Tire treads on freeways (Phoenix: live, garages, budget)

[Magnum Mike]

I don't know if it's just me, but I've been seeing a lot more seperated tire treads, or Aligators as they're referred to in CB lingo, on freeways and roads these days, and more than I can ever remember.

I'm thinking maybe because of the economic crisis, people are keeping tires on their vehicles for as long as possible, either that or they're getting retreads or cheap tires, which cannot endure the hot summer conditions on the road.

What are your thoughts on this?

[fcorrales80]

I have a lot of friends who are dingbats, LOL, and seems to run into things on a regular basis; curbs, large rocks, separations in parking garages, lots, etc and they have tires separate on new cars and new tires after a few months, LOL! I also see cars with scratch and dinged up rims/wheels which leads me to believe this is a fairly common occurrence. I am not an expert so this is all conjecture and I don't know if abusing your tires by running into things/scraping them can cause them to "fail."

[azdr0710]

might be a summer thing.....hot tires and all that....

a group I'm in just did Adopt-A-Highway this last weekend and we, surprisingly, found fewer alligators than normal, despite not having picked up trash for longer than normal....

personally, I, too, have noticed more tire shrapnel on the roads....ADOT may be cutting back on regular cleanup due to budget concerns??

[Design7]

I had my first tire blowout at 75 mph heading to Tuscan from Phoenix about 2 months ago. The tire had plenty of tread and I check always check air pressure before a long run. However, the blowout caused the entire tread to seperate from the tire. It was on the right front passenger side. Fortunately I knew enough to keep the car straight and allow it to coast to a stop without sudden braking. Don't know why it blew. Needless to say, I am a much more alert driver now!

[country pride]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

I don't know if it's just me, but I've been seeing a lot more seperated tire treads, or Aligators as they're referred to in CB lingo, on freeways and roads these days, and more than I can ever remember.

I'm thinking maybe because of the economic crisis, people are keeping tires on their vehicles for as long as possible, either that or they're getting retreads or cheap tires, which cannot endure the hot summer conditions on the road.

What are your thoughts on this?

I talk to a few people who commute a lot (long haul or regional) and most of them say its a combination of the very hot pavement and recaps. Its hard for them to have to dodge those obstacles on the freeway with 35 tons on your back. I too, noticed it wasnt as common during the cooler mos (Nov-Feb) when I lived there. That adhesive isnt tolerent to extreme heat. But Az wasnt the only place you see those. Southern Calif during summertime we get our fair share too.
And yes, some of us have no choice but to keep our tires as long as possible. We're either ghetto or rednecks (Thought Id toss that in there, lol)!

[Rick Lee]

I-10 is particularly bad for this. I think it's mostly retreads that the big trucks use. I sure hate seeing these things while I'm on the bike.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

I don't know if it's just me, but I've been seeing a lot more seperated tire treads, or Aligators as they're referred to in CB lingo, on freeways and roads these days, and more than I can ever remember.

I'm thinking maybe because of the economic crisis, people are keeping tires on their vehicles for as long as possible, either that or they're getting retreads or cheap tires, which cannot endure the hot summer conditions on the road.

What are your thoughts on this?

Very observant, Mike.

As others have posted, I have a feeling the "Alligators" are linked to cheap tires . . . are we importing tires from China nowadays?

[Magnum Mike]

I think the reason we're seeing a lot of "Alligators" on the roads these days is a combination of things, and I suspect, as azdr0710 mentioned, the ADOT might be cutting back on their road clean-up budget.

[Magnum Mike]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I-10 is particularly bad for this. I think it's mostly retreads that the big trucks use. I sure hate seeing these things while I'm on the bike.

Good point Rick, a little piece of tread on the freeway might not be a problem for somebody on 4 wheels, but for somebody on 2 wheels, it can definitely be a challenge dodging these things going 75 MPH.

[Woody7]

Hate the gators, they don't mix with motorcycles. I think there may be more of them on the roads today also.