|
This afternoon, I was trying to solve a problem with my bulb failure indicator. I decided to take out the bulbs from the trunk and have a look at them. Since this is a sedan, the spare wheel must be removed to access the driver's side tail light. I noticed as I was trying to undo the strap that holds in the wheel that it was difficult to remove. I got the tire out and found this:
I have no idea how this happened. I last had the tire out in late March to check the pressure and saw no sign of damage. These pictures were taken after most of the air was let out (It was at 36 psi when removed from the trunk, and the inner rubber layer was poking through the plies.) You can see in the third image that the plies completely separated from one another.
Anyway, I guess the moral of the story here is to check your spare often, especially before long trips. I suppose it's just the old age of the rubber that has started to degrade. This particular tire was a Firestone made in Spain (you know the Spanish make great stuff!)
I'm gonna go try to get a used tire to replace it tomorrow. Anyone know what size fits the spare rim?
Drew
--
formerly non-registered at drew b.
green 1993 240, 164k 'Cream Puff V,' formerly: blue 1988 240 DL 'Cream Puff III'
|
