Drove 600 miles yesterday without any noticeable issues. First time driving in ice/snow, averaging 60 mph. Stopped after 30 min this morning to take a scenic picture and smelled burning rubber and noticed my tire edge appeared to have been melting. Driver side rear tire. All others are fine with sharp edges. Any ideas?
Burning rubber Smell
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Stopped a few times to check on it and it appears to have stopped. Only thing I can think of is that I might have been in comfort mode on ahc and have been rolling in normal and sport ever since (ps. I am riding really heavy).
bloc
SILVER Star
A burning rubber smell when getting off the freeway is not a new thing with the 200-series. I get it pretty consistently, and others here have posted about it as well. To my knowledge no one has been able to track it down.
Personally I don’t think there is any correlation between that and your rounded edge, just a coincidence. I’m also quite sure your tire itself isn’t melting.
Personally I don’t think there is any correlation between that and your rounded edge, just a coincidence. I’m also quite sure your tire itself isn’t melting.
Probably something got kicked up on your exhaust.
Markuson
SILVER Star
My eyes suck, but zooming in, I don’t see anything in that photo that looks like melting. ?
Any chance your parking brake cable is too tight/creating burn smell?
Any chance your parking brake cable is too tight/creating burn smell?
bloc
SILVER Star
First picture is representative of totally normal tire wear, most likely from the front steer tires. Second picture is normal wear for the rear.
How do you do your rotations? 5-tire?
How do you do your rotations? 5-tire?
Weird. Can't say I've ever experienced smelling rubber from the 200-series. I'm familiar with the smell but only from driving hard on the track.
What pressures are you running in the tire? I usually go 4-6 PSI up when towing, particularly at the rear axle. If you're very heavy and on back roads with a crown, the tire to the lower outside of the road very possibly could be bearing the brunt of the load and heating up. More pressure...
What pressures are you running in the tire? I usually go 4-6 PSI up when towing, particularly at the rear axle. If you're very heavy and on back roads with a crown, the tire to the lower outside of the road very possibly could be bearing the brunt of the load and heating up. More pressure...
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Sorry guys. Through a series of comical coincidences, I thought my tire was melting away 
Here’s what happened: I booked a last minute primitive camping spot at Big Bend Texas. I noticed a very infrequent clicking in the rear driver hub as I was getting the rig ready, but decided I wasn’t going to worry about it. We stopped several times on the first leg of the trip, and never smelled anything. The next morning, it was below 30 degrees.
We stopped after 30 miles to take a family picture, and I immediately noticed a burning rubber smell. The first thing I checked was the rotors/wheels, and all were fine. I went around again and figured out that the smell was coming from driver rear, and also noticed the rounded edge on that tire. It may even have been smoking, but that would have been steam from the warm tire/ cold air (all seems like a blur now).
I wasn’t worried about the tire itself since I have a full spare, but rather somehow spiraled down a hole where the click hub was about to have a catastrophic failure and I wouldn’t be able to mount the spare to anything.
I will say, though, that the tire definitely has ripples as if it had been heated up and cooled. Not like an even and smooth wear from a bad alignment.
Here’s what happened: I booked a last minute primitive camping spot at Big Bend Texas. I noticed a very infrequent clicking in the rear driver hub as I was getting the rig ready, but decided I wasn’t going to worry about it. We stopped several times on the first leg of the trip, and never smelled anything. The next morning, it was below 30 degrees.
We stopped after 30 miles to take a family picture, and I immediately noticed a burning rubber smell. The first thing I checked was the rotors/wheels, and all were fine. I went around again and figured out that the smell was coming from driver rear, and also noticed the rounded edge on that tire. It may even have been smoking, but that would have been steam from the warm tire/ cold air (all seems like a blur now).
I wasn’t worried about the tire itself since I have a full spare, but rather somehow spiraled down a hole where the click hub was about to have a catastrophic failure and I wouldn’t be able to mount the spare to anything.
I will say, though, that the tire definitely has ripples as if it had been heated up and cooled. Not like an even and smooth wear from a bad alignment.
You have big tires and spacers and say you are running really heavy. Sure you aren't rubbing that tire up into the fender on big bumps? Last pic sure looks like a section of tire rubbing to me. Look up in that fender and see if you see a fresh rub spot?
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- #12
Yes, that tire used to be up front passenger.
absolutely no rubbing anywhere.
35psi cold, but up to 40 warm. What pressure should I target with warm tires?
Edit: never mind. +5si!
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Those ripples are evident in the 2nd photo and really paint the picture to me. That isn't tire wear from pavement, that is from the tire rubbing on something....the section of that tire has clearly been grated away from rubbing something from what I can see. I have been wrong before, but i have had my share of tire rub with 20+ yrs of both offroading and roadcourse racing. Good news is that it isn't that bad and probably will (or already has) self clearance. If you smelled the unmistakable smell of burning rubber it kinda all comes together in my mind.
I forget what weights you're at but I wouldn't be surprised if you're close to 5k at the rear axles and that sidewall is rolling over a bit and the outer lugs are taking some punishment. Loads on the various tires may not be completely even. So may want to go to 40-45 PSI (cold) when laden to have some more margin.
The ‘rule of thumbI’ I’ve seen for any tire up to rated max is to set cold psi where hot psi is 10% or less more. So 35 to 38/39 in this case. Looks like with heavy load you saw a psi more, but that shouldn’t be enough to delaminate or overheat an lt tire.
I had to run down this info as the tire size I use isn’t common and the manufacturer didn’t respond regarding a psi/weight query.
I had to run down this info as the tire size I use isn’t common and the manufacturer didn’t respond regarding a psi/weight query.
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1st photo has the ripples, 2nd photo is the good side.
At this point, I shed a few hundred lbs of fire wood and food... may just keep going to Colorado. Freaking New Mexico has a travel ban.
can someone remind me of the signs of a failing hub/bearing after clicking?
@grinchy, you had an abs light right?
Rear wheel bearing was whiny Groany. Persistent white noise too. Eventually grease passed the hub and got into the aba sensor.
bloc
SILVER Star
My KO2s didn’t rub anywhere, but both steer tires had that ripple pattern, and I drove the truck pretty hard with them.
It is just an indicator of the corner of the tire rolling under on cornering.. aka scrub.
I get the burning rubber smell from time to time too. I notice it more when we’re in higher elevations going up and over passes. That’s my only correlation. Doesn’t happen around town when running errands etc. Its only when the roads are tight and twisty ie mountain passes. Does it with my KO2s and my Nokian winters. Maybe just an artifact of excessive tire scrubbing due to the nature of the roads.
Funny just this weekend I was riding in my buddies F150. We got to the top of a pass and had to take a leak. Soon as we hopped out we both smelled burning rubber. Leads me to believe it’s the tarmac and the tires just heating up and like off-gassing (for lack of a better term).
Funny just this weekend I was riding in my buddies F150. We got to the top of a pass and had to take a leak. Soon as we hopped out we both smelled burning rubber. Leads me to believe it’s the tarmac and the tires just heating up and like off-gassing (for lack of a better term).
bloc
SILVER Star
I agree. I’ve had it on freeway stretches in west Texas, or in utah, Montana, etc. But never (that I’ve noticed) around town, even driving at up to 90. It’s the long stretches.
