If you guys could help I sure would appreciate you help and thoughts... I have had my 550i for 6 weeks and lost 3 tires!! One was a vertical slash through sidewall down into the belts. The 2nd was a 3 inch bolt through the center of the right rear tire, and today and 1/2 screw through the front left.... Ive never had W rated tires before. Are they just so soft they are picking up anything on the road or is someone sabotaging my car? 3 tires in 4 weeks in insane. Ive not had that in the last 500k miles...
(If you need to know they are Dunlap SPPT ONE W rated tires $475.00 each)

 

You're having the worst case of bad luck OR someone is torturing you.

The high performance tires are 'softer' and besides the road they will grab anything else on the road - including things that will ruin a tire. Maybe you're a candidate for wheel and tire insurance! At least that will help ease the financial pain.

Have any other people in your neighborhood had similar tire damage - might be some vandalism going on?

 

I don't think it's a soft tire that's causing it -- soft tires don't attract bolts or things that slash the sidewalls.

What does slash a sidewall aside from vandals and bad luck? Potholes!

Depending on wheel size, the lower profile tires are much less forgiving when they make contact with a pothole. I'm betting the OP's 550 is an LCI sport with the 19" wheels or he's upgraded the factory wheels to something as large or larger...

 

I would start buying tire insurance if I were you.

 

Or some CCTV to keep an eye on it!

 

In the past, I bought tire insurance through Discount Tire. No hassle or fuss using the insurance.

 

A 3" paint scraper! I ran over an object,instant blow-out with slash through the sidewall (in-line with the spokes).Walked back to find the object was a 3" paint scraper.Now,tell me ,how would that tool,flat on the ground,cause that damage? Likewise,it has also puzzled me why screws and nails can enter the tread at almost 90 degrees!Do you think that the steel belts become magnetised and cause a screw or nail to "lift" on impact?

 

I would suspect somebody got belly ache at your latest acquisition......
I would try to undertand if the circumstances were similar or there is a pattern.
Human hands!!!! ( or unhuman...really)

 

 

wow that sucks.. i too have a slash in my rear tire down to the belts as well.. i have insurance though and they are replacing it. if i hadnt removed the tires i would have never seen it cause it was on the flat surface.. it honestly looks like a defect in the tire.. they are also replacing a bubble in the front tire. seems to happen to my tires alot(bubbles). ive got my moneys worth with the insurance for sure, but its a pain in the ass regardless.