mikec03 Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 I have had at least 3 subarus that have had [i think] tread separation problems. All tires either Goodyear or Kelly. In the current case, I have 15K on Kelly explorer tires, and so I rotated the back to the front. There was about 1/16" more wear on the front tires then the back. The car then pulled pretty hard to the right. So I swapped the front tires, and it then pulled to the left. Obvious tire problem, right? Is anyone else running into this problem? If I put on a new tire for the defective tire, then I'm risking torque bind. I have already had torque bind develop on a subaru so I'm sensitive to the problem. I'm just going to put the defective tire, after I identify it, on the back. I don't think it will cause pulling in the back, at least I didn't notice anything before I rotated them. So there will be one slightly larger tire on the front and one in the back, on opposite sides. I'll get some more mileage on them and replace them all next summer. Comment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 I would think you have a camber or toe problem on the rear. Compare tread depth across the tires and you'll have one (or maybe both) with lower tread on one side. If the tire tread is higher on one side it will cause the tire to pull the opposite direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 I would be looking at things besides just the tires. If the tires are wearing oddly, or having separation issues (on two very different brands of tires?) there is definitely a problem elsewhere. When was the last time struts/springs were checked/replaced? How about tie rod ends? ball joints? wheel bearings? are all suspension components up to snuff? When was the last alignment? Extra wear on the front tires is from turning and this is why you are supposed to rotate frequently, to even out the wear. I have a set of Kelly Explorers on my 90 Legacy, and have had no problems with them other than they are getting old and starting to show it (age cracks) and are close to the needing replacement wear point - but because that car is about to be retired, I wont be replacing them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec03 Posted December 2, 2013 Author Share Posted December 2, 2013 UPDATE I put the tires back where they originally were, backs on the back, fronts on the front. Problem solved. No pulling. The defective tire turned out to be the drivers rear. I figured this out by swapping two tires at a time and test driving. The defective rear tire looks pristine. When the front tires are switched and the pulling switches left to right, it has to be the tires. It can't be alignment, wheel bearing, etc because these are not effected by changing the tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Yeah - but what is CAUSING the problem with the tire? Tires dont typically "go bad" for no reason. I suppose the tire could've been bad from the manufacturer, but that is fairly rare (especially with name brands), and usually shows up fairly quickly - within a few hundred miles - not 15K later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec03 Posted December 3, 2013 Author Share Posted December 3, 2013 (edited) The tire store admits that it possibly could be a mgf. defect which I already knew. On my 02, I put on Kelly Charger tires a few years ago. It immediately pulled a little to the right. The tire store confirmed the pull, checked the alignment, then pulled off both front tires and replaced them. No charge. I haven't had a problem with the 02 since. So defects happen. I should have rotated the tires at 6K, and then if there was a defect in a back tire, there wouldn't much wear on it so I could have put on a new one on. Of course, the tire could have been damaged in use, but being on the driver rear position, it's not likely. The following from the internet. Conicity refers to the belts not being perfectly aligned prior to valcanization. Tire conicity is a fairly common phenomenon in new tires. It is also referred to as "radial pull" and sometimes "tire pull."Conicity is where a properly inflated tire causes a vehicle to pull to the right or left when driven. Conicity is covered under the tire maker's warranty, as long as it is properly and promptly diagnosed. When the new tires are installed on the vehicle and a tire with conicity goes on the front, the effect is obvious. Less obvious is when the bad tire is originally installed on the rear. It may be several thousand miles later before the tire is rotated to the front and the problem is revealed. Edited December 3, 2013 by mikec03 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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