Did you know a tire separation can cause pulling like an alignment problem?

[SwampNut]

All these years with so many vehicles, so many tires...no idea...

 

Looking back now, this started as a vibration at 75-80 MPH. Then I had a wobble around 35-45. I figured it was a balance issue, as it was pretty light, or potentially that TSB on the steering wheel wobble. I was planning to go for a rotation and re-balance at Discount, where I got the tires. Nitto Grappler Recon, stock size, and 116 load range.

Yesterday within a few miles, it quickly progressed from that to this...

 

 

 

So I knew something was seriously wrong. At first I didn't think a separation could develop that quickly in a situation that was not super stressful to the tires. I was doing errands, lots of highway and some street, no hard acceleration, but it is damn hot here. I tried to find a bulge, but didn't, and it's hard to diagnose by myself since I have to move the vehicle over and over. Checked lugs, inspected obvious suspension parts, nothing. So I went to a very close-by Discount Tire.

The counter guy said something I'd never heard before, and I've been around a lot of vehicles and tires... When he saw the video, he said, "I see it's pulling right, so it's the front right tire." Huh...he said that separations do cause a pull. And that goes along with me thinking lately...why is my truck suddenly wanting to veer right when in the past it's been tracking straight hands-free for even a mile? I had been putting off, and dreading, the conversation with Rivian about doing an alignment.

Troubleshooting and gathering symptom data is a very significant part of my job. It's a good reminder that while often, the obvious problem is not the answer, many times it actually is. This problem was so insidious though, the type that doesn't trigger your brain to make a quick correlation. Also I'd done a few off road trips and had a marginal fear I may have bent something. So after three stops and 45 minutes of parking lot troubleshooting, the obvious problem was...obvious...

$75 later I will have a new tire today, they had to order it in which is fast with them. Another reminder why I use DT almost exclusively.

[ironmike]

I had it happen on a left rear tire on my '84 E250 and didn't realize it right away. It didn't tend to pull like a front tire might, but there was a mildly annoying audible thrumming rear-left--an empty cargo van can be like a rolling echo chamber. Checked out at a shop, rear elevated with tire spinning, the belt separation became more evident with increasing rotational speed--otherwise it couldn't be seen at rest. Tire integrity was shot, had to be replaced.