2 front tires blew when hitting potholes.

[nmvprasad]

Last month I leased a Touring. I have about 1000 miles on the car so far. I have the 21 inch pirella zero tires. Yesterday driver's side front tire blew up as I drove through what did not appear like that bad a pothole and the passenger side front tire had a bulge. Brought it to the showroom in Natick, MA and they said tires are not covered under warranty and they ended up replacing two tires for about $950. I never had this happen before on a new car with new tires. I am still puzzled how 2 tires can blow up that easily. I was very disappointed and the service folks did not offer much explanation other than the fact that they have to replace the tires. If these cars cannot sustain such small irregularities in the road, I am not sure how to handle these cars in the longer term? If this is a constant thing, it does not seem sustainable. Anyone else has these issues with the tires? IIt seems very concerning from a safety perspective too. Not sure if Lucid is aware of this and working on a solution. This seems like a hefty cost to operate these cars if this issue is not fixed.

 

[Blue Lectroid]

21” wheels and low profile tires on a very heavy car will do that on even relatively small potholes. I cratered SIX tires / wheels on my 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance before swapping out the 20” wheels for 18”.

This is NOT a Lucid issue or a Lucid service issue. It’s straight physics. Have you driven EV’s before on low profile tires? They weigh MUCH more than an ICE car and are therefore far more likely to damage tires and wheels when hitting pot holes.

For this reason, I opted for the 19” wheels on my ‘25 AGT and the 20/21’s on our forthcoming Gravity. We live on a dirt road, but in North Jersey in the Winter, the potholes make our dirt road look easy!!

Really sorry that this happened to you, but if you live in an area with poor roads, forego the looks and good for the range and longevity of the 19” wheels…

 

[borski]

Last month I leased a Touring. I have about 1000 miles on the car so far. I have the 21 inch pirella zero tires. Yesterday driver's side front tire blew up as I drove through what did not appear like that bad a pothole and the passenger side front tire had a bulge. Brought it to the showroom in Natick, MA and they said tires are not covered under warranty and they ended up replacing two tires for about $950. I never had this happen before on a new car with new tires. I am still puzzled how 2 tires can blow up that easily. I was very disappointed and the service folks did not offer much explanation other than the fact that they have to replace the tires. If these cars cannot sustain such small irregularities in the road, I am not sure how to handle these cars in the longer term? If this is a constant thing, it does not seem sustainable. Anyone else has these issues with the tires? IIt seems very concerning from a safety perspective too. Not sure if Lucid is aware of this and working on a solution. This seems like a hefty cost to operate these cars if this issue is not fixed.

You hit a pothole with very low-profile low-sidewall summer tires. Don’t hit potholes with those tires, and do everything you can to avoid those potholes; swerve (safely) if necessary. Has nothing to do with the car. You picked summer sport low-sidewall tires; they handle rain and dry very very well, but they don’t handle sharp edges or snow.

The bigger sidewall tires/wheels do not handle as well, but have more resilience when it comes to potholes and sharp edges, due to the larger sidewalls. Plus, at least the 19s are delivered on all season tires, which would help too.

Sorry this happened to you; but it is normal, and absolutely par for the course for ultra high performance summer tires.

 

[L-Dude]

21” wheels and low profile tires on a very heavy car will do that on even relatively small potholes.

This. Plus, if the OP is near Natick, he is driving on some pretty crappy New England roads--especially this time of year.

 

[LuvLucy]

21” wheels and low profile tires on a very heavy car will do that on even relatively small potholes. I cratered SIX tires / wheels on my 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance before swapping out the 20” wheels for 18”.

Same experience for me in a '21 Tesla M3P with 20" wheels. 6 tires in 4 years. I spent a lot of time on the side of the road waiting for Roadside assistance or having it towed back to the dealership. It also had a very jarring ride. Lesson learned on low profile tires - I'll keep those for my 3200lb corvette.

