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twinbruva
18th November 2010, 20:58
I'm a stickler for tyre pressures so I found it odd that my front tyre, a Metzler, delaminated. It had a horrible bulge, caused a wicked vibration and it had to go, obviously. I measured the (WOF-legal) tread at 2mm. OK, it's not got long to go but I've run tyres (Metzlers) to below WOF-legal tread depth before and not had them delaminate.

Back to the retailer....."What pressure do you run?"
Me...."36"
Retailer "Well they probably won't give you anything for it because you've had the life of the tyre"

Me thinks..."Not quite but let's have a new one anyway....."

Rang sales rep who said he'd look at it, which will be interesting. I still have the old tyre.

Anyone else had a tyre delaminate and if so, at what point in the tyre's lifespan and what was the outcome?

p.dath
19th November 2010, 07:53
Tyres older than 7 years have been known to de-laminate. Based on the marking on the side wall, how long has it been since the tyre was manufactured?

Kickaha
19th November 2010, 08:23
There are more things than just tyre pressure that can cause it and I'd only expect tyre pressure if it was underinflated for a considerable period, inspecting the inside of the tyre would soon show that up

Manufacturing defects are extremely rare but can happen, impact breaks can cause it as well but again inspecting the inside would find that

Mishy
21st November 2010, 21:59
Most common cause of this is a partial puncture, which is really bad luck rather than anything else.
You see this much more now with Radial tyres, and it happens when the debris goes through most of the tyre without puncturing the tubeless membrane.
Beacause of this, the air stays in the tyre, but there is now air getting all the way to the carcase from the outside.
Evey time this punctured area becomes the contact patch it seals the air in, super pressurising it in the process, and basically cuts the compound from the carcase.
This is what causes the delamination, and it's basically nothing more than bad luck.

twinbruva
23rd November 2010, 20:30
Tyres older than 7 years have been known to de-laminate. Based on the marking on the side wall, how long has it been since the tyre was manufactured?

Last summer when it was used quite a bit, then it was used intermittently over winter. New tyre tread is 4mm, my delaminated item is 2mm.

twinbruva
23rd November 2010, 20:44
Most common cause of this is a partial puncture, which is really bad luck rather than anything else.
You see this much more now with Radial tyres, and it happens when the debris goes through most of the tyre without puncturing the tubeless membrane.
Beacause of this, the air stays in the tyre, but there is now air getting all the way to the carcase from the outside.
Evey time this punctured area becomes the contact patch it seals the air in, super pressurising it in the process, and basically cuts the compound from the carcase.
This is what causes the delamination, and it's basically nothing more than bad luck.

I accept that bad luck has played a major part in this scenario. The damaged area is not confined to a small portion of the carcass though. The buldge in the tyre (when fitted to the wheel, complete with tube and inflated) would probably have been about 60-70mm long and about 10mm high. I wish I'd measured/photographed it as it receded quite a bit after it was removed. The tube was visibly undamaged, not even a bruise. It was refitted and has done about 1500-odd k's in the new tyre.

The tyre carcass did show the delamination on the inside to be approximately one third of the circumference of the tyre and roughly half of the inner surface in width.

Bad luck that it happened, good luck that it happened close to home and at low speed.

twinbruva
23rd November 2010, 20:49
There are more things than just tyre pressure that can cause it and I'd only expect tyre pressure if it was underinflated for a considerable period, inspecting the inside of the tyre would soon show that up

Manufacturing defects are extremely rare but can happen, impact breaks can cause it as well but again inspecting the inside would find that

The retailer did ask "have you hit any potholes?" Well, none that really stand out in my memory as being particularly nasty and I don't think nasty enough to cause tyre damage. Nothing on the inside of the carcass indicates a harsh impact, nor the tube...no bruising or suchlike.

I'm not bagging Metzlers, I've had plenty and never struck this before. I even replaced the dud with another Metzler.

Mishy
23rd November 2010, 22:03
The damaged area is not confined to a small portion of the carcass though. The buldge in the tyre (when fitted to the wheel, complete with tube and inflated) would probably have been about 60-70mm long and about 10mm high.

Yup, still sounds like what I suspect, and there is no surprise that it's worked it's way around the tyre - that's typical of this sort of issue.
I have seen the damaged area stretch half way around the tyre, so you're still in the ball park for damage, rather than faulty manufacture.