The tire store I go to (KAL tire - a western Canada based chain) is
pretty forward about evangelizing the 6-years-and-it's-toast message to
its customers. Some people might interpret this as them trying to boost
sales of tires, and that's unfortunate. I think the biggest danger
probably comes from tire departments at major retailers where the prime
business is not tires and therefore the level of education on the part
of the sales and installation staff is not adequate.
The tone of the 20/20 article was pretty alarmist. I'm sure that was
done on purpose, but it also puts the tire industry and their lawyers in
a position where they won't say anything concrete for fear of sparking a
class action lawsuit. The tests shown in the video were on SUVs - but a
tire issue is a much bigger problem for a large ill-handling truckster
than it is for a smaller sedan. There was no indication given as to the
driving skill or training on the part of the driver(s) involved in any
of these incidents. There was no mention of the mechanical condition
(shocks, suspension bushings) of any of the affected vehicles. It's
true that the tire failure was likely the first cause of the crash, but
it's the whole package that determines what happens afterward. They
could just as easily have had the tire skewered by a chunk of rebar and
had the same result.
Theo
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