Well it sounds like the issue was the tire coming apart. A 10 year old tire finally gave up. Good you got it fixed and aligned. We should all examine our tires. Old tires can come apart. It's hard to justify replacing them when they still look new.
Believe me I learned that lesson. Master craft actually gave me $800 even though they were obviously out warranty. I can’t wait to replace these BFGs. I don’t really care for them.