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-   -   360 spin in swift after tyre burst - Phew!!! was close!!! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/45785-360-spin-swift-after-tyre-burst-phew-close.html)

This incident happened almost 3-4 months back sometime in April 08 on the way to Pondicherry. If I think of it now I shudder about that day and how lucky I was to get out of it unscathed. It was peak summer time. Just before leaving from Bangalore filled up 36 in the front tyres and 33 in the rear as mentioned on the sticker (I run the swift ZXI tyres and alloys on my VDI) for recommended tyre pressure at the shell fuel pump on Hosur road.

Totally a group of 20 people from work were travelling together. My swift VDI, a M800, a UVA and a Tavera. Left in the morning around 10am towards Krishnagiri. The road was good and heated up and my car with 5 adults and luggage compartment fileld to the brim and also the fuel tank. Did 140-150 on the awesome highway before Krishnagiri. The car felt really stable. After take a deviation and the Expressway changes to a 2 lane highway lined with trees. Travelled for close to 50-80 kilometers and stopped to have lunch at a dhaba. Have luch and the entire gang leaves. I am leading the pack and some 2-4 kilometers before a town named Chengam the road travels straight for a couple of kilometers and I hit the gas the am doing close to 100-110kmph and then the road curves to the right. Mungaru Malhe sound track playing in the background with the AC running at 3 speed.....

I slow down to 80-90 to take the curve...As I approach the curve I see a bus coming from the opposite direction also taking the curve..I move to extreme left of the road on the edge of the asaphalt to take the right curve...the bus passses by on the curve and there is another bus some 300 feet away and it happens!!!!

Its around 3.50 pm....I find no grip in the front wheels. The rear of the car travels left and I am headed straight for the oncoming bus...to avoid the bus I pull the steering towards the left...the car does a 360 then heads towards a tree on the left of the road and as the car runs of the asaphalt hits a bump on the road which in turn changes the path of the car and misses the tree and stops on the left side of the road after the tree on a slope which is covered by thorny bushes...Phew!!!!

The entire Incident from taking the turn and car coming to a halt after the 360 happened in 8-10 seconds...the point from the curve to the place where the car halted was about 200-250 feet. The second bus after seeing the car loose control braked really hard and I could see skid marks later on of the bus which was almost 15 feet.

The car stopped with the Mungaru Malhe sound track playing in the background...everybody is silent.. me and the front passenger were wearing seat belts..the car is slightly tilted towards the left as its stopped on a slope...I switch off the engine. Mind is completely blank and I can feel my heart beat throught my body.. I get out of the vehicle to check the damage...cannot get out of the left side as its full of thorny bushes. the others get out. I see all the passengers from the bus come running towards the car to check if anything has happened to the passengers. everybody is relieved to see us safe.The bus driver tells me he saw the front right tyre burst...My mind is still blank. I donno what is happening around. Finnaly the other guys from my group travelling in the other cars stop. I assess the damage to the card...the car is covered with red dust coz of the spin..I see a deep cut on the front right tyre wall... the left front tyre is also deflated and the car is resting on the front left alloy...the running board on the left is dented, all the mud flaps broken and a dent undeneath the front bumper.. Some cops who happened to passby arrive and take a look and speak to some people around. Then they go on there way.. Cannot move the car at all..Close to 20 people trying to push the car back on to the road. Stop a truck who has ropes with him.. Tied it to the rear axle and pulls the car out effortlessly...Then we left the car up with jacks and remove the front wheels off...I get the spare wheel installed on the front right while the other deflated left front is taken for repair to the nearest town (Chengam)..The tyre just got deflated and had to be filled with air..put the tyres back and leave the place towards Pondicherry around 5.30 pm. I find a grinding noise on the front right tyre and a slight vibration in the steering wheel..then we complete Pondycherry without any issues with the car and come back to Bangalore. Gave the car for servicing to Mandovi where I get the car repaired under insurance...Running board dent removed..Front bumper replaced and the front right wheel bearing replaced which was causing the grinding noise. Now the car is back up and running as before.. Contacted JK tyres and took the tyre to one of thier offices...they examined the tyre and after a lot of arguments and convincing they offered me a discount of 1k on the new tyre..Bought another JK for 2k (3k - 1k).

