Tires for hot/sometimes sand; post-blowout

[blueiraq]

Last night at 3am, I lost the left front tire at 130mph. Totally shredded down the middle; I assume I hit something, but maybe it got deflated due to a slow leak and overheaded. I'd been driving all day in 45C weather. (i'd never actually had a tire blow out, and the vehicles I've had that have lost tires all had runflats, so this was interesting; not too hard to control, and an empty 3-lane section of the road with wide shoulders, so keeping power on and slowly moving to the right, then gradually letting off the throttle, was fine. The Lincoln factory jack sucks, though.)

i have Pirelli P6000 Powergy now (well, 3), and the R-rated spare tire. I'm going back to iraq for a couple weeks, but when I get back, was thinking of replacing tires.

Checking tire rack, it looks like all-season tires are generally quieter than performance summer tires. I'd like something with a little more grip than the P6000s, but mainly I'd like something quieter, if possible. I'm willing to sacrifice tread life.

Is there any reason to consider all-season? I sometimes drive across sandy medians, and maybe 6 times a year we get torrential rain for a couple hours, usually when I'm not driving -- it's bad enough that driving in it is unsafe regardless of tires.

Also, do I need to go for 2 tires, or 4? I assume if 2 the good front tire goes back as spare, trash the spare, and move the new ones to the rears. I only have 23k km on the car, but 80% of those have been done >200kph in hot conditions, so maybe accelerated tire wear.

I like the look of the factory 17", and there are enough gravel/speedbump/etc. issues that I'd be worried about anything bigger.

Also, the shredded tire tore up the wheelwell area, and I had to cut away a lot of the mudflap/lining to keep it from interfering with the tire. Is there any purpose served by that stuff? Should I replace it? Is it expensive?

 

[Jim Henderson]

Driving in Iraq, that has got to be an adventure.

Driving 130mph on a regular basis is not something most of us have experience with so I am extrapolating based upon what I have read in magazines etc.

#1, for high speed hig h temperature driving you MUST have your tires inflated properly. You might even go a bit more than the recommended as long as you keep below the maximum. Higher inflations keep tires cooler since the side walls and tread do not flex as much with higher pressures. Flexing is a heat generator and it causes some localized wear in the side wall. Kind of like cutting a donut in the side wall. I had an underinflated tire fail this way once. The tire technician showed me the donut. Looked like someone had carved out a nice ring of rubber on the inside of the side wall, right where all the flexing takes place as the tread flattens as it hits the road.

I would expect performance tires are fine in Iraq since us Americans assume it never rains there. All seasons are probably also OK and would probably wear longer. Make sure they are the proper speed rating for what you do.

Most places recommend replacing at least the two tires on the same axle. You could keep the good one as a spare. You shouldrotate the tires periodically so what axle the new ones go on is moot in the long run. If you buy directional tread tires be care what rotation method you use.

Some high performance tires require you to replace all 4. Normally I would say this is a way to get more of your money, but at the speeds you drive it might actually be a safety issue. Check a few reputable dealers to see what they say. Some tire manufacturers have websites and have email to ask technicians questions, maybe you could get an answer that way.

The plastic wheel well liner is usually there to prevent mud and water gathering or splashing inside the engine compartment. I would assume you problem is sand and the stray camel poo. Probably worth replacing the plastic liner. Not sure what it costs but being a Lincoln and overseas I bet it ain't cheap. Haven't done this on my LS, but the other cars I have had to remove the liner on, it was a pretty easy do it yourself job. I woudl try a junk yard for parts, but don't know your situation in the middle east.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

[blueiraq]

From reading tirerack, I'm thinking of going Michelin Pilot PS2. Pricey, but worth it. I'll just get all 4.

I should probably go ahead and do the high speed/high temp overinflation. Last time I had service I don't think I explained to them that I normally drove with the throttle floored, so maybe they lowered the pressure from the +2 psi I had before.

 

[KD00LS]

You probably need to buy higher speed rated tires. Traveling at higher speeds greatly reduces treadwear, and I mean GREATLY. Topped out, the Bugatti Veyron's tire life expectancy is about 50 minutes. Obviously that is a stretch comparing it to a Lincoln, but you get the idea.

 

[97stscaddy]

but mainly I'd like something quieter, if possible. I'm willing to sacrifice tread life.

I can tell you now that the Michelin Pilot series is far from being a quiet tire.
They have plenty of grip, yes, but they sound like mud tires. Though in the category of tires you're looking at, quiet isn't going to be one of the things they do best.

Based on my experience with them, i'd recommend Continental ContiSportContact tires. The noise level is much lower than the Michelins, which ive also driven on, and they hold the road just as well.

 

[macboy]

The PS2 sounds good:

When designing a product like the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tire, Michelin's engineers and designers also focus on how the tire would react if there is a problem at high speeds. Michelin takes great steps to design in a benign failure mode, which can help the high-speed driver know it's time to ease out of the throttle. Michelin's design of ultra-high-performance tires allows for "chunking" of the tread when it is about to fail. Specifically, the tire would throw a tread block, which would make a loud sound like a gunshot. If the driver didn't hear the noise of the tread block striking the fender well, the missing piece of tread would create a vibration the driver should notice.

Don't forget to make sure to inflate your tires properly. Most tire manufacturers recommend inflating to a higher pressure for higher speeds. This helps the tire to keep it's shape against the stong forces which would deform it. Under-inflation might have contributed to your previous blowout.

 

[lseguy]

I purchased Sumitomo HTR+ from DiscountTireDirect about a year ago. I have about 15k miles on them so far. I was skeptical about them due to the low price, but took a chance.
I LOVE these tires. Very. very quiet, excellent dry traction, predictable breakaway when they hit their cornering limits, and very acceptable wet performance. Haven't had them in snow yet.

HTR+. highly recommended.

 

[blueiraq]

So I checked and apparently my tires were at 26-29 PSI slightly warm (20km driving, low speeds), which is really not so good. I guess that explains the blowout.

Since it's all the tires, my assumption is the local dealer never checked tire pressure 4k miles ago during servicing, unless somehow they lost a lot of pressure in 3 weeks of driving. The dealer in Dubai is a bit better, so I'll take it there for service from now on.

PS2 on order, but probably won't put them on until after I get back from a trip. Thinking about going with a direct TPMS too, just to be safe