Faulty Toyo or Faulty Mounting. Help

[Dantra]

Heres the History (a lengthy one)...

About a month ago Tracys new wheels came in and we ordered new Toyos from our local Big-O dealer. When I went to pick her wheels/tires I had to wait because the guy mounting the tires had somehow put one of the 295s on the front wheel and a 255 on the rear which to me was no big deal...sh** happens. BTW the wheels are American Racing Torq Thrust IIs/polished rim/chrome center. Tires are 295/40r20 rear and 255/45r20 rear, Toyo Proxes.

A few weeks ago on the way to the Rockin Spring Meet the left rear suddenly went extremely low. We shot some air in it and we got the rest of the way with no problems. We also drove around Bloomington and went to the meet with no problems. After the meet we headed back and once again when at highway speeds the tire went low again. Stopped and got some air but while airing I could hear the cords in the tire beginnig to give...The tire was done. The sidewall had rubbed inside the tire.

The monday following our return I took the wheel in and had it checked and they said that more than likely my wife had hit a pot hole and since we didn't have road hazzard we had to eat this one...BTW, the reason for going flat was never found and when I told Tracy what they said about her hitting a pot hole it wasn't pretty She said (I know this as a fact) that it's her baby and she would know if she hit a pothole and be absolutely sick about it...Didn't Happen!!

Oh and get this, while the tire sat in their shop for 2 days they somehow managed to splatter something on the wheel that actually etched the chrome...New custom built wheel is coming and they covered it.

So anyway we ate it and ordered a new tire which took a week and half to get. I got around to putting all her wheels back on (can't drive for a week and half with one stocker ) last friday night. She drove around saturday some with no problems. Sunday we drove an hour to meet Mhigham to pass along her old stockers (we have a few sets) and on the way back at highway speeds once again the same damn wheel/tire goes low again We were able to air it with no problems since it was only low. I did put the road hazzard on all 4 with the purchase of the last tire so we're ok if it goes bad. I did call Big-O and tell them of all of this

Since then she has driven around with no problems and hasn't lost any air but she hasn't been to highway speeds since.

All of this led me to investigate everything. I did ask for the old tire when I picked up the new one...said I'd make a $200 tire swing out of it. Anyway, I have the tire and have been inspecting it. I found small chips/slivers,chips of aluminum inside it. Also found a small cut where the wheel lip would be...Look. This tire had less than 500 miles on it





Seeing this made me wonder if when the guy guy messed up the stagger when mounting if somehow he damaged the wheel or tire dismounting and remounting. They say the have a touchless machine but after inspectint the wheels I somehow doubt that it's as "touchless" as they think. This first picture is the left front which I believe was one of the two that he messed up. There are nicks and gouges on the back side...This is not the tire/wheel that has been going flat



This is the left rear that has been going flat




Does anyone agree with me that they have damaged these wheels and that this has been the whole problem? Shame that I had to buy one tire already due to this but maybe after I steam tomorrow it may change.I called them this eve and have an afternoon appt. Am I wrong in thinking that the cut was done by them or by a gouge in the wheel caused by them?

[Rob@WretchedMS]

The cut was most likely caused by driving it low on air, the build up in the tire is from driving a good amount of time on a low tire.

Do you know why it went low in the first place?

It's hard to see from the pics, it's so zoomed in that it's hard to tell what i'm looking at.

I don't believe anything is defective,

can you post pics zoomed out a bit of the damage to the wheels?

[Dantra]

The drive was short on a low tire and I don't see how a cut could develope "under" the lip...outter edge I can see, but under the lip ?? The bead never broke but was low enough to cause internal damage.

Reason for flat...never found

[Rob@WretchedMS]

There is a lot of stress in that area when a tire is low, unlikely to be caused by installation.

The stuff inside the tire is caused by heat in the tire, and it takes a bit for it to heat up enough to do that, it's possible it was driven low longer than you realized.

[Dantra]

I understand that. My point is...why is there metal in my tire and machine marks on my wheel? Is that what could have caused the tire to leak off...and causing this "brand new" tire on the same wheel to do the same?

[Rob@WretchedMS]

dunno, can't really tell from the pics i see.

[05magmn]

I would demand to have them remove the tire from the rim, and look at where the rim and tire meet (the bead) if ther is any gouges there your tire will leak, also make sure they put another valve stem in the rim, I have had them start to leak at hiway speeds and on bumpy roads. If you realy want to know wher the leak is and not deal with their excuses just use a spray bottle with soap and water in it and watch for the little bubbles. as for your pics, the little rubber balls and flakes are from the in side of the tire rubbing on its self from being run on while almost flat. the cut in the tire is proubly where the cords where coming apart at, very close to a blow out.( the snaping sound you heard while filling the tire.) and the nick in the rim, who knows.

[bigal470]

could be a faulty valve stem could be they have a tard working for them that doesnt know how to use the machine to mount tires... the cut looks like the tire was shrink rapped and someone used a sh!ty knife to cut it off and hit the tire...two tires could be a bad rim never know...could be a shop that buys seconds for cheap and passes on the crap to you.......

[FleshWound]

I'm wondering why the shop did not look for a leak after the first occurrence. And if the second tire also leaked on the same wheel, I'd guess it was/is leaking around the bead as result of a bad seal between the wheel rim and the tire bead. Seems strange considering they are both new.

I'd definately pull the wheel of and check for a leak with soapy water

I think it was you who posted pics of these wheels, and you most likely inspected them and would have seen or felt any imperfections or discrepancies between the individual wheels.

Try to contact the Toyo rep and see what advice he can give you. You never know, they may have other complaints with the same shop, or have run across a similar situation, and have a solution for you. They may even replace the tire.

Please keep us in the loop!

[Dantra]

A few of you nailed this...I on the other hand was wrong.

We took it in today and I stayed with them through the whole process of inspecting the tire. I am pretty knowledable in the tire field or at least used to be twenty years ago. While the car was at home I never attempted to find a leak because it doesn't lose a single pound while sitting...only at highway speeds. Also because we payed alot of of money for something that should be right and I shouldn't have to sit there with a soap bottle wasting more time than I already had with the whole mess.

The tire was submerged in the dunk tank and didn't even so much as leak a teeny tiny bubble. The tire was then dismounted from the rim. I was wrong in believing the rim had been damaged. The gouges that I was seeing did not follow all the way through under the bead. Just purely on the outter edges of the bead. But then the tire guy bumped the valve steam and it layed right over revealing a tear right at the base. Now everything made sense! With higher speeds the stem was laying over jusst enough to leak but when stopped it sealed itself. Just incredible. Instantly the shop manager says "We owe you for a tire". They determined that it was improperly installed by being pulled too hard into the new wheel. What a relief, we knew we weren't crazy. So they refunded our money for one tire, put in a new steam and sent us home happy.

They learned alot with this deal...cost them $550 (dealer cost) for a wheel that they splattered with a unknown chemical and $175 for a tire lost to going low due to a improperly installed valve stem. After all that we had to go through I am 100% satisfied and they will have our business on the next set