Focus Tire Problems?

"ranwhenparked" (ranwhenparked) 04/02/2015 at 13:10 • Filed to: None

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My younger brother has a '14 Focus, and he seem to be having an unusual number of blowouts. Like, 1930s caliber frequency - he's had 5 flats in the past month, and even more over the course of the full year. Every tire has been replaced multiple times at this point. He is a pretty bad driver in general, but he's never gone through tires like this on any other car he's had, so I'm suspecting that something else might be afoot here.

It seems like there might not be much support on the sidewall, so I'm wondering if switching to an aftermarket steel rim might help.

Is anyone familiar with whether this is a known issue with Focuses, or can this be chalked up to his driving habits evolving to a new level of carelessness?

bob and john > ranwhenparked 04/02/2015 at 13:13

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it could be carelessness.

HOWEVER. have the rims been inspected after each blow out? if he damaged them, it just makes the next blow out easier to happen

ranwhenparked > bob and john 04/02/2015 at 13:19

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I believe they've only been visually checked for noticeable damage, so there could be subtle deformation.

TopSirloin > ranwhenparked 04/02/2015 at 13:20

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Betcha he's got a cracked or warped rim.

Rico > ranwhenparked 04/02/2015 at 13:20

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What brand of tires are being used? Some tires are more susceptible to being damaged from road hazards than others. Is he avoid potholes or driving right into them? Proper air pressure?

ranwhenparked > TopSirloin 04/02/2015 at 13:21

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It could be, it would have to be all four of them then, since it's going on at all corners. I can't vouch for what he's been doing, but knowing him, everything's a possibility - hopping curbs at 50mph, plowing through broken pavement at 80, who knows?

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > ranwhenparked 04/02/2015 at 13:25

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Something just isn't right here. What size is the sidewall on his tires? I know that plays a role in this somewhat. I don't think I could get five flats in a month even if I tried. Does he just hate the car or something? Sounds like he needs to get rid of the focus and get a pickup or something.

TopSirloin > ranwhenparked 04/02/2015 at 13:26

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One pothole can ruin a an entire side, cracking both rims.. Is he having "blowouts" or just flats and leaks?

NougatPassion > ranwhenparked 04/02/2015 at 13:44

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What kind of '14 Focus? More specifically, what kind of tires is he using? I would think the an ST would not run into the sidewall rolling over and getting cut or warped during hard cornering (assuming proper inflation), but perhaps a base model, with its tall sidewall, is running into an issue like that? Is he using cheapo replacement tires? Are they properly inflated? At this point he could have damaged the wheel itself and it will not longer hold air or properly seat the tire. Or maybe he is just a crappy driver, and runs into stuff he shouldnt run into all the time.

jariten1781 > ranwhenparked 04/02/2015 at 13:49

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I can think of no issue that would cause consistent damage like that other than a poor owner. Betcha he's got large wheels and is filling pressures up to max sidewall then driving like a jackass. Size down the wheels to the minimum that will clear the front brakes, run normal pressures, avoid potholes, and stop rubbing up against the curb every time he parks.

ranwhenparked > TopSirloin 04/02/2015 at 14:55

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They've all been blowouts, as in immediate and rapid deflation following the causal event.

ranwhenparked > NougatPassion 04/02/2015 at 15:01

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I believe it's an SE, so the tires would be 215/65/15s. The first few were replaced with factory spec, but I understand he's switched to buying cheaper versions for the last several incidents, since the cost was getting to be an issue.

All valid points, I have no idea what he's been doing, since no one is ever in the car with him when this happens and we just get his story. He is a crappy driver, he's just never had this tire issue before, so either he's gotten crappier since he got this car (definite possibility), or there's something else here. He's trying to blame the car, which is a typical fallback for crappy drivers, but I just wanted to check whether there's any chance his explanation might hold water.

ranwhenparked > jariten1781 04/02/2015 at 15:03

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He's got the stock 16" wheels, but I will say that he does drive like a jackass and I would not rule out him scraping curbs and speeding head on into potholes. Can't confirm it, no witnesses whenever this happens, but it wouldn't surprise me. I believe the base model Focus has 15s, so downsizing to those might be a possibility.

TopSirloin > ranwhenparked 04/02/2015 at 15:06

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That's freakin weird. Even drastic camber/toe misalignments wouldn't cause such sudden damage. Even slammed cars that rub tires around every bump and bend wouldn't be that immediate... The only thing I can think of is if he's gotten them replaced at the same place, either installation error or equipment error. Remember that article about shady shops re-treading tires? Someone who tends to drive more aggressively may more quickly expose paper thin re-tread tires. I'd be pissed as hell, this is potentially harmful, getting to the bottom of it is seriously important.

ranwhenparked > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/02/2015 at 15:15

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16". He's the kind of person that probably shouldn't be carrying a new car loan, if you know what I mean, and probably would have been better served with a $1500 20 year old Buick, but too late for that now.

ranwhenparked > Rico 04/02/2015 at 15:17

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I believe all the ones on it now are Continentals, but he may have gone through a few other brands. I can't vouch for anything specific, I just know he is a fairly careless driver, but I've never witnessed a flat, just some of the aftermath.

NougatPassion > ranwhenparked 04/02/2015 at 15:41

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He could just be incredibly unlucky. In my old car, an 02 Focus ironically, I went through 5 tires in 4 months just getting unlucky and running over screws and various sharp crap on the road. Does he street park? Maybe he is cutting into the sidewall on curbs or something? At this point, you (he) may want to have the wheels checked out. It's definitely possible that he has damaged them between the general bad driving and all the flat tires.

ranwhenparked > NougatPassion 04/02/2015 at 15:44

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He does street park, so that could explain part of what's going on, especially on the passenger side. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to have the rims examined more closely, even if there's nothing immediately visible to the naked eye, there has to be some damage at this point, given everything that's happened.

Rico > ranwhenparked 04/02/2015 at 15:47

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Continentals for me anyway have soft sidewalls and are more prone to road hazards.

Leadfoot866 > ranwhenparked 04/02/2015 at 15:57

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These wheels?

Image from Google, not my actual car (mine's red).

I've had no problems with the ones on my '12 Focus. Got about 20K miles on them (excluding time spent on the winter steelies; car is just under 30K miles) and I'm a fairly aggressive driver. I would have suggested maybe a manufacturing defect if it was just one of them, but all four?!?

As others have suggested, either your brother is doing something idiotic with that car or the shop he takes it to has shady business practices (does he keep taking it to the same shop or is it a different one each time?).

...or a combination of both.

ranwhenparked > Leadfoot866 04/02/2015 at 16:09

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Yes, that's them. He's been going to different shops, based on where he is when it happens. I am leaning more and more toward driving habits, although there could be unrepaired damage, if all he's been doing is replacing tires and not paying any attention to what's happening to the rims.

ranwhenparked > Rico 04/02/2015 at 16:09

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If that's the case, they can't be helping the situation then.

Alex B > ranwhenparked 04/08/2015 at 18:06

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I know the exact car your talking about. Does he also own the 3 series as well?

ranwhenparked > Alex B 04/08/2015 at 19:47

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Different brother, but, yes that's it.

wafflesnfalafel > ranwhenparked 08/27/2015 at 22:47

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Is he picking up nails or actually damaging the sidewall? If it’s nails, I have had a couple sets of tires, (most recently a set of Conti DWS,) that just were more prone to picking up nails for whatever reason. If it’s sidewall damage, then he’s just a goof... sorry.