I have read just some of these posts, been on digest for a couple of
years and only check occasionally.
First, how many of you really believe 5% of what the media passes
along. Remember most stories are written by a hand full of people and
then picked up of wires by all the others. So all you see is the same
info over and over, repetition does not assure accuracy.
Some facts to consider:
Of all the Explorers that have rolled over and killed people, Less than
10% have been linked to ANY type of possible tire failure. Regardless of
brand.
Tire failures: NONE of the rollovers with Firestone tires has had a tire
that has shown a defect in examination. I have been in the tire
business all of my life and see many failures every day, most of them
are due to Road Hazards, under inflation (usually due to a object in the
tire), or age.
How many of you or people you know has decided to run those tires
another month or two to fit the budget. I had one yesterday, the tires
was in shreds, obviously run flat. The tire on the other side had less
than 2/32 nds (the legal limit) The customer wanted a used tire, as he
was going to run these a few more weeks. His wife was driving the truck
when the tire blew and went in ditch. Guess his wife is not worth a
$500.00 set of tires.
The Ford president stated that there have not been problems with any
Goodyear's tires, what BS. A Chicago Station ran a feature right after
the recall, there was a Explorer upside down in the back ground. In big
white letters the tires said GOODYEAR.
A Explorer rolled over and killed three people two weekends ago in CA.
On Michelin tires.
One of the first law suits against Firestone was decided last week in
Texas. The jury awarded the plaintiffs nothing.
All tires have load limits set by the Rubber Manufacturers Association
so a P235/75R15 Standard Load 4 PR tire will carry the same weight for a
given psi regardless of the Manufacturer. AT 26 psi a P235/75R15
standard load tire operating at 70 mph will barely carry the weight of
the Explorer, not counting occupants and luggage. So when the tire is
operated at this pressure the structure of the tire is slowly damaged
over time till the tire delmainated. Even with this incorrect pressure
recommendation, a very small number of tires failed. I know the media
has made it sound bad, but 100 cases = .001% or .00001 tires or 10
tires per million. This is one reason the possible problem was over
looked, and why the congress and the tire manufacturers, not just
Bridgestone/Firestone are looking a different methods of examining
adjustment claim data.
Note the reason the tires from Decatur were recalled were due to two
reasons: With in the small percentage of adjusted tires, there was a
abnormal spike in the tires from the Decatur plant, with emphasis on
tire produced in 1996. Upon further investigation Firestone found that
there were manufacturing irregularities in the process in this plant
and time period.
So Firestone recalled all of the tires from this plant and all of the
ATX and ATX II tires. People with tires that should have been replaced
months and even years ago are getting free tires. We have replaced
tire 8 years old, some with over half tread. Guess what people rubber
rots out and needs replaced after 5 years. Most manufacturers only
warrant tire for 4 - 5 years. Regardless of tread depth when tires are
that old they need replaced.
Most of the people on this list understand the need for checking
tire pressure. Ask some of your less auto enthusiast friends when is the
last time they checked tire pressure. I bet most of them hesitate and
either answer hardly ever, or " I suppose the last time it was
serviced."
A survey was conducted by a manufacturer of air pressure gauges. they
went to 25 tire stores and asked for some type of service, including
checking the air pressure in all 5 tires. Only 5 of the tires stores
had the correct pressure in all 5 tires. Guess what tires gauges are
inherently in accurate. Most are only good with in 5% when they are new.
In our shop we have regulators with a check valve so the tech;s can
check the gauges daily and see right away if they are off. In addition
we have master gauges to check the regulators against.
I to thought Firestone sales would plummet, we stock 1/2 million
dollars in tires and about 10% of that is Firestone Brand. Some people
refuse to buy Firestone, some refuse to buy anything made by
Bridgestone. However, a surprising number of people are interested but
have confidence in this 100 year old American Company that had made
World Class tires for a century.
By the way Bridgestone had 13.25 billion dollars in sales last year, so
if you are looking for a bargain Bridgestone stock would be a great 3 -
4 year bet.
As far as 4 wd drive vehicles in the ditch. This is not a new
observation. I was talking to a good friend of mine prior to the recall,
we both drive 4 wd vehicles and have for years. I have 3 of them in
fact. We have always commented on how the genetic questionable drivers
of these 4 wd vehicle end up in the ditch more than any other vehicle.
They are so happy with the way the 4 wd goes in the slick, they forget
it does not stop any better and perhaps worse than the average vehicle.
Twin I-Beam Ford suspensions are suppose to be more durable. I do not
know. I do know that in commercial applications our Ford Truck hold up
better than any of the competition. A Ford truck is easy to get good
tire wear out of. Just follow vehicle and tire manufacturer
recommendations. Get a good alignment and rotate you tires every 6,000
miles. By the way when you rotate tires, check the air pressure.
I have addressed some post seen here, but as on said, I have not meant
to address any one in particular. Just expressing some facts the media
realizes does not grab headlines.
Rob
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