[Inquilab28]

Good to know nothing happened to you guys. Very lucky you two. This is a classic case of high Tyre pressure in my humble opinion. I guess, it was high pressure coupled with hot air in the tyre in the summer afternoon which caused the explosion.
But the behavior of the car doesnt surprise me, have read in other threads in this very forum where tyre burst saw similar reactions from our cars.

[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by Inquilab28

... case of high Tyre pressure in my humble opinion. I guess, it was high pressure coupled with hot air in the tyre in the summer afternoon which caused the explosion...

Under-inflation is the No. 1 cause of tyre bursts :

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/owning...ml#post2955752

[Inquilab28]

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

Under-inflation is the No. 1 cause of tyre bursts :

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/owning...ml#post2955752

Thanks Blue Thunder for correcting me. I was under the wrong impression till now.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by pvkm

The accident cost us thirty six thousand rupees in repairs and half a day. Not a small amount, but a small price to pay for a providential escape. As my wife said, it would have been bad enough had we been hurt in the accident. But it would have been impossible to sleep at night had we been the cause of someone else being hurt.

They say in hindi - sir salamat to pagadi pachas! Good to know that all of you and others around you are safe. Thank almighty for sure. And i echo your words - it would have been lifelong regret if someone else could be victim of this incidence. Nothing much probably you could do, but still living with the burden of having involved in an accident that causes damage to others is unimaginable.

Little OT - I once had an incidence on NH4 while returning from Tirupati on a summer noon. A bullock cart crossing to road was waiting patiently by road side for me to pass and i was cruising with the sped of 100 or so. The closer i reached to cart, bulls got scared with the wind noise and jumped on the road completely out of control of their "driver". Thank almighty, i had spotted a missing guardstone on the right side and no oncoming vehicles. I just took vehicle off road and came back on road after a small left turn. Breaks would have killed either the bulls or us in the car! All passengers were sleeping and didn't realize until we came back on the road after the thud. A 10K bill for taking out the bends under-bonnet thing broken latch. The bulls were live and so did we in one piece.

Miracles do happen. But lesson I have learnt is - there is mostly something we can really do to avoid such things - at least on our part. For example - air pressure, lower speeds, better tyre conditions and being alert on the road!

But we are only humans and so we live to drive!

[pvkm]

Thanks for all the good wishes for what was a very very lucky escape. To respond to some of the queries raised:

1. Speed: I'm a conservative driver and we were traveling at around 80-90 kph. But 100+ is perfectly okay on that lovely road.

2. Tire pressure: Before starting from Bangalore, I'd filled all four tires to the recommended 33 psi. But I found subsequently that the MRF Tyre Center (where I took the car for alignment) recommends that you fill an extra 3 psi for highway driving.

3. Moments before and after the crash: The accident happened in a fraction of a second. I was driving on the right most lane next to the median and felt a 'whoosh' sensation in the rear right tire. That must have been the tire burst. The car instantaneously swerved right and climbed and crossed the median, skidded to the edge of the road on the opposite side, and swung back and hit the median again. The other three tires must have been destroyed during this zigzag. I know I tried to steer the car during the skid but it is impossible to say if I made any difference -- the whole thing happened so fast that there is no time for conscious action. What you do out of instinct is all.

4. Post accident: The Toyota driver test drove the car after fixing the new tires and rims. He found that while everything else seemed fine, there was a slight pull to the right on braking. So we went to an MRF unit nearby and realigned the tires after which everything was hunky dory.

5. My general observation is that the Innova behaved well. Smaller cars might have rolled or toppled. This one stayed grounded throughout.

[pvkm]

Missed responding to a couple of germane queries so here goes:

6. Age and condition of tire: The tires had done about 32,000 km in 5.5 years. Very less, I know, but I use the Innova largely for outstation trips. And I have open parking so age + weather could have weakened the tires.

7. Which brand: Bridgestone, OEM fitted by Toyota.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by pvkm

6. Age and condition of tire: The tires had done about 32,000 km in 5.5 years. Very less, I know, but I use the Innova largely for outstation trips. And I have open parking so age + weather could have weakened the tires.

7. Which brand: Bridgestone, OEM fitted by Toyota.

Thank god for giving you a second life!

Was the car parked/idle for a long time before this trip or in the recent past? Being idle for long time tends to form cracks on the side walls which we may overlook just because the grips are good. In my previous car the grips were good @ around 58K Kms/5 years but there were small cracks. The tyre shop guy strictly asked me not to go on highways or drive consistently @70+ because there is a very high chance of a tyre burst with these conditions. So, just wondering whether you had similar issues?

Do you have any pics captured?

[supercars]

Thanks for sharing this and I am happy that you guys are safe.

I am never going to consider an Innova after reading this as I think it is quiet unsafe vehicle from the way it reacted in an puncture.

I read someone saying that all this must have happened in less than 10 seconds. I would like to tell that this must have all happened in under 5 seconds.

You never add more pressure when going on a Long Highway drive as the pressure will itself go up due to heat.

A small piece of advise is to leave the steering when the car goes out of control to avoid injury to your hands.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by pvkm

Missed responding to a couple of germane queries so here goes:

6. Age and condition of tire: The tires had done about 32,000 km in 5.5 years. Very less, I know, but I use the Innova largely for outstation trips. And I have open parking so age + weather could have weakened the tires.

7. Which brand: Bridgestone, OEM fitted by Toyota.

Did you hit the brakes when you sensed that there was a tyre blow out? If yes, then that's the main reason for the vehicle to go out of control. As soon as you sense a tyre burst at any four corners, put the pedal to the metal-this will ensure that the momentum is kept- and then you can slowly bring the vehicle to the left. I know its difficult to do this . But this is the best solution to keep the vehicle under control during tyre burst!

[jacs]

Originally Posted by pvkm

1. Speed: I'm a conservative driver and we were traveling at around 80-90 kph. But 100+ is perfectly okay on that lovely road.

5. My general observation is that the Innova behaved well. Smaller cars might have rolled or toppled. This one stayed grounded throughout.

Originally Posted by pvkm

6. Age and condition of tire: The tires had done about 32,000 km in 5.5 years. Very less, I know, but I use the Innova largely for outstation trips. And I have open parking so age + weather could have weakened the tires.

7. Which brand: Bridgestone, OEM fitted by Toyota.

Thank god, nothing worse happened to you guys or the passerby vehicles in the busy and fast highway.

Though your tires had ran just 32,000 KMs, 5.5 years is not too less for the terrain of our roads and the ever changing weather. Most recommend changing tires every 3-4 years of use even though not worn out. Does not apply for those who drive point to point on cities but definitely for long and fast drives. And its law in many countries too.

I used to follow this thumb rule for all my cars and my Xylo is also getting its rubbers changed this weekend even before 4 years. Why to take chance?