3 blowouts within a Week

[Worldwide Beagle]

Does this look like a bad road to you? I find it amazing that there are still a few who will defend these crap tires in face of all of the evidence. Still waiting for a tow by the way. Last estimate was 90 minutes before the driver cancelled. If I seem grumpy, I am.

Edit to say that cell service is weak and I can’t upload a photo of the beautiful road it blew out on.

@Drendino -- I hate to mention it but the road upon which your tire just deflated, MOST LIKELY had NOTHING to do with damage that caused the total blowout.

Only in the harshest whacks does the tire sidewall immediately rupture. From what we have seen on this forum and in my personal experience, a pothole or curb or brick will first cause the infamous BUBBLE on the sidewall, indicating interior damage to the sidewall plies. LOTS of bubble pictures on this forum

Just like a zit, the bubble grows and grows and eventually pops, sometimes days or even weeks later, after the bubble first appears. I am guessing the bubble shows the first indication of the sidewall damage, which is a delamination of the horizontal plies in the sidewall. Once delaminated, the sidewall continues to flex the the torn/separated plies just get looser. And then, when you least expect it, give way.

I took the car into DT for the tire certificates at 7AM. At 7:15am a flatbed brought in a week old AT with a ruptured LF tire, Pirelli 21" of course, and damaged wheel. Driver ran straight over a curb, at speed, I was told. That will do it instantly. On the other hand, years ago, wife tapped a curb very hard parking on a 21" 35 ratio Conti. Bubble formed. Moved the tire to the rear. Conti lasted weeks on the rear, until we replaced it. When a bubble forms, Conti tells me, it will let go SOMETIME. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but sometime

No low aspect tire can survive a smashing pothole at speed. What bothers MANY HERE, INCLUDING ME, is that the 21" Pirellis seem to get bubbles JUST BY LOOKING AT THEM CROSSWISE.

 

[Rogue]

The limiting factor is rated load capacity of the tire. Not speed rating. It is Based on the GVWR of the car. The 21 Pirellis are the new HL load factor, exceeding the XL load designation that has been around for years. The HL came out for one reason: freaking heavy big BEVS. Michi put out a release recently that it epwas doing HL tires. More makers will follow.

I have seen some here use the Michelin A/S in 21" but then I read Tire Rack pulled the recommendation for its use for the Lucid, due to load rating. No idea if that is true.

I love Conti DWS tires, but again, I do not think their 21s in 35 ratio pass the load muster. I did not see them approved for Lucid.

I have only had my Touring 6 days. I plan to nurse my Pirellis until November and put on a set of 19" MSW wheels with Veredestein real winter tires, and HOPE the 345-35/21 HL tires selection is better in the spring.

This is true. The pulling from TireRack came from two blowouts in a week under 1k miles with my car. DiscountTire refused to put them on or purchase because of the load rating when I tried to purchase through them vs. TireRack causing a huge ordeal. I had the car jacked in their bay with technicians who wouldn't put on a Michelin tire, so we had to pull a Pirelli summer from the garage.

Do what you will with the information. Both the Michelin and Pirelli cannot take much of a beating with the 21s. I would definitely not ride with the Michelin's until the new set come out that can meet load ratings.

 

[Drendino]

@Drendino -- I hate to mention it but the road upon which your tire just deflated, MOST LIKELY had NOTHING to do with damage that caused the total blowout.

Only in the harshest whacks does the tire sidewall immediately rupture. From what we have seen on this forum and in my personal experience, a pothole or curb or brick will first cause the infamous BUBBLE on the sidewall, indicating interior damage to the sidewall plies. LOTS of bubble pictures on this forum

Just like a zit, the bubble grows and grows and eventually pops, sometimes days or even weeks later, after the bubble first appears. I am guessing the bubble shows the first indication of the sidewall damage, which is a delamination of the horizontal plies in the sidewall. Once delaminated, the sidewall continues to flex the the torn/separated plies just get looser. And then, when you least expect it, give way.

