How can I fix my car’s swollen tyres?
What you need to know:
- When the tyre sidewall structure is damaged, the air tight but softer rubber will bulge at the point where the protective sidewall layers have given way
Hello Paul, my Range Rover Sport tyre has a swelling on the side. What is the cause and how can I prevent it? Harry
Hello Harry, what you see on your tyre side wall is called a bulge, lump or bubble. This means that the internal tyre side wall structure has been damaged. A tyre side wall structure is composed of layers of synthetic plies, carcass ply with a wire to protect the air-tight rubber.
When the tyre sidewall structure is damaged, the air tight but softer rubber will bulge at the point where the protective sidewall layers have given way. The tyre side wall will experience a cut or tear usually caused by driving fast over tarmac potholes, clipping or hitting the road kerbs or driving over construction debris.
Rarely, frequent overloading of under inflated tyres will also damage tyre sidewalls. Tyre sidewall bulging is not repairable. You will need to replace the affected tyre(s). Driving on tyres with side wall bulges pauses a risk of tyre failure or bursting when you drive fast and the tyre heats up.