 

[Overcharged]

You hit a pothole with very low-profile low-sidewall summer tires. Don’t hit potholes with those tires, and do everything you can to avoid those potholes; swerve (safely) if necessary. Has nothing to do with the car. You picked summer sport low-sidewall tires; they handle rain and dry very very well, but they don’t handle sharp edges or snow.

The bigger sidewall tires/wheels do not handle as well, but have more resilience when it comes to potholes and sharp edges, due to the larger sidewalls. Plus, at least the 19s are delivered on all season tires, which would help too.

Sorry this happened to you; but it is normal, and absolutely par for the course for ultra high performance summer tires.

The BS light is on
I am from MA
Roads can be so so or worse
Running low profile 21s in such areas results in what the OP unfortunately experienced. How manyotf these threads have we seen?
I have 21s on my LC500 but they have a much taller sidewalls than the ones on my GT-P. Never had an issue with the Lexus in over 4 years of crappy Chicago roads.
The 21s that came on my Lucid went into the basement after a month.
I have a set of 19s with winter tires and another set of 19s with the all seasons for summer.

 

[borski]

The BS light is on
I am from MA
Roads can be so so or worse
Running low profile 21s in such areas results in what the OP unfortunately experienced. How manyotf these threads have we seen?
I have 21s on my LC500 but they have a much taller sidewalls than the ones on my GT-P. Never had an issue with the Lexus in over 4 years of crappy Chicago roads.
The 21s that came on my Lucid went into the basement after a month.
I have a set of 19s with winter tires and another set of 19s with the all seasons for summer.

Okay

I have been on 21s, swapped to the 19s twice, then sold the 19s because of how much I preferred the 21s. I've put 24k miles on my 21s before I just swapped the fronts, without a single pop or bubble. Separately, I have gotten not one, but two nails / screws in my 19s, and had to replace both tires, in the very few (2k?) miles I drove with them on. See how anecdotal evidence can be both convincing and irrelevant?

My point isn't that I'm right or you're wrong or anything else; it is simply that whether the 21s fail you is based on, in part, the roads around you, but in larger part, how you drive. If you choose to "take" a pothole on the 21s, then yes - you may pop one. So don't do that, and instead survey the road and avoid the pothole intelligently.

Alternatively, drive higher-sidewall tires. There's nothing wrong with that.

But I'm convinced there isn't a widespread 'failure of 21s on the Lucid' as much as there is a widespread 'failure of drivers to appreciate and understand how low-profile tires work, and that you cannot simply drive into potholes on them at full speed.'

To be clear, in MA, you should not be driving summer tires year-round, and the 21s are summer tires. Below 40-45F, those tires are unsafe to drive, and are absolutely prone to popping or worse. That has absolutely nothing to do with the roads you're on, though you probably know that because of already having winter tires for your 19s.

But whatever, maybe you're right. I'll just keep driving.

 

[tonybot]

@nmvprasad , consider getting a tire warranty for new tires. Discount Tires or Americas Tires sell them. You don't need to have purchased from them, but the tires need to have a certain tread life left. It's worth checking out, considering you have new tires.

 

[DeaneG]

Last month I leased a Touring. I have about 1000 miles on the car so far. I have the 21 inch pirella zero tires. Yesterday driver's side front tire blew up as I drove through what did not appear like that bad a pothole and the passenger side front tire had a bulge. Brought it to the showroom in Natick, MA and they said tires are not covered under warranty and they ended up replacing two tires for about $950. I never had this happen before on a new car with new tires. I am still puzzled how 2 tires can blow up that easily. I was very disappointed and the service folks did not offer much explanation other than the fact that they have to replace the tires. If these cars cannot sustain such small irregularities in the road, I am not sure how to handle these cars in the longer term? If this is a constant thing, it does not seem sustainable. Anyone else has these issues with the tires? IIt seems very concerning from a safety perspective too. Not sure if Lucid is aware of this and working on a solution. This seems like a hefty cost to operate these cars if this issue is not fixed.

