Need advice on a car problem...re front tire/wheel/????

[HereSince1628]

I've got a 15 year old Escort wagon...it's old--old enough for flexible synthetic parts to have lost all the solvents that kept them young and supple and old enough for unpainted steel parts to be heavily rusted. You might say the car and I emulate one another...but that's not the issue...

Last week I had a steel belt on a front tire break. It was the first time I'd ever had a belt come apart and tear up a tire. But the tire was needing to be replaced, the separation in the belt was in a heavily worn part of the tire...I thought nothing of it.

This morning I went out to the car and the new tire, on same wheel, on the same front position was flat.

Now that's also a first for me. I've never had a 10 day old tire with maybe a couple hundred miles on it go flat. Is this more than coincidence?

The dealer broke down the wheel and tire, inspected everything, pronounced the tire free from punctures, but wasted, they decided the wheel was fine, and they replaced the tire for free. That was great

...but...

At my now advanced age, firsts are rare. Two firsts in under two weeks...on basically the same problem seems an improbable coincidence.

So I'm asking for some advice. What might have developed on my old car that would make both an old tire and new tire on the same location of the car fail? Something that might not be the tire or the wheel proper?

I gave this some thought and came up with a hung brake caliper, with the resulting drag possibly over-heating the wheel and transferring that heat to the tire, but the car doesn't pull when I accelerate, coast, or brake, and after a couple of miles driving in town--with the hub caps off--both front wheels were warm, but not so hot that it was uncomfortable for my hand.

Any ideas or suggestions?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

1. Bad new tire? Improper install?

Coincidences DO happen.

I worked in a dealership for 10 years. I don't know how many times someone would have routine work, say an oil change, and come back a week later screaming because their air-conditioner stopped working.

In your case, I would look at defective tire, install or undiagnosed damage to the rim.

[HereSince1628]

2. Thanks for sharing your experience.

I'll be happy if it turns out to be a coincidence. I did consider that the install might have had a problem, the wheels are original so it was pretty rusty on the outer margin of the rim.

I'm definitely going to be monitoring the tire for a couple weeks, hopefully things go well and this will fade into a "weird things that happen story".

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Did you replace the old one with one made in China or some other place? I thought

I read something about the poor quality of foreign-made tires.

[HereSince1628]

4. fair question, I didn't look at the manufacturer...it was a branded tire of a co

that is associated with sending lighter than aircraft to sporting events...but I do tend to get modestly priced tires I suppose it could be made in China.

[lumberjack_jeff]

5. Did they replace the stem?

It is possible that underinflation killed the first tire.

[HereSince1628]

6. It appeared new, I assume it was. When they re-inflated it looking for a problem

it held air, and two of them we giving it the going over in their tire 'bath', and couldn't find any evidence of a leak.

I'll admit to mostly not paying close attention, it looked ok when it first took the weight of the car. When the car is parked at home that side is against a wall and out of sight. If it was losing air I never noticed.