Polestar 2 tyre challenges

My understanding of cars is pretty limited. I have done bits and pieces with electrics before including fitting stereo and reversing camera on my Skoda Fabia, but problem solving is normally best left to someone else in my experience. It’s not that I can’t do it, but it’s another thing to learn and there is only so much time in the world to learn something I’m going to use infrequently. It doesn’t mean I am completely oblivious to the common problems arising with my car, though.

You put soundproofing in hotel rooms. Why not put it in tyres? That was the question Michelin asked, and in unison Polestar 2 owners are shouting “because it falls off!”. The separation of the acoustic foam inside tyres isn’t a new issue, and it’s one I expected a Halfords garage to be aware of. I am not a tyre expert, in case you were wondering. I know very little about the rubbery things that keep me from driving off the A38 into a ditch, but I can read. And write (kind of).

During a drive up to Exeter last week I noticed something odd about the car. As I accelerated up to 60 mph (the new reduced speed limit on the A38 as it runs through Plymouth) the car suddenly began to rumble. The steering wheel was giving a bit of a jerk too. I looked more closely at the road surface in case it was damaged or particularly rough. It wasn’t. As soon as I left the limits of Plymouth, I sped up to 70 mph and the problem disappeared. Any time I dropped speed though, the rumbling returned. Specifically between 50 and 70 mph. How odd, I thought.

I was peripherally aware of the foam issue from the Facebook PS2 owners group, but it was the first significant issue I had with the car. I was desperately hoping it was related to the tyre, as a mechanical issue would be tougher to deal with. Then the low pressure warning came on screen, necessitating a stop at a less than ideal garage along the dual carriageway.

I made my way from tyre to tyre in the wind and rain, checking the pressure and inflating as necessary. All the tyres pressures were equal and appropriate. I got back in and reset the pressure, then rejoined the road. Not long after there was another pressure warning. Something was going wrong with the tyre, but it wasn’t a pneumatic issue.

I made an appointment through the leasing company website which is limited as far as options go. It’s “worn” or “punctured”. There’s no “weird rumble and car warning” option. I dropped the car off at the busy garage and tried to explain the situation.

“They’ve sent a tyre. Says it’s worn.”

“Yes, but I didn’t have an option for weird rumble and car warning.”

“They’ve sent a tyre though.”

“The problem is a rumble between 50 and 70 mph, and I think it might be acoustic foam related.”

“It won’t be the tyre.”

I leave the keys and head to the library, then out for the day. The call comes in from the garage.

“You were right! It was the foam!”

Don’t act so surprised. I may not be a mechanic, but I can read, and it’s slightly worrying that I am more aware of a widespread problem affecting EV tyres than someone changing tyres every day.

Baking and Cooking

While acoustic foam has absorbed some of my time, there has been plenty of cooking and gaming too. I made two batches of overnight rolls (with the help of a five year old) this past weekend, and french onion soup with homemade chicken stock. I am conflicted, though. The soup is delicious, but the sheer amount of onion chopping and the whole house-permeating smell is enough to make me reconsider making it again for a while. We didn’t have Gruyère for the croutons so I used Ossau-Iraty instead, which worked well. Just don’t ask me to pronounce it. The recipe for the soup was from Love & Lemons.