I took the car into DT for the tire certificates at 7AM. At 7:15am a flatbed brought in a week old AT with a ruptured LF tire, Pirelli 21" of course, and damaged wheel. Driver ran straight over a curb, at speed, I was told. That will do it instantly. On the other hand, years ago, wife tapped a curb very hard parking on a 21" 35 ratio Conti. Bubble formed. Moved the tire to the rear. Conti lasted weeks on the rear, until we replaced it. When a bubble forms, Conti tells me, it will let go SOMETIME. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but sometime

No low aspect tire can survive a smashing pothole at speed. What bothers MANY HERE, INCLUDING ME, is that the 21" Pirellis seem to get bubbles JUST BY LOOKING AT THEM CROSSWISE.

This is 100% correct. I must have been driving with a ticking time bomb because it blew up on a super smooth rd.

I really need to inspect for welts more often. I just don’t think about it when getting in and out if my car. Btw, tow truck driver is still not there! 4 hours and counting!

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

This is 100% correct. I must have been driving with a ticking time bomb because it blew up on a super smooth rd.

I really need to inspect for welts more often. I just don’t think about it when getting in and out if my car. Btw, tow truck driver is still not there! 4 hours and counting!

How is your dog doing? I am worried about him!

AND OMG, I JUST FOUND THE TINIEST OF BUBBLES ON A REAR 21" Pirelli on my AT. I BET it was because I have been bad mouthing Pirelli. The Italians are out to get me.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

This is 100% correct. I must have been driving with a ticking time bomb because it blew up on a super smooth rd.

I really need to inspect for welts more often. I just don’t think about it when getting in and out if my car. Btw, tow truck driver is still not there! 4 hours and counting!

One issue is that if the bubble is forming on the inside of the wheel, it will be nearly impossible to identify. I suggest getting a spare as well, so you aren't stranded. I have an EZSpare that fits in the sub-front trunk.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

This is true. The pulling from TireRack came from two blowouts in a week under 1k miles with my car. DiscountTire refused to put them on or purchase because of the load rating when I tried to purchase through them vs. TireRack causing a huge ordeal. I had the car jacked in their bay with technicians who wouldn't put on a Michelin tire, so we had to pull a Pirelli summer from the garage.

Do what you will with the information. Both the Michelin and Pirelli cannot take much of a beating with the 21s. I would definitely not ride with the Michelin's until the new set come out that can meet load ratings.

The good and bad with this forum is that with the small number of Lucids, ITS A VERY SMALL WORLD. So you were the guy that got the Michi's pulled.

I had years with 21 and 22" Contis on heavy Audis, with no issues. Yes, our cars weigh more, but still.....

 

[joec]

This is 100% correct. I must have been driving with a ticking time bomb because it blew up on a super smooth rd.

I really need to inspect for welts more often. I just don’t think about it when getting in and out if my car. Btw, tow truck driver is still not there! 4 hours and counting!

So sorry to hear you are still waiting. Hopefully the AC is working well enough to beat the heat.

I, too, don't check often enough for bubbles. I have the 19s, but with the roads around here, I would not be surprised if any of the many potholes I've failed to avoid could cause damage.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

One issue is that if the bubble is forming on the inside of the wheel, it will be nearly impossible to identify. I suggest getting a spare as well, so you aren't stranded. I have an EZSpare that fits in the sub-front trunk.

QUESTION: do the bubbles/sidewall delamination happen on the inside of the tire as frequently?? I know of no engineering reason why they would not, but I never hear of people talking about INSIDE bubbles here. I have never seen an inside bubble or had one. Maybe because they cannot see them. That scares me.

I chose to go a different route for a spare. A limited use spare will not work for me. The EZSpare is only rated for 50 mph for 50 miles. And two days ago, I saw a big Toyota sedan with a templ doughnut spare, driving on I25, almost crash. The doughnut failed on the left front, three lanes over for me. It was scary as shit. The tire just disintegrated and the car was instantly driving on rim, sparks and all. To be honest, the owner could have had the temp spare on for a year for all I know.

