Front tires Chunking Off

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David Towle

Well-Known Member
The front tires on my 16 month old, 15,000 miles First Edition are chunking off, especially around the 2 mold lines that encircle each tire. Is this normal? I recognize I better rotate front to rear ASAP.IMG_8778.webp IMG_8777.webp
 
papab said:
No, not normal. What tire pressure do you use? What kind of roads do you drive on?
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42 psi as recommended. Only occasional highway driving, mostly local roads at speeds of 35-55 mph. We are in Florida so the roads of course are very hot for a good portion of the year. My guess is they were not made correctly, especially since the worst problem seems to be centered around the mold lines. These are pretty wide, and the wider a tire is the greater the slippage and friction has to be as you go around a corner.
 
I went to the VW dealer, they said go to a Bridgestone dealer. I went to the Bridgestone dealer, they said to go to VW. I called Bridgestone customer service, they said go to a Bridgestone corporate dealer, not a franchise. I have done that now. All 3 said the tires should be replaced. The problem now is Bridgestone says they have none of the tires, even though VW and Tire Rack say they have plenty. Hopefully this does not take months to resolve.

When I checked Tire Rack I noticed there are not many brands offered in the 20" size I have. The Michelin Cross Climate is however offered, it seems like the best value if I have to spend my own money. I do have some doubts about a winter rated tire in Florida but I guess it has to work.
 
It's the shell aggregate in Florida asphalt.

If your on mostly highway, this is uncommon.
If your on lower speed "secondary" roads in Florida, the shp shells tear up harder rubber as used in EV tires.

"Touring" tires might not provide the same range as your stock tires, they will be quieter. I would not suggest the Cross Climate 2 in Florida due to higher temperatures - which will likely wear quickly.

https://drivingpress.com/best-tires-for-florida/
 
Jim Matthews said:
It's the shell aggregate in Florida asphalt.

If your on mostly highway, this is uncommon.
If your on lower speed "secondary" roads in Florida, the shp shells tear up harder rubber as used in EV tires.

https://drivingpress.com/best-tires-for-florida/
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My other car is a Honda Clarity PHEV which has Michelin Energy Saver OEM hard green tires. These have a lower treadwear rating than the ID's Bridgestones. Yet this car has 63,000 miles, no tire chunking and lots of tread left. The Honda is almost as heavy as the VW and the tires are smaller. I think its very likely the Bridgestones are truly defective. But time will tell.

Of the tires in the Florida report, not one seems to be available in the 20" ID size. Might get more with time but not now.
 
Not for nothing - what mode is the VW set on?

If the fronts are shredded, but the rear tires seem normal, it could be starting off from a stop that overloads the rubber.
 
Jim Matthews said:
Not for nothing - what mode is the VW set on?

If the fronts are shredded, but the rear tires seem normal, it could be starting off from a stop that overloads the rubber.
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What kind of mode do you mean? I never use the max regen position its horrible for my leg.
Why would startup have any effect on the front tires of a rear wheel drive car like an ID.4?
 
Jim Matthews said:
Not for nothing - what mode is the VW set on?

If the fronts are shredded, but the rear tires seem normal, it could be starting off from a stop that overloads the rubber.
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You have this backwards. The ID4 is RWD or AWD, not FWD.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
Good news for me, the Bridgestone dealer ordered and received the new front tires from Tire Rack, balanced and installed them on my ID, and I'm all set. And there was no cost to me even though I had driven the previous tires over 15,000 miles which was a surprise. The take away here is if you need new tires for an ID don't wait too late since they are not stocked well in the US yet.
 
Here is a picture of mine at 18500 miles. Look familiar? Dealer said it was because I did not align. Replaced with Michelin had an alignment, and the front had not been out of alignment. When I pointed this out, they said the rear misalign caused this. I think this is typical dealer double speak.... What to you think of the service department that I am dealing with?
IMG_2295.webp Alignment.webp
 
Keith Rambo said:
What to you think of the service department that I am dealing with?
/QUOTE]
Yes that looks pretty similar!
My guess is the dealer is full of it. You probably should have gone to Bridgestone because the front alignment was fine and the rear is really not very far off.
Is your car same as mine a First Edition with 20" wheels?
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That's interesting, I think that pretty much throws out the theory that this is just a manufacturing defect on a batch of tires.
 
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