ok i did something really stupid today. i had washed my car and my neighbor had his sprinkler on and i was trying to back out of the driveway without getting the car wet. i accidentally went over this brick curb next to my house, with my front left tire. there is a pretty big gash in the tire but i can't hear or feel any air coming out. my dad says it can't be patched or anything. do i use the tire until the pressure goes down? or should i replace the tire now.. here are some pics.. sorry about the quality my camera is crappy.

 

I would replace, nothing like going down the freeway at 70 MPH and having a blowout and doing more damage to your wheel, or maybe even your car. Not something I like to think about.

Cabbage

 

>>I would replace, nothing like going down the freeway at 70 MPH and having a blowout and doing more damage to your wheel, or maybe even your car. Not something I like to think about.
>>
>>Cabbage

 

Ouch, right close to the bead too. Well you have 2 choices, one, get one new tyre, runflat, as you dont have enough miles on the others to make a significant diff. 2. get 4 new Kumho's, It's a better tyre, and just throw a can of fix-flat in the boot. I wouldn't risk running on the gashed tyre because of the nature of the gash (brick/sharp object) and cos of where it is. (side wall) though on the upside runflat sidewalls are supposed to be pretty tough as they support the weight of the car when you get a flat.

 

Personally, I've had bigger gashes in normal(non-runflat) tires and have worn them out completely after many miles without them having a problem. By the looks of your picture, the gash isn't nearly big enough to pose a realistic danger, but if a new tire will bring you peace of mind, I say change it.
I guess it all comes down to money, If a new tire (or set of tires) doesn't represent a major money issue to you, then just go ahead and change it. If not, it doesn't really look like it should pose a problem.

If you do happen experience a blowout though, please don't sue me for giving you bad advice, ok?

 

Amanda,

Oh, boy...I'm sorry for the damage on your new tire. As Mini_Street_Racer stated, you would need to replace just the one damaged tire with a new runflat as your tires are new. It should cost around $160 without balancing and mounting. Let us know what you decide. :smile:

 

Nomonstersinme,
You have 499 posts on MCO and you just got your car on thursday? I'm very sorry to hear about this. Could be worse.
Another person on MCO posted some months back that he was at a far away MINI dealership with his dad and tried to back up his car really slow but fell over a curb and bent/broke his rear axle. Ouch. Compared to that, a tire is easy.

Assuming that I see from your pictures that you have 17" S-lites on your MCS with Goodyear runflat 205/45-17 tires, then
Here are your options:
1) Keep everything you have and take a change since the injury is mostly superficial. Risk a blowout and live dangerously. Keep to slower speeds under 45 if you can. Do this for about 10-12K miles. Wear a snell 2000 rated helmet while driving. Make your passengers wear one too. Here's the real problem. You can't easily tell if the object that caused the damage ripped the rubber only superficially or if the sidewall was significantly damaged and all there is to show for it is the torn rubber. Think of a fractured bone in an arm and the bones are still lined up OK- could be a hairline fracture. Do you go using that arm like nothing happened just because it looks OK. Naturally your pain will signal you that things are not what they seem visually. So the prudent thing with any sidewall damage is to not take the chance for a high speed or cornering blow out which could lead to loss of control of the car and leaving the road or rolling the car over. Nope-not on anyone's list of things to try. If you talk to alex@tirerack.com he will tell you to move on to option 2 or 3 below. I suggest you contact him soon.

2) Replace only one tire with a like one from tirerack- contact Alex and ask about the price of the tire alone and shipping to New York (you go to school in Providence and are off for the summer?). The $160 price isn 25 the like sized Pirelli eufori runflats. You will have to pay for shipping then mounting and balancing. Figure about $200 total or you can try to buy a single replacement tire locally and mount and balance but I think it will run you more like $240.

