# Blowout!!



## RJ_05GTO (Jul 6, 2008)

my driver side rear blew out last night. The sidewall on the inside seperated from the top part of the tire all the way around. It is like there is a negative camber problem or something... all the tires(tread) are worn on the inside and they all look similar. Its like the car is putting too much weight on the inside of the tire and after 30000 miles they are giving out. I am going to get a four wheel alignment after i get my new tires put on and im gonna see what specs they call for it and see if they can set it more toward 0 degrees. Just for the heck of it I checked for the strut rub problem that some of the 04 cars had issues with to make sure that maybe the previous owner hadnt rotated the tires and maybe had a rub problem but i saw no evidence of a rubbing problem and there was no sidewall damage to any of the tires. I believe that there is an alignment problem and the tires that are on the car are overloaded causing blowouts.


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

Check the strut itself for rub marks. You are describing tire failure do due strut rub contact. Too much negative camber is one of the root causes of strut rub. A misaligned front end is not necessarily going to cause tire failure. It would have to be way out of spec and you'd feel it and the tire would be wearing at a rapid pace. In the long run the tires will wear and eventually fail. The issue with the 04-06's with 17" 45W Tires is excessive negative camber. My bet is you have strut problems. Check the busing (under the retaining nut) and see if it isn't crushed or squashed. 

The tire could have been making contact with the strut and it peeled like an orange once it reached it's breaking point. Your car could be and probably is out of alignment, but I'd concentrate on the struts. 

After the car is properly aligned, due the pencil test....

You should be able to pass a #2 pencil between the tire and the strut. If you can't, your struts are out of whack and you could repeat the problem even with a properly aligned front end.


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## RJ_05GTO (Jul 6, 2008)

I saw no signs of rubbing behind both front tires. No paint missing from the struts(there was dust/dirt buldup on the struts that was not disturbed) and no damage to the sidewalls of either of the tires. Both of the bushings under the hood look fine and there is enough clearance between the tires and the struts for me to run my finger in between. Im hoping a new set of tires and an alignment will do the trick im pretty sure its a combination of a little too much negative camber, and a whole lot of car beating on the tires. Anyway, If there is a bushing problem that i am totally missing it should be found when they are trying to align it so hopefully it will all come out in the wash.


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