[r24x7]

This happened over an year ago and I wasnt a member of TBHP yet then. Hence I'm sharing it here now and trying to understand what the reason was for this occurence.

I was on a two way trip Chennai-Bangalore-Chennai and this happened on way back when I was doing around 80 KMPH after Ambur. All of a sudden there was a medium explosive sound and heavy juddering with smokes emanating from my RR Tyre and this was the picture.



The tyre's thread was found seperated , lying around 5 meters away ( behind ).



The tyres were GOODYEAR GT3 and this happened close to 40K Kms of running.
I did not choose to pursue with the manufacturer for any warranty and moved on with purchasing new set of tyres.

This particular tyre never had a puncture , so no plugs there existing. Tyre had no visible new punctures at first sight.

Still trying to understand why this happened. Need expert opinions here.

a. Is it because the tyre somehow lost pressure and I continued to run this way unknowingly subsequently causing this? Apart from getting installed a TPMS , how does one know while driving if one of the rear tyres are running flat?

I also recollect doing a quick check hour ago at a coffee stop then and tyres were just fine.


b. Or is it a possibility of being a Manufacturing defect?

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by r24x7

...this happened close to 40K Kms of running...
...Is it because the tyre somehow lost pressure... ...how does one know while driving if one of the rear tyres are running flat?
...I also recollect doing a quick check ...

is it a possibility of being a Manufacturing defect?

40K KM of running is pretty much at end of life stage where tyre is already weakened, so manufacturing defect can be excluded. Apart from mileage, any tyre above 5 years old is high risk irrespective of usage.

I recall driving with a rear puncture and the car felt wobbly so its easy to realize it the air is completely lost.

Low pressure in the tyre is the most common cause. Filling air midway during a drive on heated tyres increases the risk of blowout significantly. Air should always be filled on cold tyres.

[r24x7]

Originally Posted by for_cars1

40K KM of running is pretty much at end of life stage where tyre is already weakened, so manufacturing defect can be excluded. Apart from mileage, any tyre above 5 years old is high risk irrespective of usage.

I recall driving with a rear puncture and the car felt wobbly so its easy to realize it the air is completely lost.

Low pressure in the tyre is the most common cause. Filling air midway during a drive on heated tyres increases the risk of blowout significantly. Air should always be filled on cold tyres.

Forgot to mention that the tyres were only 2.5 years old and close to 40KMs of running when this happened.

I usually am observant to wobbles and i couldn't remember any. Anyways will have to be cautious as well going forward. Thanks for the inputs.

[GTO]

Big shoutout to BHPian ManneAtWheelz for sharing this! The Cyberabad Traffic Police shares my article on Twitter:

Link

[VikramCS]

Dear All,

Yesterday (17-Apr-22), while returning to Bangalore, me and my cousin experienced a real scary incident - front right tyre(drivers side) suddenly burst on the highway. We had crossed Davangere on the Bangalore-Pune highway and driving towards Chitradurga. Good things first - i managed to bring the car to left-most lane and stopped safely. Thankfully, we both were safe.
However, in my 15 years of driving, had never even experienced a puncture let alone a burst - i was shocked, but my brother managed to calm me down. We thanked the almighty - it could have easily been fatal since i was doing close to 120, when i suddenly noticed loss of speed and managed to pull left.

My intention of sharing this post is to get a possible convincing explanation about the cause for this...hoping to hear from the esteemed members of this forum. Also, i look forward to get your answers on a few questions.

Scenario:
Mine is Jazz V CVT automatic, driven around 30K kms on stock tires. It's 2016 model and i had bought it used. The car is well-maintained, and, was serviced exclusively at dealerships in Bangalore. There's no accident history or past damage to the vehicle (atleast to the verifiable-extent). Car is still running on stock MRF tyres.

(a) On the day before the return journey, i took an unwise decision to drive to a remote place. Though the place was awesome, for about 2.5 kms, there were no roads - mud, varieties of stones, tree twigs, small-harmless branches etc..but, it was a doable strech for a hatch-back. After covering this place, we returned to homestay which was 135kms away - had no problem at all.

(b) On the day of return, started around 09:30AM, drove for 100-odd kms, refueled and also got air filled setting pressure tp 32PSI ( 1 PSI above recommended pressure). Drove for about 1.5 hours on very good highways, maintaining speeds between 90-120 km/hr , before the incident happened right in the middle of highway. We were about 30kms away from Chitradurga...

