Road Hits The Rubber

[DCBStingerGT]

I read this article in today's Herald-Sun newspaper, Cars Guide section, I will type it out myself so it's easier to read maybe for some.

Dave Andrews submitted this for the newspaper journalist to answer.

My sister-in-law fitted four new tyres to her 2016 Ford Mustang before a road trip with her grand children from Southern NSW to Darwin via country Victoria. They were the same Pirelli tyres as fitted to the car when new. They were correctly inflated but wore out after just 4160km.
She is a 56yo grandmother who doesn't drive hard. The tyre guy at Coober Pedy said "Bloody Pirellis" and charged her $2000 AUD for a full set of harder compound tyres. I know our sunburnt country has hot blacktop but aren't these tyres unfit for purpose and does she have recourse to make a claim with Pirelli ?..

The newspaper journalist reply:

A few things first. Over 4000km in a Mustang? To Darwin? With grandkids in those little seats? Must've been an epic adventure and, if it's a V8, the fuel bills must have been painful. I've looked at your supplied tyre picture and, yes, the wear is dramatic but more pronounced to one side. This suggests improper wheel alignment.
Was an alignment done after the Pirellis were fitted?
As to recourse with Pirelli, that would be really difficult as it'd be impossible to prove how those 4000km were driven. Some owners on Mustang forums agree the model's fitted Pirellis wear out quickly and fitted a rival brand. I'd do the same.

I'm not even worried about the tyres so much, but a 56yo grandmother in a Mustang, travelling alone with grand kids for 4160km...??

 

[MerlintheMad]

There are over seven billion of us on this planet. One story out of seven billion. Amazing. All the way from Australia. I feel as if I've met this grandmother, and her grandkids, and her muscle car, on the highway somewhere; probably at a gas stop, while I admired the bright yellow Mustang and marveled at how cars have unlikely looking occupants.

Worn out tires, prematurely: so many contributing factors: I think that "treadlife warranties" are something of a placebo joke: we look at them and compare and then buy (usually the longest treadlife). And actually trying to make a treadlife warranty pay you back is the joke. Who here has ever successfully shown the manufacturer of said-tires the worn out treads and had them honor the treadlife warranty and knock the commensurate price of lost miles off the price of a new set? How many tried this TWICE with the same brand, instead of huffing off and buying a totally different brand? "Once burned twice shy" doesn't apply to buying tires? "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me?" I've decided that tires on a car like the Stinger are like running shoes: don't expect them to last like hiking boots.

 

[Ozstung]

That looks like over inflation. Worn in the middle.

 

[nhcowboy28]

I call bs.

that 56yo was hooning/drifting light to light every mile.

 

[Ozstung]

I call bs.

that 56yo was hooning/drifting light to light every mile.

Agree, but only one issue here there's 2000km+ of no lights,houses,people. Just road and scrub (desert).