tire damage
 

here is a webpage i made back when i had a nail in my tire. this shows that even though it looks repairable and good on the outside, you just don't know until you removed it from the rim.

http://tredalign.com/tiredamage.html

Yeah, that tire looks pretty trashed. I wonder how often that sort of damage happens to the runflats in real life?

this wasn't a runflat tire. it was a tire off my 2000 formula back in the day. even running low tire pressure can have the same effect.

Interesting... I've heard of guys lowering the pressure in their rear tires at the drag strips to try to get more traction. Heck, this is a trick people will use for driving in snow and sand, too. Wonder if they are getting any similar damage to those tires.....

In this instance the tire went completely flat. By the time I realized it and got off the road, the damage was done. Lowering tire pressure, or being half flat, doesn't do near the damage in the short term. Over time it can do that kind of damage.

You have to pay attention to short sidewall tires like on our cars. You just can't tell by looking at the tire to see if it is low. Check your tire pressure monthly. Tires naturally lose 1 to 2 pounds a month. Rubber is porous.