Am I paranoid? (Tire content)

So I bought brand new tires for my wife's minivan (2010 Grand Caravan). They have less than 500 miles on them.

You can see one here: http://imgur.com/a/oodZq#0

This is the worst of the bulging, but the other side is bulged to a lesser extent.They're not overloaded, and that was at the spec tire pressure. There's also a crease right around 180* opposed to this one.

Is it just me, or is this unacceptable in a brand new tire?

It's not just you, that's horrific! Does she drive on the world's worst roads all the time?

Its unacceptable to me. That is exactly why I refuse to buy General tires any more. My wife had a 77 Cultass on which three of four General tires failed over about 1 year.

Seems like I see that fairly often (not necessarily on my own vehicles).

I've always wondered whether that was something to worry about...

Normal, I would expect nicer from General, but I have some H rated maypops on my DD that have looked that way for 20000 miles. I think it has to do with how they make them.

Those aren't bulges; they are undulations and are the result of the tire's construction.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=32

A bulge would indicate sidewall damage and the likely result of brushing against curbs or hitting a pothole and pinching the sidewall between the rim and the ground.

I can imagine the ride isn't as soft as it used to be...

N Sperlo wrote: I can imagine the ride isn't as soft as it used to be...

It's a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan... ride was never exactly marvelous...

Huh I'd never seen that before. I would have thought something was horribly wrong with the tire.

Zing!

Point taken.

I have some good year wranglers that have done the same thing.

oldsaw wrote: Those aren't bulges; they are undulations and are the result of the tire's construction. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=32 A bulge would indicate sidewall damage and the likely result of brushing against curbs or hitting a pothole and pinching the sidewall between the rim and the ground.

Wow, thanks for the info. I've never seen tires that had this quite that badly... I didn't realize there was an innie vs outtie difference.

well then, for my money I want un-undulated tires

I've seen innies before, but that the worst I've seen.

If you bought them from Discount Tire, take them back and throw them through the window.

I've seen that many times on new tires. Don't like it, but it seems to be pretty common.

One of the tires in my truck looks like that. I don't worry about it. I was wondering what that crease is, good topic.

It just means they are cheaply made tires from what I have seen. I have seen other general tires that did that, never bfg or a few others though (I think pirellis are good too).

Hmm, I just installed ,not myself, four General Atimax HP tires on my Fiesta.

I have only a couple hundred miles on them and I like them. They had good reviews on The Tire Rack.

Travis_K wrote: It just means they are cheaply made tires from what I have seen. I have seen other general tires that did that, never bfg or a few others though (I think pirellis are good too).

I'm not sure about that, but years ago when I worked at a large tire dealer, I never saw tires that did that. Seems like something that has come about more recently (meaning in the past 25 years!).

I sold tires and automotive services for nine years in the 80's and early 90's. It's more common than most would think and it's been that way for a long time.

It seems more likely to occur on tires with a higher aspect ratio and softer sidewalls. Some the higher-end manufacturers do a better job but that might be one of reasons they cost more, too.

I recieved a ticket for having a tire with that much of a bulge on my Freightliner. The DOT inspector said broken belt, the Goodyear tech who replaced the tire said normal manufacturing variance.

Guess which stood up in court. I would press for a replacement, because if there's an accident you will be raked over the coals in court for letting your wife drive the car with a defective tire.

I have that same model of General's mounted on a 2000 honda accord, two of the tires have those same indentations in the sidewalls and the whole set is moderately out of round. I have to balance them every 5k or so and they're never perfectly balanced.

I would return them for a different brand of tires if possible.

I have nothing but good things to say about the Altimax HP, by far the best bang:buck in terms of all season rubber. Handle great, refuse to hydroplane, good feedback, ride, etc. They even have some grip on ice. Mine were made in France, though I doubt that has anything to do with it.

vern2point3 wrote: I recieved a ticket for having a tire with that much of a bulge on my Freightliner. The DOT inspector said broken belt, the Goodyear tech who replaced the tire said normal manufacturing variance. Guess which stood up in court. I would press for a replacement, because if there's an accident you will be raked over the coals in court for letting your wife drive the car with a defective tire.

The acceptable variation for a truck under the rules is 3/8". If it is more than that it should be replaced. I had a cattle hauler come in with a 4" bubble in the side wall. Needless to say I remotely released the air before removing the wheel.

The undulation on the general tire in the OP is just a manufacturer variance. Sucks and looks crappy but it's acceptable.