BFG Tire Bulge

I have a set of BFGs (31x10.5 R15- baja champion series)with 50K miles. One of my tires was low so I pulled the tire to inspect it for a nail or something that was puncturing the tire. I was shocked at what I found- between the tire tread the rubber is bulging on all 4 tires near the oter edge of the tread. The bulges are about the size of marble- with about 4-6 per tire. The strange part is that there is a whole lot of tread left......strange. Has this happened to anyone? Advice? Don't tell me there is a recall on the BFGs-

Thanks
Rico

 

[01EB5.0]

i have BFG Longtrails and they have been excellent tires so far (12,000 miles).

 

[wabbit]

Are you sure the "bulges" are a defect/problem? I'm thinkin what you may be seeing is the wear bars that are raised humps between the treads. These bumps usually run laterally between the tire treads. These are indicators that show when the tire has run out of useful life. Wearing a tire past the wear bars can cause cord ply seperation and tire damage.
It is very unusual for a tire to show any deformation/seperation between the treads. Look closer and see if these bumps are at a common intreval on the different tires. If so, I'm betting they are the wear bars.

 

[socalexplorer]

Wabbit- Is it common for the wear bars to begin to show with life still on the tread? Since the tread is/was still good I was never prompted to examine my tires. With the bulges aside I believe that these tires could go another 15-20k miles. It concerns me because BFG has a tremendous reputation in the 4x4 community. I am leaning toward some Bridgestones at this point. I am wondering if getting in contact w/ a regional rep is worth the time-

Rico

 

[Tom Wilk]

How much tread depth is still there? Are the tires wearing evenly? Honestly, I'd have a dealer look at them. 50,000 miles is a lot of driving, and the tires have undoubtedly taken their share of abuse (I don't mean abuse, more like normal wear and tear) and may be structurally worn out. It could also be a defect, or they are the actual wear indicators starting to show up. Still, the fact that it is on all 4 tires, in several spots around the tread indicates to me that they are wear indicator bars as described above.

Let's assume that they are the tread wear indicators for a second here. Are they actually at the point that they are even with the tread, or is there still tread above the "bubbles"? If they are even with the tread, they are pretty much worn out and should be replaced. If they are still below tread depth, then you still have wear left on the tires.

Also, the fact that they are only on the outer edge of the tires incidates an alignment problem, probably toe-in or possibly a camber angle problem. Do you rotate them regularly? If you have an earlier model with the Twin Traction beam suspension up front, they are notorious for uneven wear. You may have plenty of tread towards the center and inner part of the tire, but be worn down towards the outer edge. Alignment problems can cause serious wear problems.

BTW, a tire worn beyond the indicators doesn't automatically signify that it will fail internally (though the odds go up as a tire puts on mileage), but it will be more prone to hydroplaning and won't have nearly the traction of a newer tire.

 

[wabbit]

To be sure, have 'em checked...

You can see the wear bars between the tread even when adequate tread is remaining.
I agree with Tom, it doesn't really mean you're at the cord. It's more like a friendly reminder that it's time for new tires.
But... If you're not 100% sure, and confident in these tires, do have them checked out by a professional. I'm sure it would cost nothing. And confidence in your Explorer is worth everything.

 

[russelb]

You can't judge a tire based on how much tread it has left. If your tires have 50K miles on them they probably are ready to be replaced even if they have tread. The construction of a tire is complex and the internal part of the tire can wear out before the tread does.

I think that this is what happend to a lot of the Firestones. A lot of the pictures I saw in the paper were of early 90's Explorer's with ATX tires. They have not made the ATX tire in a long time and it is my guess that the tires were original tires with quite a few miles on them. My Wilderness ATs had 30K on them and they had plenty of tread. One of Firestones biggest mistakes was probably making a tire where the tread, which is the part people look at, outlived the rest of the tire.

Your tires are probably not defective, just worn out.

 

[jimslat]

I had the same problem twice with the Goodyear Wrangler RTS. I do not totaly blame the tire, because the potholes I see everyday on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway are murder on anything other than a tank tread! Some brands just hold up better than others, but not forever! I do alot of long distance driving and my tires tend to last a long time, however, when I exclusively drive in NYC, for a long period of time, the tires wear faster and wind up with casing aneurisms (bubbles). Life in the big city!

 

[socalexplorer]

About how many miles would you say you get out of your Goodyear Wrangler RTS Tires? I have settled for some Michelen for highway use and am considering going back to the BFG AT tire for off road. However, I have seen a number of vehicles w/ the Goodyear Wranglers.

Thanks-
Rico

 

[jimslat]

Quite frankly, the Goodyear Wrangler line in general stink on and off road and will make you very religious in a rainstorm! I would go for either one of the following: Michelin, Goodrich, Pirelli or Dunlop.

I've had nothing but good experience with each on and off road. By the way, I did not even consider the Bridgestones. They are a little to closely related to Firestone!

 

[Goober]

*snickering like Beavis and Butthead*.....hehe,...uuhhhhhuhuh,... He said 'bulge',..hehe,...uhhhhuhhh.