A limited range temp spare will not work for my driving needs-- I drive from Denver to Vail and Aspen for client work, often late at night. A spare good for 50 miles will not help if I am on I-70, 11O miles from Denver.

SO, I did what I have done with my Audis. I will keep a full size spare and full size 19" wheel in the trunk. YES, I know it will take up more room. I bought a set of the Velox Vulcan 19" wheels with Michi Pilot Alpin 5 winter tires - rated 102V. Until winter, I will keep one of those in the Lucid as long as these infamous Pirellis are on my car.

 

[Drendino]

So sorry to hear you are still waiting. Hopefully the AC is working well enough to beat the heat.

I, too, don't check often enough for bubbles. I have the 19s, but with the roads around here, I would not be surprised if any of the many potholes I've failed to avoid could cause damage.

4 1/2 hours and they finally arrived! Unfortunately my AC is weak until I drive, then it works pretty good. Someone gave my poor guy water though.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

GREAT PHOTO. The handsome guy does not have a care in the world - nor should he. He doesn't own any 21' low profile Pirelli tires

 

[SunnySide]

UPDATE: 2 MORE TIRES HAVE BLOWN OUT. Back right and front left. I have spent close to 10k now on rims and tires the front left tire has only seen 700 miles and was installed 2 months ago. This just doesn’t seem like weather to me anymore it seems like we are getting some defective tires.

 

[Bobby]

UPDATE: 2 MORE TIRES HAVE BLOWN OUT. Back right and front left. I have spent close to 10k now on rims and tires the front left tire has only seen 700 miles and was installed 2 months ago. This just doesn’t seem like weather to me anymore it seems like we are getting some defective tires.

Where are you located? How did the rims become damaged? Was it from the road hazard?

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

UPDATE: 2 MORE TIRES HAVE BLOWN OUT. Back right and front left. I have spent close to 10k now on rims and tires the front left tire has only seen 700 miles and was installed 2 months ago. This just doesn’t seem like weather to me anymore it seems like we are getting some defective tires.

As policemen say when informing you of a death: I am sorry for your loss.

I may be changing my tune here.

Now, I am really not sure if its a defective/bad Pirelli tire OR if Lucid improperly spec'd tires and a 21 wheel size for the Air. Or maybe both.

In my layperson's opinion, tempered by decades of tire buying/racing and dealing with Conti engineers for high performance cars, it may be that no 21" 35 ratio tire can handle the Lucid - AT THIS TIME. For the small number of Lucids sold, there is just far too many anecdotal incidents of blowouts on the 21" This forum is full of them. Some here have had two on the same tire placement in the same week. I know Forums tend to get mostly complaints, but still, there are a lot of complaints. Also anecdotally, the blowout issues reported here for 20" and 19" are miniscule and appear, to my untrained eyes, to be within the realm of "normal."

I find it damning that Tire Rack has refused to NOW sell the wonderful and top rated Michi 21" 35 ratio extreme performance Pilots tires for Lucid. It was the only option for 21" tires out there. From what we are told, the Michi gave sidewall blow outs almost quickly - that from a Forum member.

Now, as a corporate litigation defense lawyer, I am beginning to wonder if Lucid truly erred in spec'ing and offering for sale on the Lucid ANY 21" wheel and tire combination - at this time.

If there was a serious injury to a owner or passenger from a 21" Pirelli blowout on a Lucid, the testimonials presented in this forum, ad nauseum, would be Exhibit 1 through 100 for a Plaintiff's lawyer.
If I was a litigation defense / product defense lawyer for Lucid, I would be asking the engineers and CS if this issue represents a problem of significant magnitude that the company "knew or should have known" about.

As for me, I say a little prayer for @Bobby every night for TELLING ME TO GET THE DAMN DT certificates as the car rolled out of the trailer. Less than 4 weeks of ownership for me and I go in for my first Pirelli bubble in a few days.

