Hit pothole at 90mph - tire bulging, rim imperceptibly dented

[acturater]

What is my best course of action at this point? This happened to the 1mo old winter tires (Dunlop winter sport 3d) and wheels I just got. Sigh.

[acturater]

Ride is slightly shaky at highway speeds

[LINDW4LL]

If the tire is bulged you should definitely replace it. You can drive on the wheel but depending on how bad the bend is, it might be annoying. It may be able to be balanced out, but it's hard to say without knowing the damage.

[acturater]

If the tire is bulged you should definitely replace it.

Do i need to replace all of them? Is there a risk of a bad accident if I continued to drive with a bulging sidewall?

[LINDW4LL]

Is there a risk of a bad accident if I continued to drive with a bulging sidewall?

There is a higher chance of it blowing out. It's not a given, but why risk it? I'd have it replaced at your earliest convenience.

Were multiple wheels/tires damaged or just one? Since you said the tires are almost new, I'd just replace the damaged ones.

[skiracerblah]

Do i need to replace all of them? Is there a risk of a bad accident if I continued to drive with a bulging sidewall?

Yes you risk a blowout and possibly losing control of your car. Put on your spare tire until you get new tires. Oh, if you hit a pothole at that speed, you will likely need a new rim...

[acturater]

Yes you risk a blowout and possibly losing control of your car. Put on your spare tire until you get new tires. Oh, if you hit a pothole at that speed, you will likely need a new rim...

New rim huh... are rims difficult to fix? I can tell there's an imperceptible dent under the bulging sidewall.

[Doc Masher]

Do i need to replace all of them? Is there a risk of a bad accident if I continued to drive with a bulging sidewall?

Need to replace the damaged tire ASAP, as there is the possibility of tire failure with the described damage. The wheel would be best served to be repaired by a wheel repair specialty shop. I've never had any luck with wheel repair, as I'm way too particular to vibrations in the wheels though. The wheel repair guys just get them back to good, not perfect!

Good luck

[Gee123]

Your sidewall has been compromised, the fibers/components are most likely separating causing the bulge. I had the same thing happen to me. My tires were about 3 months old, and les schwab gave me a brand new tire. I don't commute very far and really didn't put many miles on it, and seeing how your tire is only a month old I think you'd be ok just replacing the one. My rim had a slight bend, but mostly cosmetic on the outer lip. The bead still holds air, and the rim is still balanced. Still rolling on them now. Good luck!

[whs3]

Need to replace the damaged tire ASAP, as there is the possibility of tire failure with the described damage. The wheel would be best served to be repaired by a wheel repair specialty shop. I've never had any luck with wheel repair, as I'm way too particular to vibrations in the wheels though. The wheel repair guys just get them back to good, not perfect!

Good luck

+1. I'm replacing two summer rims this spring that we're supposedly "fixed" by a wheel repair shop. I'm picky about ride and could detect vibration/noise at higher speeds.

[fonseca_q5]

I see that you are in the Northeast. RimPro in Tewksbury MA can straighten your wheel. They do awesome work.

[SwissBliss]

at least your tire stayed intact, New years Eve, hit a pothole going 60!!

[acturater]

[IMG][/IMG]

That's the damage on my tire and rim. Like I said the rim is slightly lifted on that edge, how big of a fix do you think this would be? I managed to find someone who could get a Dunlop SP Wintersport 3D in by this Saturday and balanced/installed all for $250 or so, which is amazing given that it's being sold for $240 on Tirerack. They seemed to be more of a shop for utility vehicles though so I don't know how good of a job I could expect, but I also don't know how big of a deal it would be to fix something like this. Worst case is I get a new wheel I guess and get it reinstalled.

[IanCH]

That wheel isn't "a little bent" given that picture, but it could be an illusion.

[acturater]

Edit: included pictures at top.

[100Daily]

First off, replace that tire ASAP.

Second, that lip of the rim looks bent, which MIGHT be able to be fixed. You need to take your rim to a repair shop and have them look at it. My last set of rims were bent at the lip and the shop originally said they were repairable, but on further inspection the rim had bent at the hub. When you hit a pot hole, the rim may be damaged in other areas that aren't readily apparent.

Finally if it is fixable they have to heat up the rim with a blow torch to bend it back, which will require repainting of your rim. Sometimes they can't match the paint and you end up having to get multiple rims repainted. Good luck.

[acturater]

First off, replace that tire ASAP.