Now my questions:
1. I'm very particular about maintaining correct tyre pressure and ensure to maintain 32PSI on all tyres - i do this typically before the start of the journey which is generally the previous day, or, very early morning in the IOC-pump which is less than 1km from my place.
Did the air fill-up activity close to noon-time (11:40AM) after running for 2 hours was a mistake?

2. Is it not correct to fill-up air every-time before a long-journey? I had filled-up before starting from Bangalore. But, again did the same during return. Was it overkill?

3. There were no indications like wobbling, pulling-to-left, unusual rotation, suspension behavior - no sign whatsoever before the incident. How does one know?

4. Is 30K-odd kms too much for the OEM fitted tyres? Aren't they expected to handle atleast 40K kms?

5. Considering the driving conditions like beautiful highways, high-speed driving, hot summers, what precautions can one take.

6. Finally, should i replace all 4 tyres (running on stepney at the moment)? Can i replace just one tyre and be done?

7. What's the best replacement - mine are 175/R15. Should i go for Bridgestone/Yokohama/Michelin? Please advise.

Thank you for patiently reading the whole post.

Regards,
Vikram

[adisan]

Originally Posted by VikramCS

4. Is 30K-odd kms too much for the OEM fitted tyres? Aren't they expected to handle atleast 40K kms?
6. Finally, should i replace all 4 tyres (running on stepney at the moment)? Can i replace just one tyre and be done?

Glad that you were safely able to handle the tyre burst at those speeds.

The age of tyres is a major factor in determining when they should be replaced. The general advice is that tyres should be replaced when they are near 5 years from their manufacturing date - regardless of how many km they have covered. Within that time-frame, the tread wear indicator is a good reference for determining when to replace them. The number of km they lasted for is just a piece of statistic, and never a factor in determining whether to continue using them.

In your case it would be advisable to replace all tyres considering their age.

[Strider24]

So this happened during my ongoing long road trip. While the overall experience so far has been amazing, one tyre blowout experience gave us trouble in the middle of an empty highway.

So finally after driving for nearly 20 years without a single incident, I faced the dreaded tyre blowout at high-speed on a highway.

Here is the dashcam footage of the incident. The brick on the road comes in the video at 0.02 minutes.

https://youtu.be/tuo9vDlirGA

Without panicking, my father stopped the car on the shoulder. I inspected the tyre and got right on to changing it. But the scorching heat at 11.35 am on our head and 42-degree temperature made sure that I was at the least efficient during this process.

In the next 20 minutes, I was only able to loosen the nuts of the affected wheel and lift the car halfway on the jack. The heat was literally draining the energy out of my body. My wife was urging me to call the RSA and not do it myself and my father was waving his hand for help to the few two-wheelers he saw on the road, but they didn't stop.

Contrary to common sense, I was not ready to wait for an hour or so which is the standard response time for RSA and was continuing my efforts to change the tyre (maybe the effect of extreme heat or the typical driver's ego - how can I take help for a trivial task such as changing a tyre!! ).

Just when I was about to give up on my EGO, I saw a red/blue Bolero pickup truck in the distance, IT WAS THE NHAI PATROL Vehicle coming. I waved my hand and they stopped and came out of their vehicle toward us.

After narrating the incident to him, the supervisor instructed his two helpers to do the rest of the work. In the next 10 minutes, they wrapped up the tyre change scene as well as checked the underbody for any other damage caused by the brick.

The supervisor also told me how this is a very common nuisance in this section of the highway because of the following reason. When any vehicle breaks down, the driver will put stones, bricks etc on the road surrounding the vehicle. Once the vehicle recovers, the driver simply moves on without removing the stones and this causes such incidents.

He also told us that on the highway one can dial 1033 for highway assistance, there is one patrol vehicle every 3 km for assistance.



Here are some pics of how this all went down and also the pic of the tyre where it got cut by brick.









While I didn't want to write this as the first story from this epic road trip across Madhya Pradesh on its magnificent highways, sharing it asap so as people can be aware of such nuisance and know about the help available to stranded vehicles.

Details of my incident

Road - NH39
Place- between Chhatarpur and Jhansi, more near to Newari.

Speed when a tyre blew- 100km/h on the speedo, 95km/h GPS speed.

