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As a vehicle owner, you may come across a weird-looking protrusion in one or more of your car tyres at some point. This is known as a tyre bubble, a form of sidewall damage. In this post, we explain the reason behind the bubbling in your car tyres and the next steps to take once you notice it.
A tyre is made from multiple layers of rubber compounds, steel belts and ply to create structural stability. The steel belts and ply give the tyre its basic shape and structure while the rubber compounds bond the plies together to form the softer outermost layers. Other components such as polyester and different fabric fibres coated with rubber compounds are also used to further strengthen the sidewall.
A bubble forms when the innermost layer of a tubeless radial tyre gets damaged due to an impact or manufacturing defect, and the pressurised air seeps in between the tyre’s body layers.
Here are some of the common causes for bubbling in car tyres:
Improper Inflation: There is a reason why tyre and vehicle manufacturers use standardised air pressure norms for tyre inflation. Improper inflation renders the tyre susceptible to excess heat and pressure, which can collapse the bindings and create structural faults. Under-inflated tyres are generally at a higher risk of bubbling because a combination of vehicle weight and bad roads can create an unnecessary flex in the sidewall and damage the sub-structure.
Impact Damage: Another cause of bubbling or protrusions in car tyres is impact damage caused by debris on the road or hitting an unusually high kerb. Such impacts can not only cause bubbling but may also lead to a blow out.
Driving a Flat Tyre: Pneumatic tyres are not meant to be driven without air. Driving, even very short distances, with a flat tyre can irreparably damage your tyre’s structural strength and lead to cuts, bubbles, and bulges.
Overloading: Similarly, carrying more passengers than the recommended number of occupants, or loading your car with heavy equipment can breach the maximum load-carrying capacity of your tyres and damage them. In the worst-case scenarios, overloading your car can cause the steel belts and wires within the tyre to give way, thus breaking the inner layers apart and leading to bubbles in the sidewalls.
Old Tyres: Even if unused, tyres continue to degrade over time due to the natural decomposition of rubber compounds. Old tyres often develop sidewall bubbles because of the weakening of the inner structure—it can happen even when the vehicle is parked for too long, as the vehicle weight continuously stresses a single point on the tyres.
Manufacturing Defects: While industrial processes have been perfected to unprecedented levels in the 21st century, there still exists a very small chance of getting a faulty product. In such cases the faults usually appear within the warranty period, and most manufacturers offer extended warranties to address such issues. For example, when you buy a new tyre from Apollo Tyres, we offer a 2-year unconditional warranty that covers manufacturing defects and certain other types of damages.
At Apollo Tyres, we are committed to the vision of safer cars for India, and we believe that tyres play a critical role in vehicular safety. Here are some recommendations from our experts on how to inspect tyres for visible or invisible signs of damage:
Park the car in an open area with good sunlight. Since you will be looking for the smallest of defects in the tyre sidewalls, it’s best to have as much natural light as possible.
Inspect each tyre visually to see if you can detect any unevenness or bulging areas on the sidewall.
To further check for undetectable anomalies you can also run your hand along the sidewall to see if there is any protrusion or bubbling.
Additionally, check the tyre for tread depth and uneven tread wear.
Unfortunately there is no way to reliably repair bubbles in a tyre. The longer you drive with a tyre bubble, the riskier it becomes for you and your passengers. The size of the bubble will continue to expand as the air seeps deeper inside the tyre body, especially if you are regularly driving through bad patches on the road.
So, the only path forward is to get a replacement before the tyre gives way in the middle of a journey or causes a mishap.
If your car tyres have a bubbling issue or you detect one in the future, you will need a timely tyre replacement. Apollo Tyres offers both online and offline shopping options for buying compatible tyres for your car. Simply search for “tyre shops near me” on Google Maps or equivalent application to find an authorised dealer near you. Or, you can visit our website, Apollo Tyres, to use the tyre finder and book a new tyre purchase. The tyres are delivered using a buy-online, fit-offline model which enables professional fitment of your new tyres at a participating tyre shop near your location (area pin code).
We hope this blog helped you understand how serious an issue tyre bubbles are and why timely replacements are needed for safer driving. For more tyre maintenance and safety related information, continue following our blog, and join the discussions on our social media handles.