As an aside, it's very dangerous to drive high performance summer tires at temperatures below 40F. They become glassy and can be permanently damaged. You'd want to use a set of 19" all-season or winter tires and wheels for that part of the year.

 

[Halodde]

Last month I leased a Touring. I have about 1000 miles on the car so far. I have the 21 inch pirella zero tires. Yesterday driver's side front tire blew up as I drove through what did not appear like that bad a pothole and the passenger side front tire had a bulge. Brought it to the showroom in Natick, MA and they said tires are not covered under warranty and they ended up replacing two tires for about $950. I never had this happen before on a new car with new tires. I am still puzzled how 2 tires can blow up that easily. I was very disappointed and the service folks did not offer much explanation other than the fact that they have to replace the tires. If these cars cannot sustain such small irregularities in the road, I am not sure how to handle these cars in the longer term? If this is a constant thing, it does not seem sustainable. Anyone else has these issues with the tires? IIt seems very concerning from a safety perspective too. Not sure if Lucid is aware of this and working on a solution. This seems like a hefty cost to operate these cars if this issue is not fixed.

Very sorry this happened to you. At some point a couple of years ago when I got my car (Touring on 19's- chosen for range), I read here that there was no road hazard warranty on the tires that come on the vehicle. So, after hearing a couple of these stories, I went to a local tire shop and spent a few hundred on a warranty that they sold me. It was really just an insurance policy that I never used. But, it made me much more comfortable knowing that I had it should I need it. I got 57k out of those tires. They didn't owe me anything. I suggest you get road hazard protection on your tires too, especially since the 21's are prone to issues like this.

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

There may be some confusion between wheel size and sidewall profile. I see Lexus has 21" wheels and 50-series sidewalls ... even more generous than the 19" wheel sidewall on the Lucid Touring, (which is "45" sidewall). No wonder the Lexus don't get bubbles.

The Lucid 21" Pirelli P-Zero summer has a "35" series sidewall = very low ! Probably most folk have never before had such low tires.

I'm about to put the 21" Pirelli summer rubber back on ... going to be below freezing next two nights then we should be safe for summer rubber.
I'm headed into the third season with the 35-series Pirellis. Run them at 44 psi and couldn't be happier. No worries mate.

I agree with Borski ... the 21" summer tires are worth it.

 

[JGard18]

Had you checked your pressures lately? It’s still cold here in MA, perhaps your pressures were also way too low. I swapped to my 21s a few weeks ago and have had to adjust pressures a few times to make sure they’re at 42psi cold. I also make sure to avoid all potholes.

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

Had you checked your pressures lately? It’s still cold here in MA, perhaps your pressures were also way too low. I swapped to my 21s a few weeks ago and have had to adjust pressures a few times to make sure they’re at 42psi cold. I also make sure to avoid all potholes.

Good to check pressures when temp swings so much, but I would recommend you put a few more psi in the 35 series tires for extra pothole protection. I've been waiting to make the swap ... going to get to 27F tonight. Freakin' Canadians and their Polish Vertex...

I run mine at 44-45 psi cold. Borski uses 42 and has gotten away with it...somehow.

I find that when using ultra-high-performance tires one should drive slowly and cautiously, to avoid road hazards and stresses on the sidewalls.

 

[Halodde]

Good to check pressures when temp swings so much, but I would recommend you put a few more psi in the 35 series tires for extra pothole protection. I've been waiting to make the swap ... going to get to 27F tonight. Freakin' Canadians and their Polish Vertex...

I run mine at 44-45 psi cold. Borski uses 42 and has gotten away with it...somehow.

I find that when using ultra-high-performance tires one should drive slowly and cautiously, to avoid road hazards and stresses on the sidewalls.

I love the contradiction between 'ultra-high-performance' and 'slowly and cautiously'

 

[borski]

I love the contradiction between 'ultra-high-performance' and 'slowly and cautiously'

Only on questionable roads. On smooth roads? Let her rip.

