I was running pretty good the last couple days at Summit Main...

But I blew my drivers side rear RA1 mid turn during a small drift. I came a little hot into the corner, but nothing I havnt done before. (I got a late pointby then this guy in a VW drag raced me down the straight)

Does this happen to any of you guys? it was a 245 45 16 on a rear oem ap1 wheel. Normally I wouldnt be to pissed, but I already lossed 4 RA1s earlier this year because of faulty mounting. This tire was mounted, with me standing next to the guy on a brand new rubber coated tire machine...
Hopefully it was mounted correctly... I think it was.

This tire was shaved to 4/32nds and was only on its 7th 25 min session ever. practically brand new.

heres the video of it happening
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cZkQrSr6H0

pictures

the tire obviously blew while I was sliding... and shoved itself into my wheel well


has this happened to any of you?

also, on an unrelated note... my front right lower control arm bushing looked a little strange. car only has 40k miles on it.



thanks
Cale

 

What kind of tire pressures do you run? Maybe your pressure was too low and allowed it to seperate when you side-loaded it. I dunno.

 

I was running a little lower than I normally do... so that is a possibility.

I was around 35-36 hot (after a cool down lap and parking in the paddock) and i usually run 37-38. But I was experimenting and the car was running better..

 

Where did you get the tires from and who shaved them? I wonder if the tire was damaged when it was mounted when shaved?

 

tire came from vilvan tire... Maybe the tire was mounted wrong... (but I really doubt it)

Im going to take it to a shop near DC that specializes in RA-1s and let them look at it

 

Did happen to leave it at Summit for Phil to look at over the weekend? He would have some insight probably.

 

Sounds like you ended up in heavy gravel. Could this have happened after you got in the gravel, with a stone getting lodged up in the bead and then it separating? Just stretching for a theory.

Re bushing, I recall they have a lot of excess rubber from the molding process that looks like junk, so I'd suggest checking from below to see if the bolt is still centered as it should be, and look closely (even probe?) for cracks. Never had a bad one but just what I would do.

 

Tom... I was going to head down there today, but might have to work a little this afternoon... Ill take it down to radial tire this week.

Richard... Thats what I thought, although the tire tore up the inside of my wheel well... which could only be caused by it pushing itself inside as I was spining to the left...

There is also cuts ontop of the tire, about a third from the inside... they travel the whole way around... I think it was from after the tire blew, cutting itself in my wheel well...
i dont know.

 

Cale, your car's mileage is irrelevant. It's the type of miles that matter. Like Richard said, the bushing could have excess molding junk, but if you suspect that the bushing is suspect, I'd just remove it and check it.

I had a ripped bushing in one of my fronts(most likely from my off in '04). Never noticed until I pulled the control arm off. As for mxt_77's thought, that was also my first thought. The problem that comes to mind is that Toyo states not to run them below 18psi cold. I'm pretty doggone sure you didn't start them that low, so I think your pressures weren't the culprit. Of course, Toyo also doesn't endorse sliding sideways.

Now, if you had lost air in the tire prior to T1, the stiff sidewalls of the RA-1 may have masked the symptom until you loaded the tire up. Did you make a pass offline prior to that? T10 is a sustained, heavy-loading turn. Any chance you ran out farther than normal there? I know we all go past the rumble strips.

 

Im a little pissed at myself... I remember checking the pressures after my first session that day, but didnt after my second.

But the tire blew on the 10th lap of that session... so that was pretty much the whole session...

I watched the video agian, I was consistanty was on the red and white in turn 10, but not really on the rumble strip... but my left tires could have easily been on them...

I think Im going to head down to radial today... Ill have them dismount it and tell me whats wrong... hopefully they will have some answers.