[SS-Traveller]

Got this set of 4 Infinity tubeless tyres for my Accent some 32,000 km ago (175/70-R13). China-made. Pic below. Please don't roll your eyes already. I did that too when a friend and tyre-shop owner insisted I try them out for free before paying him. So he gave me a set and I got hooked. The grip was fantastic, the ride much softer than the OE Bridgestones I changed over from, and car control was great. Initially scared of building up speed on them, I gradually came to realise these tyres don't run hot; have done 140+ km/h speeds continuously on these on the NE-1. Finally I paid my friend peanuts for the set (Rs.1400 each).

Before setting off for my last big trip (5000 km) I had HMP Delhi check alignment and balance during service. Useless guys didn't check rear wheel alignment apparently, and the rear left tyre lost a lot of rubber, to the point of exposing cords (see pic). Checked alignment today, 5.8 degrees out on the left rear wheel. Going to chew HMP Customer Service Manager's head off tomorrow.

So I effectively lost two tyres after using them for 32,000 km without a single puncture, over pretty bad roads at times - changed over to new tyres in the front. Infinity not available, so Bridgestones it is again.

[phamilyman]

Very nice - you got a contact for your tyrewala?

This is a revelation of a brand!!

[BlackPearl]

I have seen ads by LingLong tires in USA. The average speed in USA is quite high, so I think they make good enough tires. Otherwise they would have a tough time in USA.

[nishant_kingpin]

Dont know much about this brand but making some rough calc, here seems to suggest that you actually had a major profit on this set. And NO Punctures wow I have had atlest 6 in 2.5 years on my Corolla Bridgestones

[iraghava]

It's by Linglong, nothing surprising there, their stuff has been in the market for a while now. I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole though.

[amtak]

Originally Posted by iraghava

It's by Linglong, nothing surprising there, their stuff has been in the market for a while now. I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole though.

Any particular reason for that Ishaan? Not good?

[HappyWheels]

@SS_Traveller,

The wear does not seems to be even. It looks more like someone scraped that particular area off. If there was an alignment issue, there would be an evenly uneven wear, isn't it? But here, this is just limited to one particular spot.

@Irghava,

Any particular reason for your observation for your dislike of this brand?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

@SS_Traveller,

The wear does not seems to be even. It looks more like someone scraped that particular area off. If there was an alignment issue, there would be an evenly uneven wear, isn't it? But here, this is just limited to one particular spot.

There were a few more of those bald patches on the tread, but none as severe as the one in the pic. Only 3 reasons I know why such a bald patch pattern of wear can occur:
1. Wheel bearing failure - in my case, the bearing was opened and checked visually evn though it was running smoothly. No problem there.
2. Severe misalignment of wheels - 5.8 degrees offset is like the tyre wanting to go north-west while the car wants to go north. I had that problem, and the HMP people never detected it.
3. The driver stood up on his brake pedal and locked the wheel at high speed, scraping off the rubber at the contact patch. Happens to front tyre while mine was a rear tyre.

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

...3. The driver stood up on his brake pedal and locked the wheel at high speed, scraping off the rubber at the contact patch. Happens to front tyre while mine was a rear tyre.

My vote is for this.

[GTO]

Your tyres been flat-spotted. Plain & simple.

I agree with Ishan : something in me will never allow an unknown tyre brand onto my cars.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

My vote is for this.

Sorry, but such a thing didn't happen to this tyre. I've not locked up my brakes and skidded at high speeds to cause this.

Originally Posted by GTO

Your tyres been flat-spotted. Plain & simple.
I agree with Ishan : something in me will never allow an unknown tyre brand onto my cars.

Flatspotting is due to a flattening of the surface of the tyre which has taken the load when a vehicle has been parked for a prolonged time. Oldtime vehicle maintenance books used to mention jacking up a car if was to be garaged for prolonged periods, to avoid flatspotting. Flatspots show up as "dents" in the tyre, not worn surfaces with exposed casing. Tyre Flatspotting | Tyres online from TyreSite.com. Car tyres, motorbike tyres, 4x4 tyres, van tyres should explain it all.

