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Check for seperated tires. The easiest way is to lift each wheel and give it a good fast spin. Look for 'jumps' in the tread of the tire, and for sideways 'jumps', or just take it in and have a shop check. The balancer spins much faster than possible by hand.
3 of the 4 on our trailer were seperated. Replaced all 4, and it rides like a dream.
Daniel
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What is a seperated tire?
I am definately thinking of taking my tires to a good shop, but wanted to run it past the knowledge base here before I waste my money.
Keep them coming guys.
...danny
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Most modern tires have a rubber coating over the structural part of the tire. This is the trear and sidewall that you see. Inside that are layers of steel belts/bands/belts and nylon. The steel is generally in the tread,and the nylon is in the sidewall and tread.
Here is a picture of a passanger tire.
The steel belts can move apart, usually caused by overloading, over pressure, sharp impact, poor manufacturing, and the list goes on...
The steel belts can pull apart along the tire, kind of like stretching the tire to make it taller. This moving apart makes the surface of the tread hop up and down as it spins. This is the most noticeable type of seperation when driving, and is easily seen from the side of the tire when it is spun freely.
The other common type of seperation is when the steel belts move sideways. This causes the tire to "snake" as it rotates. This is easily seen from the rear or front of the tire as it rotates freely.
Here is a cutaway of a medium duty truck tire.
I have seen the tire seperate from the bead, but that was on a severely overloaded grain cart. The tires were overloaded by at least 2.5X routinely. We replaced the tires under warranty for the manufacturer of the cart since they had spec'd the tires.
<font color="red"> NOTE: </font> There is usually a small (<1.5" wide) seam along the side of the tire running near the bead to near the tread. This is normal. It is where there is a seam in the nylon plys.<font color="red"> END NOTE </font>
A good tire shop will be able to have you running smooth quickly.
There is a Neal Tire & Auto in Bloomington Ill. I worked at one in Greencastle, In and had good co-workers. Their prices are reasonable and they have some good tires.
Their locations are here. Give them a try if you don't already have a favorite shop.
Daniel
