[Passiautonate]

MRF Nylogrip (stock) on my Fiesta 1.4, 3 yrs old have covered 40k, should I change? Tyres are not showing any visible sign of ageing with full tread. Occasional punctures are bit of problem but that was always the same.

This car is used by my wife and recently when I was out of station, she got a tube installed (in a tubeless tyre) after recommendation from a mechnaic after puncture.

Your advise would be highly appreciated.

Thanks,
Maddy

[Danindica]

We were traveling to Goa from Hyderabad in the XETA (petrol Indica) and were on the NH4 between Kohlapur and Belgaum when the front right tyre blew out at a little above 120.

The huge sound and the exposed steel made me think the worst but we just had to change the tyre which, by the way, was 69,780 kms old

The car stayed absolutely straight and I had to do nothing to keep it from veering off towards the right (affected side). The "blast" did make the plastic wheel arch(exterior) lining the wheel well come out of its struts but it only needed pushing back in.

However, the tyre did not blow up without any prior warning. While all the tyres had become really hard, in the last two minutes up to the "blast" this particular one was making a peculiar "bouncing and flapping" noise on the bitumen - I guess I should have slowed down.

So, had to drive slowly till Belgaum and stop to buy a new tire (had a nearly unused 4yr old stepney) to be able to continue to Goa. Later on bought two more at the Bridgestone Select on the Mandovi and replaced the remaining two. Did speeds of over 140kmph driving back with no issues.

Wish to thank God for this not happening in the night preceding the morning on which the tire blew. And of course, will change this set at 40,000 (as recommended).

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[thoma]

This is a very informative thread. Thanks GTO. I was always wondering how it could be when a tire bursts. We just can't test it out in person, right? The videos you provided helped to get a feel on how the car could behave when a tire bursts. On how much force one can expect to apply to keep the steering from veering away.

The thread is an eye opener to keep both your hands on the steering wheel. There was a mention in the user manual of the Chevrolet Beat, to keep your left hand off the gear lever while driving. I was ever wondering why Chevrolet would say that. Does it affect the gear lever? Or is it mentioned for safety reasons? But then they could have asked to keep both hands on the steering, if safety was the concern. Anyway, I need to change my habit of resting my left arm off the gear lever and away from top of the hand brake.

It is also required not to hit the brakes hard, in case of a blowout, though it is difficult to resist the natural response.

If the steering is left on its own, or if the brakes are slammed, I'm sure either the vehicle will be sitting in the next lane or will topple.

[Gansan]

^^It would be good if someone provides simulator training for these kind of dicey situations. I would happily pay for it.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Gansan

^^It would be good if someone provides simulator training for these kind of dicey situations. I would happily pay for it.

Good Thought Sir,

I was on my way to work and collecting my car from the service. So the formalities took a little time so thought to casually visit the Maruti Driving School. While walking was reading this thread and thought why not ask the instructor this question and ask what he replies to it.

To my shock he says " Saar, Don't panic just see what is in front and rear of you and pull the handbrake to get the car to stop faster and safely"

I didn't know what to tell him and politely told a Thank you and left from there.

Professional instructors in Maruti Driving School I must say!

[Gansan]

^^ Hmm...! And it is supposed to be one of the better driving schools with "well informed" instructors!

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by thoma

I was always wondering how it could be when a tire bursts. We just can't test it out in person, right?

Oh you can, though would you want to is another question. I once drove a car from Kerala to Chennai where one of the tyres was in a sorry state and I had a feeling it might blow out. So reduced speed to ~60kmph and near Chengalpattu it did blow out. Low speed driving and the fact that I was expecting the problem, meant that it was as simple as moving to the side of the road, changing the tyre and driving off.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Low speed driving and the fact that I was expecting the problem, meant that it was as simple as moving to the side of the road, changing the tyre and driving off.

And how was the steering like? Did you had to apply extra force to keep the car in a straight line? I guess the rim didn't touch the road and the car was still on some rubber. It definitely is a different ball game when we are caught unawares. Even people, those who have not experienced it before, tend to panic and make mistakes when the ABS kicks in.

Which car? UV or sedan? Power steering? Just for info.

[supremeBaleno]

Steering did get a bit hard, but it was not really much effort to get the car to the side. The problem comes at high speeds when we are caught unaware.
It was in 1998 on a 1985 M800 (no PS) running ModiContinental tyres that the car came shod in from factory and which had run about ~40K kms.

[BinFord]

Originally Posted by GTO

Other Important Points:

• If your car pulls to the left or right side and the steering has gotten heavier, either of the front tyres has burst. The direction that the car pulls in is the side of the damaged tyre. On the other hand, if your car weaves, a rear tyre has blown. Again, don’t brake. It can lead to your car fishtailing.

• Always drive with both hands on the steering wheel. It’s difficult to control the car in an emergency situation if you have only one hand on the wheel (and the other holding a coffee cup).

• Understand that your car will behave very differently with a blown tyre. Effectively, the vehicle now has only 3 contact patches with the road (instead of 4). Any sharp inputs (steering, brake, accelerator) must be avoided.