 

[LuvLucy]

The problem with the "just don't hit the potholes" advice is most of the times it happened to me I could not see them until it was too late without making a very dangerous maneuver at highway speed. A few times it was During a lane change. At 60-80MPH, reaction time for about 10 car lengths is about one second.

Low profile tires may be lovely in California, Chicago not so much. We have Grand Canyon sized potholes.

 

[Ughwhy]

There may be some confusion between wheel size and sidewall profile. I see Lexus has 21" wheels and 50-series sidewalls ... even more generous than the 19" wheel sidewall on the Lucid Touring, (which is "45" sidewall). No wonder the Lexus don't get bubbles.

The Lucid 21" Pirelli P-Zero summer has a "35" series sidewall = very low ! Probably most folk have never before had such low tires.

I'm about to put the 21" Pirelli summer rubber back on ... going to be below freezing next two nights then we should be safe for summer rubber.
I'm headed into the third season with the 35-series Pirellis. Run them at 44 psi and couldn't be happier. No worries mate.

I agree with Borski ... the 21" summer tires are worth it.

Good point. According to Mr Google, the Lexus has 245/40/21 front which equals a sidewall of 98mm, the rear has 275/35/21 which equals a sidewall of 96.25mm, weight ranges from 4,280 to 4,500 depending on year and options.

The Lucid GT 245/35/21 front which equals a sidewall of 85.75mm, and the rear has 265/35/21 which equals a sidewall of 92.75mm, and the Air GT weighs 5,204 lbs.

 

[SaratogaLefty]

I keep my 21" tires at 45 psi cold. That's three pounds over the "recommended" tire pressure on the door frame. Here in northern CA we do have some potholes and I try to avoid those roads (like 101) whenever I can and use alternate routes if possible. One of the reasons I bought my Dream P edition is because I'm addicted to high performance cars and it doesn't make sense to own a thoroughbred and drive it like "driving Miss Daisy". That said I'm not in my "high performance" mode most of the time and I do keep my eyes on the road ahead trying to spot potholes which I agree isn't always possible to avoid, especially at night. All of the above said I wouldn't own a high performance car if I lived in an inclement climate, or if I did I would limit my driving to the warmer times of year and for sure I would have two sets of wheels/tires.

 

[Ughwhy]

I keep my 21" tires at 45 psi cold. That's three pounds over the "recommended" tire pressure on the door frame. Here in northern CA we do have some potholes and I try to avoid those roads (like 101) whenever I can and use alternate routes if possible. One of the reasons I bought my Dream P edition is because I'm addicted to high performance cars and it doesn't make sense to own a thoroughbred and drive it like "driving Miss Daisy". That said I'm not in my "high performance" mode most of the time and I do keep my eyes on the road ahead trying to spot potholes which I agree isn't always possible to avoid, especially at night. All of the above said I wouldn't own a high performance car if I lived in an inclement climate, or if I did I would limit my driving to the warmer times of year and for sure I would have two sets of wheels/tires.

I suspect that over inflating would actually make the issue worse. The tires are stiffer and will have less flex. Particularly since you are talking cold PSI. The rule of thumb is that for every 10 degrees of Fahrenheit the tires warm up, it will add another PSI to the internal air pressure.

This is one of the reasons why when off-roading, people lower their tire pressure.

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

I suspect that over inflating would actually make the issue worse.

The idea of keeping the tires hard to prevent punctures come from road cycling.
The skinny road-bike tires needed to be kept at maximum inflation ( 110-120 psi ) or you'd get a puncture on any rough surface.

... on low-sidewall car tires we wish to prevent the wheel rim from cutting thru the sidewall cords(resulting in sidewall bubbles) when the tire bottoms-out in a hole, or gets forced into the jagged side of the hole. The tire is more likely to distort/cut at lower pressure.

It's limited, but it's something.

Also, for those running low-sidewall tires, don't forget to check the inside tire sidewalls too: