Tires: TIRE FAILURE, radial tires, tire failure

Question
I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR YOU REGARDING STEEL BELTED RADIAL TIRES ON A CROWN VICTORIA 2WD. MAINTENANCE RECORDS ON THIS TIRE SHOWS THAT IT WAS PLUGGED 4 TIMES. THERE WAS NO MENTION IN THE RECORDS OF REMOVING THE TIRE FOR PATCHING OR BALANCING. THE STEEL TRACKING WAS VISIBLE TO THE EYE AND THE TREAD DEPTH WAS APPROXIMATELY 1/16 TH OF AN INCH. IS IT TYPICAL THAT A TIRE IN THIS CONDITION WOULD RUN A HIGH RISK OF TREAD SEPARATION? THE SEPARATION IN THIS TIRE WAS IN THE AREA OF THE 4 PLUGS. IS IT YOUR OPINION THAT THIS TIRE WAS RUN UNDERINFLATED? WOULD TEMPERATURE OF THE PAVEMENT OR SPEED OF THE VEHICLE CONTRIBUTE TO THE SEPARATION? SHOULD THIS TIRE HAVE BEEN ON THE ROAD?


Answer
Donna,

 Without seeing the tire it's hard to say what may have caused any irregular wear.  As for the plugs, the ONLY approved method of repair for radial tires is a patch/plug combination.  Many factors can contribute to tread separations in a tire.  The most important factor is the age of the tire.  The DOT, typically located near the bead of the tire, will provide you with this information.