I guess that was my luckiest day till date.. Maybe I should have rushed to a lottery shop and got a couple of lottery tickets. I sure would have hit the jackpot!!!

Both front wheels bursting just like that? Or are you saying that air simply escaped without a puncture?? Usually means some problem with the valve in the tube.

Any reason you do not suspect nails / sabotage on the road?

Swift has OE fitment of tubeless tyres. Since it's alloy wheels he's riding maybe the tyre flexed too much to get the air to escape via sidewalls. 'coz there was no external damage to tyre or rim.

If this happens to be true, its really scary. Since the tyres and alloys were OEMs, this could happen to anybody. Is its a shortcoming of tubeless tyres? Or has it alloys play the role??

Whew - that was scary - I got goose bumps reading the episode. Thank God all of you escaped safely.

But could this be the reason of the burst ?

My two cents - must fill 2 to 3 psi less than reccommended during summers and on long distance, because due to continuous friction the tyre temperatures raise thus increasing the pressure.

The recommended tyre pressure on my Swift ZXi is 29, front and back. I think on a VDi the pressure should not be more than 2-3 psi than this in the front. Besides, tyre pressure could increase by another 2-3 psi if left under hot sun.

Tyre bursts in tubeless tyres are not so dramatical. Once I had a puncture and I didn't realize it for a full 2 km and only after somebody pointed it out.

Whem, that really was a close one!

Good to know that nothing more happened - yes, you were very lucky that day! :)

As GD said, 36 psi on the front is too much and that too with 5 adults and travelling during mid-day. The mixture of these would have done it. And yes, the breaking point might have been the gravel / stones on the road.

Well, alls well that ends well. Drive safe mate!

guys and also the air pressure that we fill in petrol bunks vary from bunk to bunk

once i filled 29 air pressure in my swift (which is running on 16 inch alloyes 50 profile) in one petrol bunk,but i felt the ride became harsh so got it checked at other bunk which shows 35 dame i was shocked.

Tyre pressures also change when you check them in heated state. Best bet would be to check air pressure when the tyres are cold with minimal running. Also the experts here have always recommended to have 2/3 psi lesser than normal when you are doing highway runs as the heat in the tyres tend to be more on account of longer and consistently higher speeds than city drives.

OT: Does anyone recommend Nitrogen filled air as a safer bet especially for tubeless & alloys

@Dream : Good to hear that you were safe after what looks like a close shave. The entire stretch between Krishnagiri and Tindivanam has some lovely curves. There is one curve which is between Krishnagiri & R S Mathur on this stretch which ends on a bridge, this one goes on and on, during my last visit I had seen barricades before the curve to prevent accidents, a good thing to do.

That was really a scary incident. Goodness Gracious, you escaped un-hurt.

These type of accidents can be termed as freak ones as we have no clue of a tyre bursting just like that.

I am not sure where you got that information. If you search the threads here, experts here have always recommended 2/3 psi higher than normal when doing highway drives. This is to reduce the side wall flexing which can make the tyres hotter leading to a greater risk of tyre burst.

Exactly--that is what I remember too. Anyways, thank God you guys are all safe!

Only the front right tyre burst. After the spin and then the car coming to a rest on the left 2 wheels deflated the left front tyre i guess. Because all I had to do was fill up air on the front left and it was back in action.

Now I always run 34 in front and 31 in rear even if the car is loaded with luggage and paasengers..

Very right Zeno. Long time back when I suffered this ordeal, I started keeping a gauge with me and after I fill the air at the bunk check it with my gauge.