Shredded a tire

[BananaDan]

We were on our way up to Mass. for our Mass./Maine vacation last night and I shredded a tire on I-84 at the CT/MA border.  I've never completely severed a tire off before.  I was in the left lane when it happened.  I got over to the shoulder as soon as possible and once we were down to about 20mph the tire came off of the rim and rolled about 100 feet down the road and landed on an exit on-ramp.  I went and got it to put it in the trunk with the rim in case it turns out to be a warranty issue.  The tire only has 20K-25K miles on it.  Luckily we're all safe and a Trooper came up almost right away and shielded us with his lights on while I put the donut on.  Quite the start to our vacation!  I'm off to get a new tire tomorrow AM, we leave for Maine Tue.    

They're ContiProContacts 245/45-17's all around.  Any thoughts/opinions if I should stick with those, or maybe go with another brand?  I'm reading good stuff about the Michelin Pilot Super Sports but they're more money and half of the distance warranty.    

[Ghoste]

Never had that happen either, glad to hear no one was hurt because that could have been much worse.  I would definitely look to another brand like Michelin.

[Stretch]

That is from over heating it and running it flat. The rim cut the side walls. Look for a puncture in the tread. I bet you find something in it. Tires don't just fail.

[bill440rt]

We've got Continental's on our minivan, Dan (factory installed tire). Horrible, & I've heard similar from other people. Going on 35,000 miles & the car almost needs tires already, and that's with regular rotations each oil change.
I've heard good about Michelins & Bridgestones, too.

I do agree it might be a pressure related problem. Tire pressure, especially when trailering, is crucial. If too low, the tire will overheat causing a blowout.
Nonetheless, at this point it's JUST a tire! You & your family could have been seriously injured. Glad to hear no one was hurt.

[charge69]

Wow, Glad you and your family were not hurt. I Have Yokohama's on my Venza. Changed to them with less than 200 miles on the Goodyears that came on it. 30k miles later I am VERY happy I did it. Much quieter, better ride and plenty of tread left after the 30k miles.

Check out the tires available for your particular vehicle on Tirerack.com and read the reviews of the tires. You don't have to buy the tires from them but the reviews seem  real from real users.

Carl

[elacruze]

That is from over heating it and running it flat. The rim cut the side walls. Look for a puncture in the tread. I bet you find something in it. Tires don't just fail.

+1

[Slowpoke]

Go for the Michelens, when I worked for a custom car builder that's what we used on the bigger cars (ie supercharged maruaders) and was great for handling and ride.

[c00nhunterjoe]

I just put BF goodrich g force comp 2's on my Charger. Its a new tire, came out this spring. So far I'm seriously impressed. Traction and handling both dry and wet blows my yokohama parada spec x's out of the water.  The car drove great on the yoko's but these bfg's are incredible. Compared to the goodyears and michelins that are available for my car these were nearly half the cost. Mine are 245\45\ZR20's

[BananaDan]

I'm having Michelin Primacy MXM4's put on right now. They didn't have the Pilot Sports in stock but these look pretty highly rated. The Continentals are dead to me.

[bakerhillpins]

That is from over heating it and running it flat. The rim cut the side walls. Look for a puncture in the tread. I bet you find something in it. Tires don't just fail.

+1

+2   

Does the car have a tire pressure warning system and do you recall that being on before it blew? If it does have the system may want to get it checked.

[BananaDan]

It doesn't.

[Marck]

That is from over heating it and running it flat. The rim cut the side walls. Look for a puncture in the tread. I bet you find something in it. Tires don't just fail.

+2

[Charger_Fan]

That is from over heating it and running it flat. The rim cut the side walls. Look for a puncture in the tread. I bet you find something in it. Tires don't just fail.

+1

+2   

+3

Even a new tire can run over a nail & cause a slow leak. Sometimes a tire will spit the nail (or other foreign matter) out when it's coming apart like that, but rarely. Look for a puncture in the tread...run your hand slowly around the inside, you'll probably find something.

Glad nobody was hurt.
And yeah, always check your oil level & tire pressure before leaving on a road trip.   As an extra added layer of paranoia, I make a habit of doing a walk-around each time I stop for gas on a road trip. I kick tires & look for fluid leaks. I even pop the hood periodically, looking for shredded belts, funky odors or overflow tanks that seem to be unusually low.
I'd rather know about a problem at a station, as opposed to in the middle of nowhere.