Did I ruin a tire/21” turbine wheel?

[mach.89]

Looking for advice from this awesome Tesla community, instead of/before taking it into service to have my tire looked at.

I’m not sure when this occurred as I just noticed today when I was washing my car. It’s a small bulge on my rear right wheel, it’s almost hard to see. Is something I need to take care of right away? Is it likely rim or tire damage? Looks like tire damage but what do i know! Ugh- maybe I should consider myself lucky it’s my first issue with 21” wheels in 9000 miles of driving my car.

Thanks in advance from any of you with 21” damage experience!

 

[jschwefel]

I had a similar situation a couple of months ago, although the bulge in mine may have been slightly worse. I had it replaced at the recommendation of the tire shop I purchased it from. They prorated the cost, so replacing it was relatively painless. Regardless, you wouldn’t want to take any chances. There wasn’t any damage to my rim, and based on your pictures, you’re probably fine as well. Look it over carefully though. Good luck.

 

[KyleDay]

It looks like a defective tire to me (ignorant guy here) and maybe they'll replace it under warranty

 

[rudngo]

Unfortunately that is the result of hitting a pothole or something similar. The bulge is from broken bands in the tire. You will need to replace it to be safe.

 

[mach.89]

Great, thanks for all the replies, much appreciated guys. I figured it was from a pothole or something. Ugh. Beginning to lean back towards my old 19" wheel experience.

 

[bkp_duke]

Tire for sure is bad. You won't know about the rim until the tire is dismounted and someone checks it on a balance machine.

 

[ChicagolandMX]

That's from the sidewall being pinched between the wheel and pavement, probably a pothole. Because the sidewall profile is low on 21" tires this is and will continue to be a problem. As someone already mentioned, the reinforcement has been damaged and a hernia is showing. Double check the other tires (most common on passenger side) especially on the inner wheel side where they can go unnoticed.

 

[Don85D]

I had this same issue with early run flat tires on BMW 10years ago. The thick side wall and low profile tire would not withstand pot hole hits. The only good news is that it was a run flat tire so even if air was lost through this bulge in the side wall I considered the tire to be safe enough. For a non RFT I would replace the tire.