I expected the rolling of eyes when I mentioned these tyres. As I described, I was hooked onto them on the insistence of someone who handles tyres day in and day out. But all in all, I've been happy with their performance and VFM, and given a choice, would fit another set also.

Originally Posted by greenhorn

support our booze starved mallu rubber estate owners. Buy Indian rubber

But of course we do! The rubber comes from India, it's only the tyre which is made in China! Don't buy European tyres, they source their rubber from Indonesia and Malaysia.

[v1p3r]

That spot doesn't look like it came from bad alignment or anything. It looks like a single scrape, like flatspotting, or someone literally took a file and ground off a bit of your tyre. Logic dictates that any rotational wear, such as through misalignment, will be more uniform.

BTW almost all tyres are made from synthetic rubber.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Flatspotting is due to a flattening of the surface of the tyre which has taken the load when a vehicle has been parked for a prolonged time. Oldtime vehicle maintenance books used to mention jacking up a car if was to be garaged for prolonged periods, to avoid flatspotting. Flatspots show up as "dents" in the tyre, not worn surfaces with exposed casing. Tyre Flatspotting | Tyres online from TyreSite.com. Car tyres, motorbike tyres, 4x4 tyres, van tyres should explain it all.

The kind of flat-spot that your link speaks about is entirely different.

And until the tyres "warm up" again, the flatspot on each tyre can cause a ride disturbance that will be felt for the first few miles the next time the vehicle is driven.

Cause is the car being stationary in one place. And it will NEVER lead to the tread brushing off as it has in the pictures provided.

The kind of flat-spotting, that I speak about / probable reason behind your tyre damage, takes place when you brake:

- from a reasonable speed in a non-ABS car
- Tyre locks in place but the car is still skidding forward.
- You'll see a lot of tyre smoke (smell to die for ) in most cases.

Illustrative picture:



More info at this link. Extract:

If the amount he tries to slow by is more than the grip allows, the wheel will slide, the rubber will be worn away by the abrasive track surface - leaving plumes of smoke - and the driver will be left with a ‘flat spot’. This is exactly as is says - a flat part on the normally round tyre, and will cause the car to have vibrational and handling problems. To prevent this occurring, systems such as traction control (now banned) and anti-lock braking electronically control the amount of force input by the driver, and will not allow any more than that which will take the tyre to the limit of adhesion.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by GTO

The kind of flat-spotting, that I speak about / probable reason behind your tyre damage, takes place when you brake:

- from a reasonable speed in a non-ABS car
- Tyre locks in place but the car is still skidding forward.
- You'll see a lot of tyre smoke (smell to die for ) in most cases.

Hi GTO, I have been trying to clarify that the tyre in question has NOT locked and skidded to cause the damage as shown in the picture. I am 100% sure of this because I am the only person who drives this car. Ever. Neither has this axle got any broken bearings (I had the hub opened up and checked even though there was no bearing noise).

Therefore the only explanation that is feasible by elimination is that this has been caused by a major misalignment, as was discovered - a 5.8 degree toe-in of the rear left wheel. This was corrected. If you notice, the outer (upper) edge of the tread has also worn away badly, so wheel misalignment seems to be the culprit.

If any member knows of any other reason that may have caused this (apart from skidding a locked wheel at speed, broken bearing and misalignment), I would like to know so such a fault can be corrected. This the rear left wheel of a FWD Accent Viva CRDi, and the tyre wore out in the last 5000 km.

[v1p3r]

SS-traveller, we are trying to point out that there is no way a misalignment can create a single flatspot. Also, if you notice, some of the dirt marks to the right of the exposed metal run perpendicular to the direction of rotation, which would indicate someone actually grinding rubber off the tyre.