3) Replace all four of your tires with something good and non runflat. Depends on your budget. If limited by funds then consider something like Yokohama AVS ES 100 in 215/45-17. The original 205/45-17 is an off size and there is not much selection to choose from. If you budget is a bit bigger then also consdier Toyo Proxes T1S or Bridgestone Potenza Pole Position S-03 tires in 215/45-17 for about $163 each plus shipping then balancing and mounting.
The big advantage of the non runflats is they are less harsh and bumpy, are less noisy, give better traction, wear longer, may perform in snow better, offer lighter weight-better acceleration

 

>>Nomonstersinme,
>>You have 499 posts on MCO and you just got your car on thursday? I'm very sorry to hear about this. Could be worse.

i had a cooper before.. i just sold it for the S.


thanks for the advice.. i really have no budget for this and i still have to get a $300 security system and pay for someone to install my invinca-shield.

 

Sorry to hear of your mishap! :smile:

 

I hate to add to the static, but I have to sort of agree with Calvin.

I have a similar gash on the sidewall of one of my tires. It seems like it may be a bit higher up from the rim, and it's actually a small chunk (scallop) about the size if of a nickel taken right out of the sidewall. Like it just broke off when I scraped a curb.

Anyhow, that was about 5000 miles ago. I do a lot of highway driving. I suppose if I wanted to obsess about it (lord knows, I certainly have done that before) I could and thus convince myself that I needed a new tire. But minihune's right...a new runflat will cost close to $300 when you're all said and done. So, I've decided to ride it out and if it lasts another 10K miles, then I'll replace ALL of my tires. Something I was planning to do anyway.

The sidewalls of runflats are pretty tough. That's how they can run flat. Thus, the chance of a blowout is pretty slim. I'm not saying that it will never happen...but it's probably not likely.

Tire accidents happen. Don't take it out on yourself too hard...

 

you could always apply Dermabond to it, I mean Pacer Zap (Dermabond is soo much more expensive according to Medi-medi, right Minihune?) Pacer Zap or Cyanoacrylate should fuse the rubber together, just be very careful in the application.

 

set of 17in Goodyear RSA's for sale....low mileage

or (2) 17in runflat Perelli's with 4000 miles for sale
________________

 

Running on a tire with damage to the sidewall is a risk, that if you impact in that exact area of the tire, its more likely to fail, than a not abbraided sections. I would monitor the air pressure closely. I suggest weekly if not more often with an accurate air gauge. I would not however use anything to "repair the sidewall" of the tire.

Alex

_________________
Alex ext 294

800 522 8473

Tire & Wheel forum moderator

www.tirerack.com

alex@tirerack.com

 

( I think he was joking about the Dermabond )

(of course, if I'd found the piece of my tire that chipped off, I might have tried to use Elmers or something to stick it back on)

 

I got similar damage from some piece of metal flying into the front weel at 70mph. Sliced into the side and damaged the rim a bit. I freaked out when I saw it, showed it to my mechanic, he said it's alright. I got 300 miles on it since and it's ok. Though I'm thinking I should really get a new one anyway.

 

>>Running on a tire with damage to the sidewall is a risk, that if you impact in that exact area of the tire, its more likely to fail, than a not abbraided sections. I would monitor the air pressure closely. I suggest weekly if not more often with an accurate air gauge. I would not however use anything to "repair the sidewall" of the tire.
>>
>>Alex
>>

thanks! will do..

 

Is your safety (and that of your friends who ride with you) worth less than the price of a tire? I didn't think so. Bite the bullet and pay for your misfortune. We may need you to pick on at a later date. Motor ON
MB

 

That sucks. I have my 17's of my car if you need to borrow some for a while.

 

>>Is your safety (and that of your friends who ride with you) worth less than the price of a tire? I didn't think so. Bite the bullet and pay for your misfortune. We may need you to pick on at a later date. Motor ON
>>MB

95% of the time i drive i am the only one in the car, and the fact that i am new to stick means that the car really isnt driven at high speeds. right now i can't afford a new tire. don't forget here that i am a student.. i dont have a job like the rest of you. this on top of rent and a security system is just a bit too much.

 

Sorry to hear 'bout ur tire.

Been there done that w/ "normal" tires (as a broke student)

Rode many a mile with a nipped sidewall and been OK. I'm with the other two guys above, sidewalls on the runflats are pretty thick. Ya should be fine. Doesn't look too bad to me, I've had plenty worse.

Nice colors on your ride, BTW

 

Just to reiterate, Change the tire as soon as you can afford it. Monitor your inflation pressure VERY regularly untill then.

Alex