Tire side wall bubble? Thoughts – advice?

[gectisme]

I have been checking my tires regularly since I had some TV tire issues last month. Today when we arrived at camp I noticed the passenger side front Trailer tire looked strange. Upon closer inspection, there are what look like 2 indentations, (the red arrow points to one), and what I think might be a start of a bubble. If you can see it in the pics, thoughts and or advice please…


Was going to change it to the spare. The kicker is I have not ever inspected the spare, (OK, I know not so smart), and it seems to have the start of a bubble also but it is brand new never driven on. Again thoughts – advice? The last 2 pics are the spare. The top arrow points to an indentation and the other arrow points to a big area that seems like the start of a bubble. Can a tire never driven on have a bubble? Am I being paranoid?

[HONDAMAN174]

The pics of your spare are too dark to tell. As for your main tires, to me it looks like mold lines when they were made. Maybe a better mind like wmtire might chime in.


2014 Evo 2850 "Woodstock"
2011 Toyota Tundra "Clifford"

[Stank Bait]

It may be starting to separate at that point. I can see it. May be where the sidewall belts join, causing distortion. Hard to tell in pic. You can drive but why? Just asking for a problem. Take to get better opinion. Get tire checked at tire place.

[wmtire]

I'm heading out the door for a few hours. Check my previous posts for the term "undulation" and it explains indentations and how to check if it's an indentation or bubble.

I'll find them when I get back back if you haven't seen them yet.

Edit; Here's one

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...tml#post882953

[youroo]

Your tires are Not New,they were prob made in 2015! Tires can "Lay Down" at any time! Replace with "Better Tires"! Do a Search at top of Page! Youroo!!

[gectisme]

wmtire, thanks! I think the spare is probably undulation but the one on the trailer seems to have developed the condition today. I will take a closer look tomorrow at both of the tires.

[PSU Turf]

I have had indents like that on tow vehicle tires. Drove like that for thousands of miles with no problem. A bulge or bubble would make me worry.

[Larry Cole]

I had the same issue with brand new tires. I took one of the tires of the fifth and took it into the dealer where I bought the tires. He explained that rather than being a weak spot it is a stronger spot due to the ever lapping of the belts. He mad a note on my file and assured me that the tires were completely safe to use. That was 18 months ago and no problems to date.

[Tireman9]

You might want to review my blog post on Bulge (out) vs depression (in)

The spare looks like depression. Better (more light) whould make it easier to see. Pictures of tires need LOTS and LOTS of light. Direct Sunlight is best. Also not just straight on shots. add some angle and side views too.

Sidewalls do not have belts but do have one or more layers "Ply" of rubber coated fabric. When being built there is a tolerance for the overlap. If too much overlap yes you do get a depression.

Old School but the parts are similar. He is building larger tractor radial but you should get the idea if you pay attention to the "splices" he is making to join the wraps of ply

More modern

[gectisme]

OK, I checked the spare and it is quite obvious on the other side of the tire, definitely undulation.

I don't understand how I missed them on the tire that is on the TT, I have looked at them numerous times in the past month and never noticed it. But I checked and sure enough the same indentations are on the opposite side but not as noticeable. Because there are 2 within 6-7 inches of each other, it makes it look like a bubble between them.

Thanks all for the wisdom, wmtire you know your stuff! I have never heard of undulations in tires before but then again, I never read much about tires until we got the TT...

here are some pics of the spare:

[HikerBob]

This past week we encountered road work where Caltrans had a flagger on the job with three rumble strips about 1/4 mile in advance of the flagger. I had not seen these used before, but they were big and ugly, and they made our 2011 MiniLite jump when I hit them doing 40 mph. A day later I noticed two bulges on both tires of the single axle TT at approximately the same place on the circumference of the tires. While I couldn't go back and look at the rumble strips to measure the distance between them, I bet the store that those bulges are the same distance apart as those rumble strips. The Les Schwab folks said there was separation of the sidewall or some such thing. Bottom line...hit the brakes if you see rumble strips and take them easy. Caltrans owes me for two tires!

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by gectisme

OK, I checked the spare and it is quite obvious on the other side of the tire, definitely undulation.

I don't understand how I missed them on the tire that is on the TT, I have looked at them numerous times in the past month and never noticed it. But I checked and sure enough the same indentations are on the opposite side but not as noticeable. Because there are 2 within 6-7 inches of each other, it makes it look like a bubble between them.

Thanks all for the wisdom, wmtire you know your stuff! I have never heard of undulations in tires before but then again, I never read much about tires until we got the TT...

here are some pics of the spare:

You might want to get White tire covers especially for the spare. Sitting out in the sun is baking the life out of the tire. Especially to top side as it is in the direct Sun for more hours. Read my blog on White tire covers to learn more.