 

[Rogue]

As policemen say: I am sorry for your loss. AND, I may be changing my tune here.

I am really not sure if its REALLY a defective/bad Pirelli tire OR if Lucid improperly spec'd tires and a 21 wheel size for the Air. Or maybe both.

In my layperson's opinion, tempered by decades of tire buying/racing and dealing with Conti engineers for high performance cars, it may be that no 21" 35 ratio tire can handle the Lucid - AT THIS TIME. For the small number of Lucids sold, there is just far too many anecdotal incidents of blowouts on the 21" This forum is full of them. Some here have had two on the same tire placement in the same week. I know Forums tend to get mostly complaints, but still, there are a lot of complaints. Also anecdotally, the blowout issues reported here for 20" and 19" are miniscule and appear, to my untrailed eyes, to be withing the realm of "normal."

I find it damning that Tire Rack has refused to now sell the wonderful and top rated Michi 21" 35 ratio extreme performance Pilots tires for Lucid. It was the only option for 21" tires out there. Blow outs almost immediately - from a Forum member.

Now, as a corporate litigation defense lawyer, I am beginning to wonder if Lucid truly erred in spec'ing and offering for sale on the Lucid ANY 21" wheel and tire combination - at this time.

If there was a serious injury to a owner or passenger from a 21" Pirelli blowout on a Lucid, the testimonials presented in this forum, ad nauseum, would be Exhibit 1 through 100 for a Plaintiff's lawyer.
If I was a litigation defense / product defense lawyer for Lucid, I would be asking the engineers and CS if this issue represents a problem of significant magnitude that the company "knew or should have known" about.

As for me, I say a little prayer for @Bobby every night for TELLING ME TO GET THE DAMN DT certificates as the car rolled out of the trailer. Less than 4 weeks of ownership and I go in for my first bubble in a few days.

Lucid is swapping to 19s for loaners. Rim damage and tire blowouts being the reported issue.

With a loaner, I bubbled two tires and dented a rim within the first 1,000 miles give or take. That puts me at 2 Michelin 21” (forum member with the issue and cause of pulling from TireRack), 2 21" Pirelli, 1 21" rim, and possibly another 21" (on my personal, hoping to get the dent out at a shop when I get the car back).

4 tires and possibly 2 but certainly 1 rim. I can't swap to the 19" fast enough at this rate. The handling is phenomenal on the 21", but I wonder how close the 20" get because I would take durability over slight degradation to handling at this rate.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

Lucid is swapping to 19s for loaners. Rim damage and tire blowouts being the reported issue.

That puts me at 2 Michelin 21” (forum member with the issue and cause of pulling from TireRack),

Sorry @Rogue , I forgot your handle when I talking about Tire Rack pulling the Michi's.

I am off in a few minutes to pick up my new 19" Wheels and tires. In Colorado, I really need true winter, cold weather tires. YES, I KNOW ITS HOT AS HELL OUT THERE. Getting Velox Vulcan wheels and Michi Pilot Alpin 5. Velox is one of the largest OEM manufacturers of wheels in the EU I learned. And no one knows about. Now selling more under its own name. (Ronal was the same, making Audi wheels). I spoke to the Velox NA tech reps in Canada and was very impressed with their knowledge, from offset to weights to wheel width.

Now that I have shelled out the $$ for DT certificates, I am going to use them "to my hearts content" and as often as needed to get through tell October and my switch over. And I will keep one of the full size 19" Michi Alpins in the trunk as my spare.

And, who knows, by May 2024, there could be a "better" and proper HL rated 21" 35 ratio tire out their. I might just say F-K it and put on 21" 40 ratio tires and damn the torpedoes. Joking aside, I would hope Lucid is already in such discussions with Michi Conti et al.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

Lucid is swapping to 19s for loaners. Rim damage and tire blowouts being the reported issue.

As a lawyer, that says legions. Kinda hard for Lucid to deny that the 21'" Pirelli and wheel combo are "not a known problem."

