how fast do you typically drive? i think the stock tires on the 18" rims are only rated up to like 95mph.. going overly fast could lead to them coming apart faster... when i bought my vx it had duelers on it that were bald .. i couldve mistaken them for racing slicks haha.. so i just replaced them with the same thing.. kinda makes me nervous.. but like anita said, ive never heard of that happening to another VXer