• If you drive an SUV or MUV, the probability of a rollover is extremely high. SUVs also have a greater chance of losing stability and steering control. Maintaining a conservative cruising speed is recommended.

• Rubber parts or a broken wheel could have damaged other components of your car. Have a mechanic thoroughly check your car before fitting the spare wheel and driving away. If the extent of damage is severe, call for a tow truck. Most car manufacturers & expressways offer road side assistance now.

• The situation worsens if the roads are wet. It’s best to maintain a lower driving speed in the monsoons. On the flip side, the odds of an overheating tyre are also lesser in rain or cold weather. Click here to view our article on safe driving in the monsoon season.

• Above all, try to remain as calm as possible. You shouldn't panic and you certainly shouldn't overreact. In most cases, but not always, a tyre burst is accompanied by a blast sound or a loud pop.

Reflex action and mental stability is the key point here. As you said 90% of people will panic in this situation.

[Harshal.Bhosale]

Originally Posted by GTO

• Don't abruptly take your foot off the accelerator. Do it slowly & gradually. In fact, Michelin recommends that you maintain accelerator input momentarily, before releasing it slowly. The deceleration force from a blown tyre is so strong that your car will anyway slow down rapidly. If you have engaged cruise control, be sure to disengage it immediately.

Informative thread. !

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8znCgvHMb-g

In this video by crashforensics, they recommend pressing the accelerator and increasing speed until you regain total control, and then easing off the accelerator pedal and coast to a slow speed; gently touching the brake pedal only once you reach about 30kmph. This (pressing the accelerator immediately upon loss of control) is helpful/highly recommended regardless of whether the front tyre goes bust or the rear. Its very counter-intuitive, slamming on the accelerator rather than the brakes, but its the difference between safety and a potentially serious accident.

Although this video was with regard to trucks, the physics involved can't be different in case of any type of vehicle. Its rather long though (7-8mins).


EDIT: Just found out that this link has been posted earlier in this thread. Anyway, can't hurt the chances of more people seeing the link and watching the video!

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by Danindica

We were traveling to Goa from Hyderabad in the XETA (petrol Indica) and were on the NH4 between Kohlapur and Belgaum when the front right tyre blew out at a little above 120.

The Kolhapur - Belgaum stectch has a lot of cemented roads. Did this happen on the cement road or normal tar road?

Originally Posted by Danindica

Did speeds of over 140kmph driving back with no issues.

You had a tire blow out at 120 kph on the onward journey and on the return journey you did speeds of 140 kph???

[TheARUN]

I had an experience of a tyre burst a few weeks ago

- Was on my BULLET on the ring-road, 3 laned dual carraigeway and was carrying a pillion
- Was doing 100 plus on a straight stretch, I faintly remembered hearing the blow out, it was the rear tyre
- The bike immediately started swaying violently, thank God the pillion sat tight without doing anything dramatic and put his life in my hands
- I knew we were going to fall since the swaying was getting into a pattern now and it was like a roller-coaster ride. I did not accelerate or brake, just concentrated on keeping the bike up and counter balancing the swaying forces
- It was such a scene, the vehicles coming behind me stopped and everyone was looking at what I was doing
- Things were happening in slow motion and the bike slowly stopped and I was able to get 2 feet on terra-firma

Thank God I escaped without a scratch, and have never crossed 50 on my BULLET since then. Also, now have 2 brand new MRF tyres front and back

Upon inspection later, what I found was that the rear tube lost its neck, the neck got cut off for some reason, realsing all that air suddenly and causing the burst

[supremeBaleno]

^^^Given that a blowout while driving a car itself is scary, shudder to think how it would be on 2 wheels.

Yesterday while checking/filling air in the Baleno's tyres, I found a screw embedded to it's head in the front right tyre. Was not sure whether to let it be or risk a puncture trying to remove it. Finally pulled it out with a plier to see that it was one of those ~1/2 inch screws used inside the car to keep the plastic panels in place. Was initially surprised that
such a long screw did not reach & puncture the tube - possibly because this was embedded at the side/edge of the tyre.

I have been filling 2-3 psi more than manufacturer recommended figures for our cars for a long time, though I admit I was not aware of the benefits mentioned in this article like avoiding flex/wear of sidewalls which helps avoid tyre-bursts. It was for different reasons :

1) I like tyres to look round (perfect donut) and hate the sunken/flattened look you get when tyres are under-inflated.

2) In our M800, a little extra air in the front-tyres, makes the non-PS steering a wee bit easier to manoeuvre. Helps especially since it's my sister who mostly uses it.

3) An under-inflated sunken tyre gives me the mental picture of more friction / rolling-resistance, waste of fuel, lesser FE, slowness etc etc.

The disadvantage is a stiff ride which is most observed in my Baleno since it is almost always only me in this car.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by GTO

Reducing the odds of a Tyre blowout:

A few thoughts/questions on the topic:

1. Run-flats/Self-supporting tyres are normally panned for compromising ride quality, higher costs etc. But are those actually life-savers in a tyre-burst situation?
2. Does the safety systems like ASR/TCS compensate for the non-availability of ESP?
3. Will system like TPMS be of any help in mitigating/alerting on a possible tyre-burst?