BobD
17th May 2013, 11:36 AM
Last night my wife shredded one of our Continental Cross Contact tyres on GOE 18 inch rims. She doesn't know when the tyre went flat but she heard a funny noise when driving at 100 kph down Row Highway and thought she had better tell me sometime! she finally stopped about 6 km later when she saw smoke in the mirror.
When I got there the tyre consisted of a full ring of steel reinforced tread and then shredded side walls completely separated at the edge of the steel belts. The beads on both sides were still completley anchored in place by the special inner ridge that stops the beads moving inwards so the car was actually just driving on the side walls and beads.
There was absolutely no damage to the GOE rim and for my wife driving at fairly high speeds, no noticable effect on the car's handling or steering. The tyre was on the rear left of the D4.
I previously had a sidewall blow when I hit a loose rock on a Kimberley "road" at about 110 while passing two trucks. In that case also it was a rear tyre and apart from the noise of the air escaping through the 50 mm cut there was no effect on the car. I only stopped because I thought the hissing noise was wire wrapped around the wheel.
These events show how good the D4 suspension and wheel design is and I am especially impressed with the GOE wheel, which follows the LR principle of providing inner ridges to retain the beads. I expected a destroyed wheel, tyre and inner guard when I got the phone call but the only damage was the tyre.
I have now destroyed 3 out of 6 Cross Contacts and a fourth has a plug in a bad place on the corner of the tred and sidewall. I think the end has come for the Cross Contacts!
Bob
When I got there the tyre consisted of a full ring of steel reinforced tread and then shredded side walls completely separated at the edge of the steel belts. The beads on both sides were still completley anchored in place by the special inner ridge that stops the beads moving inwards so the car was actually just driving on the side walls and beads.
There was absolutely no damage to the GOE rim and for my wife driving at fairly high speeds, no noticable effect on the car's handling or steering. The tyre was on the rear left of the D4.
I previously had a sidewall blow when I hit a loose rock on a Kimberley "road" at about 110 while passing two trucks. In that case also it was a rear tyre and apart from the noise of the air escaping through the 50 mm cut there was no effect on the car. I only stopped because I thought the hissing noise was wire wrapped around the wheel.
These events show how good the D4 suspension and wheel design is and I am especially impressed with the GOE wheel, which follows the LR principle of providing inner ridges to retain the beads. I expected a destroyed wheel, tyre and inner guard when I got the phone call but the only damage was the tyre.
I have now destroyed 3 out of 6 Cross Contacts and a fourth has a plug in a bad place on the corner of the tred and sidewall. I think the end has come for the Cross Contacts!
Bob