Yokohama A-032R WARNING !!!!
Turbo Mini Forums

I dropped my wheels and tyres off last weekend at one of my local independants and went to collect them this morning.

I found one very unhappy owner and this,





He said it happened at 40psi while he was inflating it to snap the bead up onto the edge of the rim, the others had all jumped up at about 45psi (which is normal).

There is no evidence of the bead having been damaged putting it on the wheel initially - and I wouldn't expect there to be, this guy has been doing this work for years, he isn't a spotted KwikFit grease monkey.

This was from the group buy earlier this year so I'll PM Gavin and see what to do - I expect Yokohama will want to look at it - but I personally will not trust the other three now until the failure is explained.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

fook,

i bet that made him jump!

Shit, keep us informed. Hope its just a fluke on that one - I had 2 from the group buy

Paul

I seriously doubt it!

Crud ive now got 6!!

However the 2 on my car are fine

I've got 4 on mine with no probs but I've not used them on the road yet;

40psi isn't particularly high pressure either. It will be interesting to see what comes out of this

might need a tube for that,
email yokohamma direct maybe you'l get reinbursed and a little extra?
tbh they are a bloody nightmare to get on, more so than falkens, but that said you dont expect that

My local had a right game fitting mine, I think the modern machines are just not suitable for such small rims.

Re. above comments over rim size, very valid points in a modern tyre place - one of my locals simply said they can't do 10" wheels because their new machine won't go down that low (because alll modern wheeels are so much bigger) but the place I used still has a good old machine so it was put on by the machine, not a crowbar !!!

Plus there is absolutely no damage to the rubber of the bead at the break which would be obvious it it had been levered over physically.

Also interesting is the shape of the other end of the failure..... There is a classic 45degree end to the tear which, if it was a homogeneous ductile material, could very easily be the beginning of the failure (shear stress being dominant and at 45 degrees to load). Unfortunately it isn't a homogeneous material, all the nylon and steel cords at varying angles stop it being an easy analysis - that's why I would hope it can be looked at by the experts (the manufacturers).

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

deffo write a letter to them, saying how this could have cost you your life etc etc,
how much you want for the other 3?lol

In fairness to Gavin, it's only right that I should let MiniSpares take the initiative initially as they obviously buy a lot from the importers (apparently there is only one importer for Yokohama in the UK).

And as for the other three, they are stuck on my wheels and abolutely nowhere has got any A008s in stock and no new supply expected until the end of Oct. and I can't push the car around the garage on bare rims (once I get as far as putting the subframes on).....

Looks like I'll be missing the RR day on the 16th.....

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

That one importer is about 5 miles from me, maybe I could go in and ask them?

Paul

I seriously doubt it!

thank fook thats gone now!!!!
doesnt bear thinking about does it?

Yes i moved to the darkside

Instagram @jdm_brett

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

well as Brett said, good job it went now and not on the road

Paul

I seriously doubt it!

Having first looked at the photographs and read the text afterwards, my first impression was that the tyre had been cut with a blade.

I'm very surprised that you could get a clean break like that.

Edited by Paul S on 3rd Oct, 2009.

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

It is very clean, apart from some ragged cords at the top and the 45 degree nature of the failure at the top.

The more I look at it, the more I think it failed top downwards.

But, if so, why did the steel cords in the bead let go too ???

It really needs to be looked at by the manufacturer.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

There not going on to midland wheels, wheels are they?

I run a supercharger and I don't care the TB is on the wrong side.
VEMS + 12 PSI + Liquid Intercooler = Small Bore FUN!

mambas looks at the snaps.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

I wonder if its where the bead is joint?

I run a supercharger and I don't care the TB is on the wrong side.
VEMS + 12 PSI + Liquid Intercooler = Small Bore FUN!

David.

I cant believe that the steel cords in the bead were not cut or abused in some way - I have cut tyres up in the past (to make trailer mudguards) and they are hells own job to cut through the bead. Its high tensile wire and blunts hacksaw blades in no time.

Be very interested to hear what the importers have to say.

i agree,

IMO the fault must be the steel cords,

I have never seen any let go yet in any form of blowout,

any chance of a close up of the steel wires?

Best I can do with my limited camera technology....




Actually very interesting - either that is classic tensile failure (cup and cone ends as shear force dominates) OR it's a whole series of buttwelds.....

Note how they are NOT in a tight bundle at that point.

The only way to be sure would be to cut the rubber back and look at the wire further back but obviously I don't want to do that, I'd rather let the experts see it.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

Thats got to be from over stretching the wires, theres no way they would get all the joins that well lined up even if they wanted to

Paul

I seriously doubt it!