Avon Storm have soft underbellies

sprint_st · Jul 2, 2007

FJRocket said:
I certainly would NOT run a Storm until you see the cord (are you listening SkooterG?!). Chances are extremely good that you will easily get a puncture or multiple "micro leaks" like dcarver.
Looks like when the Storm gets to just a ways above the wear bars, it's time to be changing them, not just thinking about it and trying to eek the last few miles out of them. Man, that tread sure went away fast.

Got 3.3K on the rear and it hit the wear bars at 2.9K. On Friday da plan WAS to run to the chord. Today da plan IS to get new rubber on there.

This is a follow up after changing the tire. I will not buy another Storm, PERIOD!!! I had a Strada go to the chords at 4.3K when I had expected at least 5K and a Z6 at 4.8K when I thought it would be well over 5K too. Both of them exhibited accelerated wear in the last 1K. They also had steel belts which were pretty substantial even when the chord was showing. I've got my stock BT020 at 3.3K of wear, not close to the wear bar and it is stiff, plenty stiff in the bottom. The Storm feels like an old, well worn pair of slippers. It's hard to explain this but they just feel "thin." Also, you can look on the inside and see a pattern that looks like an open cell matting. These guys may be like Superman's shirt but I'm old school and they just don't inspire confidence. I'm going to replace the front tire tonight and when I do I'm going to break out the angle grinder and cut a cross section of the Storm. I'll post some pics if they don't look like a well digger's butt at midnight on a moonless night.

When you feel the inside of the Storm, you will totally understand why guys get the multi-puncture event. In fact, you'll start having visions of what could happen just running over some gravel.

dcarver · Jul 4, 2007

FJRocket said:
I'm going to replace the front tire tonight and when I do I'm going to break out the angle grinder and cut a cross section of the Storm. I'll post some pics if they don't look like a well digger's butt at midnight on a moonless night.

Hey, great idea, I'd love to see pix of that.

FJRocket · Jul 4, 2007

sprint_st said:
In fact, you'll start having visions of what could happen just running over some gravel.

That may be all that happened to my tire... just "gravel". Although some of that gravel may well have been sharp granite from the Rockies. Doesn't really matter. Below the wear bars I wouldn't trust the rear in my driveway with white rock.

One of the two holes in my tire appeared to be a puncture, the other was really tiny and a slow leaker. Sorry I didn't get a pic of them before plugging them. I did take a pic of the plugs and what was left of the tire.

Thin is right, too. I don't recollect what the inside felt like, but when the tire was flat, the flattened portion of the tire felt like a toy balloon, not a super strong belt. Smitty said he'd felt many a tire like that, so maybe that doesn't mean anything.

I do have to admit, though, that the FRONT tire has held up exceptionally well. With almost 8K on it now, the front tire is round, not cupped, has plenty of tread and still feels decent straight up and laying it way over.

sprint_st · Jul 7, 2007

As promised earlier, I cut the Storm to get a cross section. The pic above shows the tire with a wear bar dead center that is well worn into the grove on both sides.

This is what the inside looks like.

This is the cross section. This is not the thinest spot but 5mm thick on one side and 4mm thick on the other. The actual center is to the right side above the letters on the bucket I took the pick on. This guy is very soft in the center but the sidewalls are stiff and hard. Notice that the chords are longitudinal with nothing going cross tread.

I start the Shinko Raven testing today.