SEVERE inner tire wire-ONE WHEEL
- Thread starter 90210
- Start date
rodslinger
Member
Wow... I would almost guess a defective tire. A belt partially separating and bulging/wearing at the point of the extrusion. However you'll usually feel a vibration with a mild separation also. Especially low speed wobble in the steering. I've never seen a tire start to expose the cord like that and not have more wear in the surrounding area. The tread area seems to be evenly worn and no extreme feathering or other issues.
Well if the tire is defective, I would be happy, then it is not a car issue.
Interestingly no vibration at all. When I bought the car new, at 65/70 there was vibration, and dealer swapped the wheels from another touring model after I complained, no issues after that.
I rotate every 5K miles, and car only sees highway 75-80mph on smooth roads.
Is it worth taking into Mazda, for them to have a look at it?
How dangerous is to drive on?
I will be swapping wheels/tires to the MS3 18s in about 2 weeks.
rodslinger
Member
You got nearly 30k out of the factory Toyo's. I'd move on to something better and not look back. Get the alignment checked again and have them zero out the toe on the rear. I think the factory specs are a little aggressive for camber and toe on the rear. You can only change camber with aftermarket camber arms unfortunately.
Stock toyos are beyond awful, ditch them and don't look back.
I'm having trouble making it out in the pic, but to me it looks like either a separation or a cut. Def not alignment wear. I recommend taking the wheel off and looking closer, also look for any other evidence in the wheel well.
Rodslinger's rec of Zero rear toe def makes the handling come alive a bit more.
I'm having trouble making it out in the pic, but to me it looks like either a separation or a cut. Def not alignment wear. I recommend taking the wheel off and looking closer, also look for any other evidence in the wheel well.
Rodslinger's rec of Zero rear toe def makes the handling come alive a bit more.
Last edited:
FukuokaKid
2024 CX-5 Turbo Premium
I am getting the same wear pattern on both front tires. Switched from the OEM toyos at 11k miles to bridgestone RE760s. Did alignment at the same time. Fronts set to toe out just a bit and zero'd the toe in the rear. All suspension is stock with the exception of rear sway bar. Killed the RE760s in 24K miles.
I took the wheel off, but forgot to take a pic. Wheel well is clean. Its just literally a part of the tire is like that.
All 4 tires are wearingly exactly evenly, otherwise.
FukuokaKid
2024 CX-5 Turbo Premium
Most likely an alignment issue. Just need to find the sweet spot between wear and handling. The RE760 is a pretty soft tire so some might say 24k is decent. I'll post some pics when I get the car back from the dealer. Might try some Michelin Pilot Sport AS3 next.
You say that this wear/damage is only 12 inches, not all the way around - do you mean that it is truly only worn for a 12" section of tire? Or do you mean that it is worn all the way around, but you can only see cords in a 12" section?
I still don't think it's alignment, though I could be wrong. >> Need more pics. <<
If it is alignment, that is some of the most extreme toe out wear I've seen. And difficult to believe that one tire has that wear and the other side doesn't (the thrust angle of the front axle is always going to be straight with the direction of travel, so toe wear on the front tires will be about equal)
How many 32nd's do you have left on the rest of the tire? It looks like at least 5 or 6/32nd's in your pic.
Usually toe wear looks more like this:
Note how in this pic, the wear extends inwards into the tread, from the sidewall, an inch or so. I don't see that in OP's pic - I see damage immediately at the intersection of the tread to sidewall, and nowhere else.
Front toe wear will be equal left and right (on the front, at least - you could have toe wear biased to one side on the rear). If you don't see wear on the left front tire, this wear on your right front tire can't be toe wear. Maybe this damage happened when the tires were on the rear of the vehicle and you didn't notice when you did your tire rotation. You would need to be running extreme camber to get wear like this. Camber typically creates more gradual wear across the entire tread like this:
How much are you lowered? (if any?) Do you have camber correction arms in the rear? Like I mentioned, if this happened in the rear of the vehicle, a combination of toe and camber wear may be able to do this to just one tire. Have you taken a close look at the other tires? If you are lowered, have you taken a close look inside the wheel well for evidence of rubbing? (though the mazda5 has pretty good clearances actually) All bushings and ball joints in good condition?
I still don't think it's alignment, though I could be wrong. >> Need more pics. <<
If it is alignment, that is some of the most extreme toe out wear I've seen. And difficult to believe that one tire has that wear and the other side doesn't (the thrust angle of the front axle is always going to be straight with the direction of travel, so toe wear on the front tires will be about equal)
How many 32nd's do you have left on the rest of the tire? It looks like at least 5 or 6/32nd's in your pic.
Usually toe wear looks more like this:
Note how in this pic, the wear extends inwards into the tread, from the sidewall, an inch or so. I don't see that in OP's pic - I see damage immediately at the intersection of the tread to sidewall, and nowhere else.
Front toe wear will be equal left and right (on the front, at least - you could have toe wear biased to one side on the rear). If you don't see wear on the left front tire, this wear on your right front tire can't be toe wear. Maybe this damage happened when the tires were on the rear of the vehicle and you didn't notice when you did your tire rotation. You would need to be running extreme camber to get wear like this. Camber typically creates more gradual wear across the entire tread like this:
How much are you lowered? (if any?) Do you have camber correction arms in the rear? Like I mentioned, if this happened in the rear of the vehicle, a combination of toe and camber wear may be able to do this to just one tire. Have you taken a close look at the other tires? If you are lowered, have you taken a close look inside the wheel well for evidence of rubbing? (though the mazda5 has pretty good clearances actually) All bushings and ball joints in good condition?
Last edited:
Only 12 inches of the tire is worn, NOT all the way around.
5/32 left on all tire.
I took of all 4 tires, everything looks normal, except this one front tire.
It is POSSIBLE this happened in the rear, but I can't confirm, that.
Car is bone stock, not lowered at all. Running Factory alignment specs.
5/32 left on all tire.
I took of all 4 tires, everything looks normal, except this one front tire.
It is POSSIBLE this happened in the rear, but I can't confirm, that.
Car is bone stock, not lowered at all. Running Factory alignment specs.
Last edited:
I hope you are right, and there is not steering etc issue with this car. Dealer appointment on the 17th.
I will update then.
Are you driving on that tire until then? (eek2)
Generally speaking, having the steel belts inside your tire visible is a safety no-no...
- :
- 2008 Mazda5 GT
^^This. That does not look like it is alignment related.
that is crazy looking. one time that happened i think i had a bent tie rod or something, and it happened within a few months of driving. i can't believe the factory toyos lasted 28K. if that is indeed the case, i don't think i'll even have to buy new tires before selling the car.
