Sidewall bulge. Good to go or get a new tire?

[CapriRacer]

@CapriRacer can probably give a pretty informed opinion on that.

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

The vehicle is at least a year old. The tires have 4500 miles on them. This type of bulge should have been noticeable almost immediately after delivery of the vehicle. This type of bulge could have happened due to an impact.

Is the bulge excessive? Yes!

Is the bulge in danger of getting worse? No!

What is likely to happen at the tire dealer? Warranty denied. The tire is too old and the condition was likely caused by an external event.

But there is no harm in trying.

 

[dadto2]

My 2005 Colorado came from the factory with General tires of some sort... And eventually all 4 of them had those same bulges. That turned me off to Generals, I have avoided them ever since.

 

[Mac0079]

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

The vehicle is at least a year old. The tires have 4500 miles on them. This type of bulge should have been noticeable almost immediately after delivery of the vehicle. This type of bulge could have happened due to an impact.

Is the bulge excessive? Yes!

Is the bulge in danger of getting worse? No!

What is likely to happen at the tire dealer? Warranty denied. The tire is too old and the condition was likely caused by an external event.

But there is no harm in trying.

I will give the warranty route a shot. Not sure if it makes a difference, but the tire was manufactured in November, 2024. The truck was purchased that same month. Thank you for your input.

 

[CapriRacer]

I will give the warranty route a shot. Not sure if it makes a difference, but the tire was manufactured in November, 2024. The truck was purchased that same month. Thank you for your input.

Ah ...... Hmmmm .....

You bought a 2024 Model Year truck in November 2024 - during the 2025 Model Year? And the tire was made in Nov 2024? That changes everything!! That makes the tire very likely to be covered by warranty. Call their 800 number before you do anything. It will likely improve the entire process.

 

[Mac0079]

Ah ...... Hmmmm .....

You bought a 2024 Model Year truck in November 2024 - during the 2025 Model Year? And the tire was made in Nov 2024? That changes everything!! That makes the tire very likely to be covered by warranty. Call their 800 number before you do anything. It will likely improve the entire process.

Affirmative to both questions. I will give General a call. Thank you!

 

[Eddie]

I believe the bulge is where the belt ends overlap so it is not a fault. Ed

 

[CapriRacer]

I believe the bulge is where the belt ends overlap so it is not a fault. Ed

Just to be clear, the belts are 100% under the tread, and this bulge is 100% in the sidewall, so it's a problem in the plies - specifically a "spread cords" problem, not a ply overlap (usually called a splice) problem.

 

[zzyzzx]

I thought that this was pretty normal for truck tires.

 

[meep]

I wouldn’t drive on it, maybe swap it with the spare if there’s some idea that it’s “ok.”

 

[Mac0079]

Update on the issue. I had to go through a GM dealership to make the warranty claim to General. After two weeks of waiting for an answer, General agreed it was a defect and are providing a new tire. Thank you all for your input.

 

[tiger862]

From what I was told when I bought a different brand tire but same bulge, it was where tires are put together and normal. I went walking in a parking lot and noticed at a high rate of vehicles had this same bulge. I sold car with theses tires on it for 7 years. Only flats were from nails.