Tire Concerns: What is a flatheaded tire?
Flathead pickup
My car was running fine when I put it on a car carrier on a move from Massachusetts to Chicago.
When it arrived in Chicago 2 days later, as soon as I drove it over 20 miles an hour, I noticed a problem that seemed to be coming from the rear end. I took it to the dealer who said I had 2 tires that were flat-headed, and needed to be replaced. No problems before the transport -- problems immediately after.
Could the transportation have caused or contributed to the problem? The mechanic said it can be caused by driving hard with the emergency brake on, but we never did that.
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Editorial Comment:
I've never heard the term flat-head used in reference to tires and have not been able to find any reference to it anywhere on the internet.
I've heard of tires being deformed because of undue weight or pressure placed on them when they were in storage or when they are being transported, unmounted.
Also, it is possible for a severe braking action, or possibly driving a vehicle with a tire with a locked brake to severely wear the tread on one area of a tire, but this would likely be very evident even in looking at the tire.
Perhaps something was done while the vehicle was in the hands of the transportation company that might have caused this, but simply transporting a vehicle isn't likely to cause this kind of problem.
TG