A set of FR 710's came as Original Equipment on my '09 Malibu. 215-55-17. Smooth, quiet tire. In 14,000 miles I've had FOUR flats, all from picking up a nail or other road trash. Traveling the same routes I've had zero on my other cars; one has Continental Contac AS, the other Goodyear Eagles. Anyone else have problems like this with their 710's?
Firestone FR 710
- Thread starter 3putter
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32,000 on the Eagles, 48,000 on the Continentals, 14,000 on the 710's.
As hard as it may be to believe, you are a victim of statistics.
There is a 0.03% chance that this was going to happen to someone - and it happened to be you. Put another way, 0.03% = 1 out of 3,164.
There is a 0.03% chance that this was going to happen to someone - and it happened to be you. Put another way, 0.03% = 1 out of 3,164.
I am not sure if Firestones can be considered anything more than rim protectors.
JHZR2
Staff member
My father had similar luck. Depending upon the tread style of the tire, he would or would not pick up nails... It was a very marked difference.
I never understood how people correlated picking up nails with a specific tire being high quality or not.
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
I never understood how people correlated picking up nails with a specific tire being high quality or not.
Indeed.
It's entirely possible for tread design to affect this, but I strongly doubt most people have the means to know when it is happening...
I never understood how people correlated picking up nails with a specific tire being high quality or not.
Indeed.
It's entirely possible for tread design to affect this, but I strongly doubt most people have the means to know when it is happening...
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
I never understood how people correlated picking up nails with a specific tire being high quality or not.
+1. Ignorance really. That and generalizations for or against certain brands.
I usually buy Michelin tires, but I had a blow-out in one before. It was an H-rated Pilot, and a pea-sized hole blew out of the sidewall near the shoulder. It was near instant deflation, but I was rolling from a stop light and had enough time to drive into a parking lot to change it before riding on the rim.
I had a pin stick into the side of a Bridgestone Insignia SE200 before. Shame; made the tire irreparable.
Had a staple in one of the Michelin X Radials on our van. Slow leak that the TPMS caught on to.
The Firestone Indy 500s on my truck haven't had a puncture yet. Luck of the draw.
I never understood how people correlated picking up nails with a specific tire being high quality or not.
+1. Ignorance really. That and generalizations for or against certain brands.
I usually buy Michelin tires, but I had a blow-out in one before. It was an H-rated Pilot, and a pea-sized hole blew out of the sidewall near the shoulder. It was near instant deflation, but I was rolling from a stop light and had enough time to drive into a parking lot to change it before riding on the rim.
I had a pin stick into the side of a Bridgestone Insignia SE200 before. Shame; made the tire irreparable.
Had a staple in one of the Michelin X Radials on our van. Slow leak that the TPMS caught on to.
The Firestone Indy 500s on my truck haven't had a puncture yet. Luck of the draw.
My 3 cars don't have a single flat tire for about 6-7 years, the total mileage of 3 cars during those 6-7 years is more than 150k miles. The last time one of the cars had a flat was about 8-9 years ago, and no flat for about 5-6 years before that. My family and I were very lucky 
For about 10 years EVERY time I bought tires I'd pick up a nail or something within a month of getting them. It was infuriating. Never ruined a tire, and I'd just plug it and go about my life and wear the tires out and buy some more...and get another nail in my new tires again. I just wanted at least a while before they started getting tore up!
Finally broke my streak with the last 2 tires I bought. Yay!
Finally broke my streak with the last 2 tires I bought. Yay!
The first rule about flats is, don't talk about flats.
I had 1 flat tire in 7 years (ran over a board with nails in it)
This year I got a set of steelies and winter tires and hit a giant hunk of metal trash on the road that put a 1.5" cut down the center of the tread.
I think its more likely the winter tire being softer rubber "grabbed" the trash..
I used to run load range E truck tires on my truck I had so many bolts and nails that got stuck in the tread sideways and never punctured...
just luck of the draw and tread design is guess.
This year I got a set of steelies and winter tires and hit a giant hunk of metal trash on the road that put a 1.5" cut down the center of the tread.
I think its more likely the winter tire being softer rubber "grabbed" the trash..
I used to run load range E truck tires on my truck I had so many bolts and nails that got stuck in the tread sideways and never punctured...
just luck of the draw and tread design is guess.
Yep, sometimes stuff just happens. Some days you beat the odds. Somedays the odds beat you.
My personal anecdote, October 2003.
The '94 Prizm has been in my possession for about 6 months now. I pick up a nail in one of the nearly new Goodyears and go to a local tire retailer that sells Goodyear. I buy a replacement and ask about road hazard on it and the other three that are on the car. They say sure we can sell you road hazard. (In hind sight, this was a good purchases, but based on the long terms odds, no not really.)
A day or two later, I'm paged out in a rain storm, and I can't see at an intersection due to the weather and the construction has removed the street lights. So I run over a traffic island and put a hole in the side of my new tire. I call the customer, tell him I'll be late, change the tire, and go to my call.
The next day, I return to the Goodyear store, I get another tire, make an appointment for an alignment, and I'm on my way.
A few days later, but before the alignment, I have another service call, in an area where they are doing construction and I pick up a nail in the other side rear tire. It goes flat in my drive way. I also notice the passenger rear has a bulge on the side.
So the next day, while in for an alignment, I ask them to look at both rear tires. One has a nail and the other a side wall bulge.
So an alignment and two tires later, I'm out of there.
Four tires in 10 days if you've lost count. I made the road hazard pay as I only paid for one tire, the original and got three free replacements.
Would it be a wise bet to bet someone would have four tire incidents in 10 days? Probably not.
But I did.
Sometimes the odds beat you.
My personal anecdote, October 2003.
The '94 Prizm has been in my possession for about 6 months now. I pick up a nail in one of the nearly new Goodyears and go to a local tire retailer that sells Goodyear. I buy a replacement and ask about road hazard on it and the other three that are on the car. They say sure we can sell you road hazard. (In hind sight, this was a good purchases, but based on the long terms odds, no not really.)
A day or two later, I'm paged out in a rain storm, and I can't see at an intersection due to the weather and the construction has removed the street lights. So I run over a traffic island and put a hole in the side of my new tire. I call the customer, tell him I'll be late, change the tire, and go to my call.
The next day, I return to the Goodyear store, I get another tire, make an appointment for an alignment, and I'm on my way.
A few days later, but before the alignment, I have another service call, in an area where they are doing construction and I pick up a nail in the other side rear tire. It goes flat in my drive way. I also notice the passenger rear has a bulge on the side.
So the next day, while in for an alignment, I ask them to look at both rear tires. One has a nail and the other a side wall bulge.
So an alignment and two tires later, I'm out of there.
Four tires in 10 days if you've lost count. I made the road hazard pay as I only paid for one tire, the original and got three free replacements.
Would it be a wise bet to bet someone would have four tire incidents in 10 days? Probably not.
But I did.
Sometimes the odds beat you.
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