Lesson learnt-

• Always note down the highway assistance number (1033, or usually a mobile number displayed alongside the highway) and call them ASAP if in trouble, then call the RSA
• I am going to keep a small hydraulic jack as well now. Never know when it could come in handy once again.
• Be ready for eventualities on long road trips. Keep calm and choose the best alternative to recover.

Hope this helps.

Further questions

I used the spare tyre and I need to replace it. I don't think the cut on this tyre can be repaired.

I had all 5 tyres of Michelin P3ST, these are not available on market anymore. Also, I am in my native town right now where there is no Michelin dealer available. The nearest is Bhopal and there too, the correct replacement is not available.

Options which I am now considering:

1. Buy a continental cc5 tyre which is the nearest to Michelin in terms of soft compound and low rolling resistance. Use it along with the spare tyre and put them both in the rear (my spare tyre came brand new when I bought this car) and put the best 2 out of 3 Michelin tyres in the front. This was advised by the Continental dealer in Bhopal on call, and also sounds logical to me.

2. I buy a locally available Bridgestone and use it along with a new spare tyre in the front and keep the front right tyre which has around 15k running back in the trunk as spare.

In this option, I need recommendations to choose which Bridgestone model should I choose which has a softer compound and can be paired with the new Michelin P3ST. Also, it is recommended to pair two different brand tyres on the front? Or shall I keep them in the rear?

Currently, both rear tyres have run around 22k km and are in good condition.

A quick recommendation from the above two options or maybe a better alternative is highly appreciated as I have to travel back to Pune in 10 days and I can't risk travelling 1250 km without a spare tyre.

Thanks a lot.

[locusjag]

My 28 month old TUV 300's Apollo Apterra tyres have developed cracks where the road-facing tread meets the sidewall. My car has been mostly unused in the last 2.5 years and has seen very little use (only 4000 km).

The tyres' condition was pointed out to me by the mechanic who was performing wheel alignment on the car. He says that disuse ruins tyres quicker than use does.

I just wanted to leave this post here so that others can be reminded to check their tyres based on their usage levels during the pandemic.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Strider24

Details of my incident
Speed when a tyre blew- 100km/h on the speedo, 95km/h GPS speed.

Lesson learnt-

• Always note down the highway assistance number (1033, or usually a mobile number displayed alongside the highway) and call them ASAP if in trouble, then call the RSA
• I am going to keep a small hydraulic jack as well now. Never know when it could come in handy once again.
• Be ready for eventualities on long road trips. Keep calm and choose the best alternative to recover.

Tyre blowouts can be better controlled with an additional 1-second warning provided by any TPMS system. Having been through 2 blowouts while using TPMS, and 3 incidents without TPMS (luckily never lost control, but almost panicked the first time it happened - I was 22 y.o. then, and driving an Ambassador on the NH2), I can vouch for the fact that TPMS alerts you a second before the car starts to run on the rim - and that is enough for you to lift off from the A-pedal (but not brake), and grip the steering firmly with both hands to keep the car straight on the road. Also, TPMS warns early on about a tyre that is building up too much pressure or temperature, and preventive action can be taken before catastrophic tyre failure.

In short, TPMS is a must-have safety feature for every car.

[sunikkat]

Either the tyre blowout did not impact the car much at 100kmph or your father handled it like a pro by stopping the car calmly. At least from the dashcam hardly could find any impact.
I always thought it will create a panic situation

[Lobogris]

So far I have suffered three serious tyre damage incidents.
The first was in Cuba on a very deserted and dark highway from Cienfuegos to Havana. I was driving a rented Peugeot and the left rear tyre got shredded to pieces. The speed was around 80kmph. There was absolutely no light and I had to replace it just by feeling the nuts. Fortunately it was much easier than what I initially feared. The damage was covered by vehicle insurance.
The second incident was in my Volkswagen Passat on the GT Road in Haryana. Strangely the TPMS didn’t warn me at all. Fortunately I noticed it as I was pulling into a petrol station and they insisted on helping me.
The final one was a week ago on the Noida Greater Noida Expressway in my MG ZS EV. The sidewall received a long gash and about halfway in the journey the TPMS warned me. I was able to slowly drive the remaining 15 kms keeping an eye on the air pressure remaining.

[Shubhendra]

Originally Posted by Strider24

Lesson learnt-

• I am going to keep a small hydraulic jack as well now. Never know when it could come in handy once again.
• Be ready for eventualities on long road trips. Keep calm and choose the best alternative to recover.

