizes.

For sure AT's (esp LT's) are stronger and designed to handle more varying conditions including terrain, load, and yes pressure variations.
MT's are almost always stronger again due to their carcass construction.

The TPMS is a tool, and works great.
I've only just got it for the last Simpson geo centres trip, saved a lot of guessing with minor stakes, like a) there's a problem, b) time to reinflate, c) time to plug.
Last geos trip in 2015 I had to stop often and check this sort of thing, to safeguard one minor staked tyre.

Never had an issue like the OP with my tyres personally, have run very low on beaches at times, down to 6 or so psi.
You just drive to conditions and slow down relatively at lower pressures, reinflate as soon as conditions improve.
Just like you would going gravel to bitumen so you can get to highway speeds safely and without damage.

Have seen others drop everything out of their tyres to get off bad beaches down the SE coast of SA, short distance to get through to an inland track then reinflate to whatever's needed.

Will take a look through some more of those links for any little tidbits I can gather.

Hi,
When i returned the tyre to the service centre the owner meticulously inspected the tyre with a torch inside and out, No nails or anything to cause air to be lost how the valve could have.
The tyre exploded which tells me it had air in it and it was under pressure.

TPMS definately sounds the way to go so will follow up.

Have spoken with head office in South Oz and they have passed the inquiry to Queensland which covers NSW.

I will keep the forum informed to the progress of how they handle this and their findings
Many thanks.

Tony,

As someone who has mostly used Bridgestone tyres I would be most interested in the outcome after the head office has finished with whatever examinations they feel necessary.
Obviously I haven't seen the tyre, have no idea what you subjected it to, and finally and most importantly, I am, like you, just an end user.
Having said all that, my "armchair" opinion is that going by your description and photos the tread separated from the carcass because of some possible fault.

Good luck

Cheers
Pop

TonyL,

I'm not a mod, but I think just about everyone would agree...

When you reply to something in another Reply, do it as a Follow-up within that person's Reply - like I am following up to your reply, not making a new Reply.

Just click the Follow-up button instead of the Reply button.

When you make a new reply to something further up the chain the context and relevance is lost - or at least can only be found with great difficulty.

Just a hint, mate.

Good luck with your tyre replacement and safe travels

Sounds like a great trip. Hope you enjoyed Kennedy Range and Mt Augustus. They some times slip under the radar.

Rocco

Both are Oz icons and too remote for the mainstream.
In my opinion both out rate Illuru.
For those who might be thinking, "Just Do it" this will help....
Mount Augustus & Kennedy Ranges a couple of pics.

I agree with you on the area but on the tyres I recently purchased 4 of the same for a 6000km trip. Blew one on a sand track (obviously underlying nasties) running at 22lb and another on a gravel road running 38lb. Both were punctures thru sidewall. Cant say I'm impressed but have not had the conversation with Bridgestone yet.

On the bitumen they were great but as someone else said here that not why we buy offroad tyres.

Hey Scruffy,

Firstly are you from WA Bunbury?

Scruffy if you were using Bridgestone Duellers I can give you the email address of the department which is analysing my tyres, I think it would add heaps to my situation and really if THEY have a problem it is only places (Forums) that they can come out.
When I spoke to them I highlighted that Nationally who compiles the problems because like you and people do not report these situations.
If it is a faulty batch or if they are not keeping up with their advertising as a ALL Terrain 4X4 tyre???
Please follow up mate.

From Mandurah WA.....not far away. I haven't discussed with retail outlet yet and ill give them first crack and keep you informed. Pics attached. I think the Gravel Rd 1 would have ended up like you as I couldn't feel it driving, it was only when I stopped for lunch that I saw it.

Hey Scruffy you were definitely heading down the same path to destruction as mine did.
I would guess that that tyre was on the back and interesting that it is again a side wall fracture? IMPACT or CRAP side walls???

Wonder how many out there suffer the same thing and don't report it.

Feel free to show and tell with your retailer with my pics and if you give me the go ahead I would love to show yours when that suits to the department which are accessing mine..

Hey mate sorry to play 20 questions but do you fish the Daley River and are married Jan?

Gravel was a rear tyre and sand was front. you can show my pics if you need.

wrong bloke....the closest I have been to the Daley River is Daley Waters Pub.

The thing about these tyres is bad luck can happen but then for another person to come up with similar problems then maybe not. My spare tyres were the original GT Radial ATs with 40k on them and they lasted the remainder of the trip.

Thanks Scruffy,

I forwarded my info to the Queensland Office Wednesday and still waiting.

Thanks heaps,

Hi Scruffy,

I have received the reply which I will posted below for all to read.One thing I have learnt through this exercise is that when you return to the store where you made the initial purchase ask to have the damaged tyres sent to head office so a proper appraisal can be carried out. A Graduate TFS Engineer examined the photos of my situation.

What they have said......2 emails.

Good Morning Tony,

Thank you for sending the photos through. I spoke to the Coffs store and unfortunately, as it was not submitted at the time of the event, the tyre has been scrapped. From the photos and information provided, it is likely that there was a slow leak of air leading to excessive heat build-up in the tyre causing it to fail.

Picture 4. shows the common signs of run flat damage which is indicative of running under pressure; as I know you kept an eye on your pressures and didn’t go off road, it is likely that some road debris has caused a leak in the final stage of your trip. As manufacturing defects often become apparent in the early stages and given the evidence provided I believe that cause of the failure to be a road hazard. I hope this resolves your query, if you have further questions please feel free to contact me.

Kind Regards
Courtney Brown | TFS Engineer NSW/ACT
BRIDGESTONE AUSTRALIA LTD.
148 Silverwater Road, Silverwater NSW 2128
P: 02 8756 4500 | M: 0407 604 978| F: 02 8756 4550
W: www.bridgestone.com.au





Courtney Brown
11:47 AM (2 hours ago)

to me
Hi Tony,

Unfortunately without the tyre it is difficult to determine the exact cause, instead we can only rely on the information provided and our technical knowledge. With the information given the likely cause has been identified as a road hazard causing a slow leak of air leading to failure.

Bridgestone’s manufacturing warranty, guarantees all of our products and customers are invited to submit their tyres to our technical team if they are uncertain of the cause of failure. Our technical team only report on the evidence gathered. If a manufacturing defect is found Bridgestone provides 100% refund and we chase up the causes of that defect with the appropriate manufacturing plant.

As for the other cases I cannot comment as they have not been submitted to us and I do not have all the evidence. However if they wish to submit their tyres we are more than happy to investigate. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee against road hazards for the dueler range of tyres due to their nature of use.

Kind Regards
Courtney Brown | Graduate TFS Engineer NSW/ACT
BRIDGESTONE AUSTRALIA LTD.
148 Silverwater Road, Silverwater NSW 2128
P: 02 8756 4500 | M: 0407 604 978| F: 02 8756 4550
W: www.bridgestone.com.au

Hi Tony,
I got much of the same from the Bridgestone Technical officer in Perth. If I presented the tyres for appraisal they would be happy to do so but I don't think its worth it. Interesting enough although they are "light truck" tyres that only refers to the load capacity, the are still 2 ply sidewalls. "but they are as thick as the 3 ply tyres" so who knows......
Cheers
Scruff

Hey Scruffy,

What has been highlighted with this whole tyre episode is that it now gives a lot of forum readers an awareness to when they make a tyre purchase and these BRIDGESTONE DUELERS cannot take the hard 4X4 stuff even though you like me didn't put them under any rough conditions.

Now we will see how they pan out over the longer term for wear and tear.

So to all those Forum contributors thanks for your imput.

Regards,