The past few weeks of driving, i've noticed what feels almost like a softer rear end on my car. Ive been playing around on the roads a lot more lately (when i have the opportunities), and while im enjoying the feeling of the rear end slipping around the corners, its got me thinking and starting to worry. And today, when getting out, i noticed what I would call a "dimple" in the sidewall of both my rear tires. I havent checked the fronts yet, but perhaps they have it as well. I pushed on the dimple a little bit, and it seemed as though it was softer than the rest of the sidewall. Ive got the stock tires which are Continental ProContact Touring tires and i've only got about 20K on the car and them. I guess what id like to know, is this normal? Is this something covered under a tire warranty or is this something that would be a result of the driver over stressing the tire ? Am i gonna need new tires?

post a picture. does it go all the way around the tire or just in one spot on each?

if they were run hard when they were low on air it can cause a "heat ring" which is where the sidewall gets overheated and the tire destroys itself. on those tires the sidewall gets soft and when you dismount it rubber dust and shrapnel is everywhere inside the tire aka runflat damage.

ill get a picture tomorrow... but i only noticed the dimple in one spot on each tire. Tire pressure would be no more than maybe a pound low at the most. I checked the pressure as soon as i noticed the "soft" feeling. Unless i should be running a higher pressure than whats given on the door sticker which is 30psi (i always thought 35psi was the number). The most would be running em hard when they are cold...

does it go from the bead all the way to the tread? when you reach to the back sidewall at the same spot is it there too?

if so its a seam where the belts come together. that would be normal. its caused because the tire is actually stronger in that spot due to the overlap of belts, and when you fill it up with air it holds its shape better than the rest of the tire.

most times with tires dimple= ok, and bubble= bad. but yes show me a picture so i can tell you for sure. also like i said check to see if the same dimple is on the back sidewall too....

are lil cracks ok on tires ,derek from your joliet store said its common and it was no threat