Full size spare blows out after 100 miles

My front left tire had a flat 2 days before my vacation, so AAA came and changed the tire to my full size spare. The car sat for 10 days while I was gone.

10 days later

As i'm driving to my parents house on I-90 at about 80 mph, the front left tire seems to start to deflate and I have to overcompensate by turning my steering wheel to the right. It is fine for about a minute...

Then BOOM the car jerks to the left but luckily I have control of the car and there is noone on my right and I'm able to pull over safely. I look at the tire and it is ripped to shreds. I call Volkswagen Roadside Assistance and they tow my car to Lia Volkswagen in Enfield, CT because that is the closest VW service that is open on weekends from where I happen to break down. They are booked on Saturday so I have to leave my car there until Monday.

There is no damage to the rims thankfully... but two new tires are expensive

I now know the tires are warranteed by the manufacturer and not VW.... oh well, live and learn.

Here is a pic of the tire :

Looks like it either over heated or rotted.

Did AAA (or you) confirm that the spare tire was fully inflated?

Considering the year of your car (2002) That blowout looks like what happens when a tire is run at insufficient pressure, and the sidewall just gives up due to heat.

(Just be happy you weren't in a Ford Explorer.)

Variant TDI said:
Did AAA (or you) confirm that the spare tire was fully inflated?

Considering the year of your car (2002) That blowout looks like what happens when a tire is run at insufficient pressure, and the sidewall just gives up due to heat.

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Could you elaborate a little more on what you mean ?

I think I have an idea, but how does the sidewall, specifically, overhead due to improperly inflated tires ? Do you mean the Rims were rubbing against the sidewall, or the sidewall themselves were rubbing against the road surface ?

The sidewalls flex with every rotation of the wheel. The flexing builds heat. In a properly inflated tire, the heat never reaches the point that it can cause a catastrophic failure. If the flexing is severe enough, it can also damage the sidewall cords with the combination of flex and heat. In a severely underinflated tire at high speeds on a mid-summer day (sound like this case?) the temperature and pressure can reach the point that the tire fails.

I guess this is a good reason to cycle your spare into the rotation rotation. If nothing else, you'll make sure it's properly inflated.

philh said:
I guess this is a good reason to cycle your spare into the rotation rotation. If nothing else, you'll make sure it's properly inflated.

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Though if the spare tire and wheel do not match the others, that may not work so well.

But it does point to the fact that checking the spare tire pressure often enough to avoid dangerous underinflation should be considered a part of normal maintenance.

AAA changed the tire... I shouldn't have assumed AAA checked the proper pressure. Live and learn i guess.

Do you ever check YOUR spare when inflating the other tires? AAA is not a tire shop I bet all was done is mount the spare -what YOU should of done have it(tire) repaired at the (brand) tire shop and all checked by the way check all fluids too such as water in windshield resevoir/oil in crankcase /air in all 5 tires/etc--------

Though if the spare tire and wheel do not match the others, that may not work so well.

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So if your car comes from the factory with 17" rims, you still only get the 15" spare? Bummer

philh said:

Though if the spare tire and wheel do not match the others, that may not work so well.

Click to expand...

So if your car comes from the factory with 17" rims, you still only get the 15" spare? Bummer

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My car came with 15" Avus aluminum wheels with 195/65R15 91H Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus tires. The spare is a 15" steel wheel with a 205/60R15 91V Michelin Pilot something tire.

My neighbor calls his Explorer, "the Ford Exploder"...

Would you really use your spare in tire rotations, if you had the alloy wheels? I wouldn't, my new tires are a slighly different size anyhows....

On a side note I think the stock tires are garbage, mine had bubbles forming on them after 35,000 miles. I noticed it by the rough and noisy ride. glad I didn't wait until they blew out!

My mechanic recommended some nokian tires. They have wear indicators, a channel in the tread for rain/snow handling. They've worked great for about 2 years now, and they're relatively cheap compared to the big name tires.

Holy Cr@p! This is a wakeup call to check the pressure in all of my tires including the spare!

Definitely looks like a case of running too hot from dangerous under-inflation.


~ n1das

dflint said:
Would you really use your spare in tire rotations, if you had the alloy wheels? I wouldn't, my new tires are a slighly different size anyhows....

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To include the spare, all tires and wheels (including the spare) have to match, and the rotation pattern should move every tire to every position after enough rotations. The usual recommendation is to insert the spare at the right rear and to put the tire that would have gone to the right rear into the spare tire holder.

This one thing I've seen many times over the years. It's especially bad when it comes to a space saver. They just don't have the volume and can become under inflated in a jiffy. When I worked at my father's shop, we always checked the spare. It was one of those little things that the customer never realizes that was done. It takes extra time and for some cars it is harder since people will have a trunk full of stuff. When people would give us the valet key and lock the trunk, we would tell them that we weren't able to check the spare but if they wanted to watch us do it (as to make sure we wouldn't steal anything). Not one refused. They never thought of it (inflating the spare). Also it was a real problem for the compressor that comes in a Porsche, to disappear (especially in used cars). Those cars have a collapsible spare that needs to be pumped up. I can't tell you the amount of times people have been stuck on the side of the road with a perfectly deflated spare with no way to pump it up.

philh said:

Though if the spare tire and wheel do not match the others, that may not work so well.

Click to expand...

So if your car comes from the factory with 17" rims, you still only get the 15" spare? Bummer

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The smallest wheels the NB's come with are 16". Good thing VW puts an exact-match 16" spare in the trunk, too. I use my spare when rotating my tires to get 25% more life out of the set. When I replace them, I will just re-shod the 4 worst of all 5 tires and retire the least worn to full-time spare duty.

So when you see a beetle with hubcaps, those are 16" wheels?

yes

SwimmerDave said:
The smallest wheels the NB's come with are 16". Good thing VW puts an exact-match 16" spare in the trunk, too. I use my spare when rotating my tires to get 25% more life out of the set. When I replace them, I will just re-shod the 4 worst of all 5 tires and retire the least worn to full-time spare duty.

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But if the 5-tire rotation is successful, all of the tires should be equally worn out -- then you can get 5 new tires and use a 5-tire rotation again.

tjl said:

SwimmerDave said:
The smallest wheels the NB's come with are 16". Good thing VW puts an exact-match 16" spare in the trunk, too. I use my spare when rotating my tires to get 25% more life out of the set. When I replace them, I will just re-shod the 4 worst of all 5 tires and retire the least worn to full-time spare duty.

Click to expand...

But if the 5-tire rotation is successful, all of the tires should be equally worn out -- then you can get 5 new tires and use a 5-tire rotation again.

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Yeah, not a bad idea. Using the spare in the regular rotation insures it is fairly new and is probably properly inflated.

I don't use the spare in the "5-tire rotation plan"... I do, however, keep an eye on it each time I refuel... for I have my diesel fuel additives stored there... gives me an opportunity to inspect it.

'Later!

Shawn