This highway is recently built and is a treat to the driver. Being a new highway it does not have any trees nearby for shade. I cover this route once every few months, latest being last week
Dont want to offend but for a person of your age, changing a tyre in a car is not at all difficult even with the OE jack. Practicing that once in a while is really helpful considering this support is not available everywhere. May be heat must have got on you while tryin to change. You can also consider Hydraulic trolley jack, very easy to use.
Coincidently and unfortunately, i had a puncture around 50kms (interior road) to your spot last week while coming from Poona and with wife and young toddler at 1 PM with 44 degree celsius. Although it was definitely not a pleasing experience but it was matter of 15 minutes to change SUV tyre with trailer.

[Strider24]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

Either the tyre blowout did not impact the car much at 100kmph or your father handled it like a pro by stopping the car calmly. At least from the dashcam hardly could find any impact.
I always thought it will create a panic situation

That is true, even I was pleasantly surprised, I would attribute this both to the experience of my father and the rock solid high speed stability of Corolla.

Originally Posted by sierrabravo98

I don't mean any offense but I feel compelled to ask this question. Why was your father straddling both lanes on an almost empty highway? The brick (and the resulting blowout) could have been totally avoided if the driver had chosen one single lane and stuck to it. Or were you merging back into the right lane after overtaking some vehicle in the right lane? If such is the case, then it is understandable. If not, please add this point to the lesson learnt section.

Again, I don't intend to any disrespect but drivers who straddle both lanes on an empty highway simply annoy me more than right lane hoggers. Such drivers force faster moving traffic to lose momentum and attempt dangerous maneuvers to get around the errant vehicle (the lane straddler).

Yes ,you are right. We were driving on this highway first time, it's a newly constructed highway, as it turned out 2 sections of it were still under construction and just before this incident we had encountered people using it as 2 way road. Hence we were driving cautiously in the middle section of road.

There are situations when and where we should modify our driving habits and adapt, this was one of them.

TPMS is present in my car, however you don't need it to detect a tyre burst, once it happen the car would pull towards the side of burst tyre (in my case it pulled towards left side) and any driver would instantly know the situation.

Originally Posted by Shubhendra

This highway is recently built and is a treat to the driver. Being a new highway it does not have any trees nearby for shade. I cover this route once every few months, latest being last week

Dont want to offend but for a person of your age, changing a tyre in a car is not at all difficult even with the OE jack. Practicing that once in a while is really helpful considering this support is not available everywhere. May be heat must have got on you while tryin to change. You can also consider Hydraulic trolley jack, very easy to use.


Attachment 2299118

Apologies, I should have mentioned that I have partial disability in one leg, hence the difficulty in changing tyre. Prior to disability I had good practice. I have ordered the hydraulic jack today.

By the way, you are right, this highway ( & every other highway in MP I drove this month) is a treat to a driver, it shows the quality of work being done by NHAI, thought it has yet to take the test of time and weather.

I would really appreciate if someone could advise on the selection of spare tyre from the two options I have listed or may be suggest a better alternative.

[RGK]

Originally Posted by Strider24

Here are some pics of how this all went down and also the pic of the tyre where it got cut by brick.

My two cents..

To remove the nuts, I usually lay the spanner in a horizontal position, stand on top of it, and apply light pressure.

To loosen the nuts, insert a GI pipe (~1 m length - 1/2 " dia) into the wheel spanner, as long as the pipe does not scratch the wheel mudguard.

It is better to have have WD-40 or Zoric spray. Sprinkle all of the nuts and wait a few minutes before removing them.

[redohabitat]

I commend the way your dad and you behaved in a calm manner, that's rule no.1 when facing a tyre burst From your options that you are thinking of, I'll suggest option 1, simply because it will be the easiest on the pocket. However, connoisseurs/purists won't agree, since the best idea is to always change 4 tyres together.

Originally Posted by Strider24

Options which I am now considering:

1. Buy a continental cc5 tyre which is the nearest to Michelin in terms of soft compound and low rolling resistance. Use it along with the spare tyre and put them both in the rear (my spare tyre came brand new when I bought this car) and put the best 2 out of 3 Michelin tyres in the front. This was advised by the Continental dealer in Bhopal on call, and also sounds logical to me.

2. I buy a locally available Bridgestone and use it along with a new spare tyre in the front and keep the front right tyre which has around 15k running back in the trunk as spare.