Tyre blowout on the motorway

Max_Damage

I was up in Letterkenny visiting a friend for the weekend , and on the way back, I happened to get a tyre blow out on the M4 motorway (doing around 75 mph). It was the rear driver's side tyre that went, initially I didn't notice it at first, but I did notice the car's handling was a bit wobbly. I then noticed there was a heavy pull on the car, so I pulled over and was greeted with a smoking blown tyre. Had to change it on the side of the motorway, at night, in the rain! The Firestone tyre as you can see if a write off.







I was lucky though, if it had happened to one of the front wheels, I probably would have lost control of the car.

I urge everyone to take a good look at there tyres, check for cracks, tears, etc. on them. The thing is, you never think it'll happen to you.

AmberAmber

thanks for the photos ! realy brings it to mind to check tyres. I have firestones on my car too , they are a yr old now , i always check tyre pressure once a month , but must check walls on them too on wed when i get my car back form the garage, its in for a few jobs.
hope your ok.

techie

Op, I would advise you to have a look at Your other tyres, as the one above has little or no thread left on it :eek:

techie

Not good to hear, good to hear no harm done though aside from a new tyre needed. Changing wheels in the dark in a bit of a sh1tter, had to do it last year after all the floods on the way back to Galway one Sunday evening, burst a rear tyre on a monster pothole on a divertion around a flooded road.

techie wrote: »

Op, I would advise you to have a look at Your other tyres, as the one above has little or no thread left on it :eek:

+1, the picture may be deceiving but that tyre looks well past it.

Handling must be pin sharp on whatever car you were driving if it was smoking by the time you noticed it :pac:

CiniO

Is it legal to change a tyre on a motorway?
Are people not supposed to get towed away of the motorway to change the tyre?

maidhc

You sure it was a blowout and not just a result of driving a while without realising you had a puncture.

I got a puncture before on a double axle trailer, and not having a spare I opted to keep going. Tyre looked a bit like that by the time I was home.

mickdw

from the OPs description, it sounds like a puncture, not a blow out.

Max_Damage

^ Possibly was a puncture, not that it makes much difference now!

The tyre itself actually still has a good bit of thread left on it.

jimbob86

Your lucky man that tyre is bald as ****!! could have been alot different if it was on the front... i went into a ditch bout 2 years ago when 1 of my front tyres went,scary stuff

bazzachazza

Jesus mate the state of those tyres !

I think it's time to replace them ALL before you kill yourself and others. Take this puncture as a warning of what may happen next.

Max_Damage

jimbob86 wrote: »

Your lucky man that tyre is bald as ****!! could have been alot different if it was on the front... i went into a ditch bout 2 years ago when 1 of my front tyres went,scary stuff

It's worn on one side.

Also, I decided to check the date code... 48th week of 1999!

I'm of to Kwik Fit when I get paid during the week.

PCPhoto

excuse my ignorance but how do you check the "date code"

and what does a date code indicate .... I get my tyres changed every 2-3years..... I drive a ford fiesta van .... do approx 15K miles a year.

PARKHEAD67

techie wrote: »

Op, I would advise you to have a look at Your other tyres, as the one above has little or no thread left on it :eek:

Its well out of date FFS.

Turner

CiniO wrote: »

Is it legal to change a tyre on a motorway?
Are people not supposed to get towed away of the motorway to change the tyre?

No.

Just watch out for rubber-neckers losing control of their cars because they are too busy gawking at you changing your tyre.

zilog_jones

PCPhoto wrote: »

excuse my ignorance but how do you check the "date code"

http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html

and what does a date code indicate...

The date of manufacture

Generally, 5-6 years is considered too old for a tyre. And check your spare too!

RoverJames wrote:

Handling must be pin sharp on whatever car you were driving if it was smoking by the time you noticed it

Judging by the wheel I'd say it was the Escort

smokie2008

Went out to a lady broken down in her car a while back and when I went to shake her hand to greet her she was missing two fingers.

Was a little awkward when I grabbed her hand but later when I was driving her home she explained what had happened her hand.

Her and her Husband where driving along the N11 at Bray a few years back and they got a blow out on the drivers side front tyre. The car went out of control and whatever happened the car ended up on its roof. She was in the passenger seat and put her hands over her head to protect herself and when the car went upside down, her hands smashed through the Glass sunroof.

Always keep your tyres in order.

GTE

How did a tyre that old get onto the car?

Didn't Firestone have a recall around then also?

I remember a lot of discussion in the family about that. We had two cars running Firestones and one was a 1997 Starlet. I cant remember if it was a USA only.

cormie

Doesn't appear to be a blow out from the description and look of it. I'd say it's more just a puncture and that you kept going on really old tyres. They say don't use tyres older than 10 years, but even 10 years is pushing it so if they were made in 99 that's really pushing it :eek:

Here's a vidjo of me getting a blowout on front passenger side:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh3WEUWL0kM&fmt=22

as you can see, from the moment it happened to me stopping the car was about 35 seconds and this is what the tyre looked like after:

http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/7249/imag0046ag.jpg

Vodkat

Dont forget if your getting the tyre changed get the tracking checked too. I had to get two new tyres because my tracking caused them to wear on the inside and my Nct test was due so they had to be replaced.

jimbob86

Max_Damage wrote: »

It's worn on one side.

Also, I decided to check the date code... 48th week of 1999!

I'm of to Kwik Fit when I get paid during the week.

ha ha.. yea i think your right in replacing them alrite!! but that just shows that they are good tyres if they lasted that long

Tragedy

bbk wrote: »

How did a tyre that old get onto the car?

Didn't Firestone have a recall around then also?

I remember a lot of discussion in the family about that. We had two cars running Firestones and one was a 1997 Starlet. I cant remember if it was a USA only.

It was USA only and only on three types of SUV tyres.