IMHO, the Lucid 19" wheels are so bland, boring and yuk.

 

[hydbob]

As a lawyer, that says legions. Kinda hard for Lucid to deny that the 21'" Pirelli and wheel combo are "not a known problem."

IMHO, the Lucid 19" wheels are so bland, boring and yuk.

They are also more comfortable and give me more peace of mind. I'm a convert! Also the handling makes it so you can power slide around corners easier...more fun!

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

They are also more comfortable and give me more peace of mind. I'm a convert! Also the handling makes it so you can power slide around corners easier...more fun!

I hear ya. I NEVER thought about tire POM until now. Or comfort. But I am so used to keeping high tire pressure, low sidewall tires on my Audis, that the 21" Pirellis do not seem uncomfortable.

The 21" Pirellis actually handle/ride very nicely, (when they are not blown out). But I find my Lucid with 21" Pirellis exhibits LOTS of understeer. Could be the weight. Last night, drove the wife's (formerly mine) S7 with 21" Conti DWS 06+. I missed the neutral/oversteering.

@hydbob Did you have the 21"? Curious for thoughts on if the 19" change handling - over/understeer.

Power sliding? Remember, what you say on the internet NEVER GOES AWAY.

 

[Rogue]

Sorry @Rogue , I forgot your handle when I talking about Tire Rack pulling the Michi's.

I am off in a few minutes to pick up my new 19" Wheels and tires. In Colorado, I really need true winter, cold weather tires. YES, I KNOW ITS HOT AS HELL OUT THERE. Getting Velox Vulcan wheels and Michi Pilot Alpin 5. Velox is one of the largest OEM manufacturers of wheels in the EU I learned. And no one knows about. Now selling more under its own name. (Ronal was the same, making Audi wheels). I spoke to the Velox NA tech reps in Canada and was very impressed with their knowledge, from offset to weights to wheel width.

Now that I have shelled out the $$ for DT certificates, I am going to use them "to my hearts content" and as often as needed to get through tell October and my switch over. And I will keep one of the full size 19" Michi Alpins in the trunk as my spare.

And, who knows, by May 2024, there could be a "better" and proper HL rated 21" 35 ratio tire out their. I might just say F-K it and put on 21" 40 ratio tires and damn the torpedoes. Joking aside, I would hope Lucid is already in such discussions with Michi Conti et al.

I can't remember handles myself. Are you also having issues with getting Discount Tire to put on the 19"? They are giving me the runaround because my car initially came with 21" (purportedly different load ratings on the car, not just the tires).

Power sliding on 19s? My wife would kill me halfway through the slide.

As for understeer, does this occur at high or low speeds? I have pushed the car pretty hard on curvy roads with no issues, but I tend to err on the side of caution on the approach and give it more throughout the turn and exit. Wouldn't want to go off a cliff side...

 

[hydbob]

I hear ya. I NEVER thought about tire POM until now. Or comfort. But I am so used to keeping high tire pressure, low sidewall tires on my Audis, that the 21" Pirellis do not seem uncomfortable.

The 21" Pirellis actually handle/ride very nicely, (when they are not blown out). But I find my Lucid with 21" Pirellis exhibits LOTS of understeer. Could be the weight. Last night, drove the wife's (formerly mine) S7 with 21" Conti DWS 06+. I missed the neutral/oversteering.

@hydbob Did you have the 21"? Curious for thoughts on if the 19" change handling - over/understeer.

Power sliding? Remember, what you say on the internet NEVER GOES AWAY.

Yes, I ran 21s on my DEP for 20k miles. Only swapped to 19s because my dad rimmed my front right tire on a curb, put a bubble in the tire and I decided to swap for his benefit. But now, the ride is sublime, it's a very noticeable difference from the 21s, especially after 3 updates ago when they changed the suspension settings. In terms of handling, the 19s are great for 95% of my driving situations and I have the 21s available if I want to really go crazy. The 21s were great and I never worried about putting bubbles in them either.