Sponsored by The Tire Rack

[Taylorguy74]

I'm at a loss on what happened here - looks like a tread failure due to some extreme wear on the inside edge, but I can't seem to figure out why. Bridgstone RFTs with about 12 to 15K miles on them. Came from my passenger rear on 2008 328i. The driver side rear shows normal wear. Strange enough this only could have happened in the last couple hundred of miles as I had just taken them off to check on my rotors about 2 months prior.

I'm lucky as I was taking off my wheels to switch to a new set I had just bought. Glad it didn't seperate the whole way and tear up a wheel well as I had just returned from a 200 mile road trip across the Texas hill country.

Notice the strange rut formed on the inner lip where the tread then started to seperate.

Am interested in hearing plausible reasons or ideas as to how or why it happened. Makes me paranoid.

[Pcemkr]

Alignment

[Taylorguy74]

Originally Posted by Pcemkr

Alignment

Seems too localized to be an alignment issue. There would be more wear on that side of the tire, yes, however for it to groove like that? I'm not so sure.

I even thought something may have been rubbing to cause it - nothing found.

[Lulz_M3]

I agree it appears to be an alignment issue. Replace rears and have it aligned - the rear toe is going to be out pretty bad on passenger rear side.

[Taylorguy74]

Originally Posted by Lulz_M3

I agree it appears to be an alignment issue. Replace rears and have it aligned - the rear toe is going to be out pretty bad on passenger rear side.

If is was that bad, there would be side damage and wear as well then wouldn't there instead of right at the grooved area? I'm going to try and take it in to a tire shop and see what ideas they have.

Dealership aligned my car at Christmas time. All within spec. The rest of the tire shows normal wear, it's just that one strangely grooved line that is throwing me for a loop.

[Lulz_M3]

Originally Posted by Taylorguy74

If is was that bad, there would be side damage and wear as well then wouldn't there instead of right at the grooved area? I'm going to try and take it in to a tire shop and see what ideas they have.

Dealership aligned my car at Christmas time. All within spec. The rest of the tire shows normal wear, it's just that one strangely grooved line that is throwing me for a loop.

The groove is created by a pattern of bad wear. Add in that our cars run fairly aggressive negative camber in the rear from the factory and it compounds the issue. If the tire had extreme inner wear like you have shown in only one section, i could understand that it seperated, but what you have shown is a tire that is worn from excessive toe out/in over a period of time and subsequently seperated because of low tread in that area.

EDIT: If the dealer aligned the car back in December either A) the wear was present before the alignment and even though the alignment is good, the damage cannot be corrected to the tire. Or B) The dealer eff'd the alignment (happens).

Why did the dealer perform an alignment in December?

[Taylorguy74]

Sry, performed an alignment 'check' if you will - no actual adjustments were necessary or done per the print out they gave me. All fell within spec. I had it done precautionary only - just because of the city driving/roads around my area, nothing special otherwise.

From your last statement on the wear, it looks like I'll head to a higher recommended tire shop in my area and have them take a closer look.

Would you think that tire spacers be a culprit per chance as well or add causality to the issue?

[BMWsky]

Strange. I had the EXACT same issue with the front driver's side on my RFT's. Took them off in November and ran winters which I just took off over the weekend; the winter tires didn't have that problem, they look perfect.