Second, that lip of the rim looks bent, which MIGHT be able to be fixed. You need to take your rim to a repair shop and have them look at it. My last set of rims were bent at the lip and the shop originally said they were repairable, but on further inspection the rim had bent at the hub. When you hit a pot hole, the rim may be damaged in other areas that aren't readily apparent.

Finally if it is fixable they have to heat up the rim with a blow torch to bend it back, which will require repainting of your rim. Sometimes they can't match the paint and you end up having to get multiple rims repainted. Good luck.

Ah, really? I guess I won't be doing any driving this week (and possibly into next). sigh...

Does wobbliness necessarily indicate rim damage, or could it be the tire? I immediately noticed instability after hitting the pothole.

Also, do rims usually get damaged on the outside? I'm a little worried there is some hidden damage on the other wheels that I haven't noticed.

[100Daily]

Ah, really? I guess I won't be doing any driving this week (and possibly into next). sigh...

Does wobbliness necessarily indicate rim damage, or could it be the tire? I immediately noticed instability after hitting the pothole.

Also, do rims usually get damaged on the outside? I'm a little worried there is some hidden damage on the other wheels that I haven't noticed.

Your tire is definitely wobbling with that bulge, and as other stated you are at risk of a blow out at this point. You may never get one, but I wouldn't risk it. Your rim is probably wobbling too, but only a professional shop with a wheel balancer will be able to tell you to what degree. These things are not readily apparent to the naked eye, but once you start spinning the wheel you notice it. My last set of bent rims didn't look that bad until the shop tried to balance them and I realized how far gone they were. It really depends.

[ahc]

Don't want to thread jack, but I have a very similar question. I recently had an unrepairable flat on one of my stock pirelli rossos. I have road hazard protection so they are replacing the tire. The other 3 tires have about 8k miles on them but still decent tread IMO. Question is should I replace just the 1 tire or do I need to do at least 2? If 1 or 2, where does the new one(s) go (front/back)?

I know most on this forum would probably say just get Michelin PSS for all 4 corners and call it a day but I'd like to wear the stock ones out a little more before replacing all if possible.

[Blackhawk878]

Replace the tire and take the wheel to a shop or find one of these guys to inspect (possible fix) your wheel.

http://www.awrswheelrepair.com/

They are all mobile and can do everything on site depending on damage level. I had two wheels repaired and was told that they can usually fix (on site) anything that isn't taco'd. Also mentioned that factory wheels are usually more robust than aftermarket wheels that they see, guessing those wheels are usually the cheap end wheels vs. a forged model. Saw some pics of some severely damaged wheels that turned out to be fine.

Good luck.

[100Daily]

Don't want to thread jack, but I have a very similar question. I recently had an unrepairable flat on one of my stock pirelli rossos. I have road hazard protection so they are replacing the tire. The other 3 tires have about 8k miles on them but still decent tread IMO. Question is should I replace just the 1 tire or do I need to do at least 2? If 1 or 2, where does the new one(s) go (front/back)?

I know most on this forum would probably say just get Michelin PSS for all 4 corners and call it a day but I'd like to wear the stock ones out a little more before replacing all if possible.

Its not easy but I would suggest taking that new tire to somewhere that does tire shaving to reduce the tire thread. If you have one tire with more tread it will throw off the traction of the car. Plus any difference in tire sizes on an axel can cause the differential to be in constant motion.

[sacandagaD]

A bulge under your clothing might be OK, but never under your skin or on a tire......

[VMRWheels]

As others have mentioned, that tire is a ticking time bomb. It's only a matter of time before it goes, so replace it ASAP. As far as I can tell though, the wheel doesn't appear too out of round by the pics. If the bend in the wheel is not too bad, a wheel repair specialist should be able to fix that for you. Pricing for wheel repairs vary a bit though.

[shadowaudi]

New Tire ASAP and bring that wheel to a local wheel shop or Powdercoater and get it fixed PRONTO......If your willing to travel a tad take the wheel to ACR Powdercoaters in Cream Ridge NJ and ask for Chip. They do exceptional work and they are willing to work with you. There very good at keeping downtime to a minimal, sometimes even being able to repair a wheel in the same day if you get it to them very very early in the morning. I would call up and see what they can do or find someone closer that can do similar work. I wish you luck and definitely like everyone else has said put the spare on for that wheel before further damage is caused by accidentally.

ACR Powdercoating & Wheel Repair

[fromario]

I'm not going to re-iterate what everyone else said, BUT I will add you might want to get an alignment as well. After I had a double blow out from 30-40mph my car was completely out of spec. Toe, camber and caster were all off by a significant amount

[blackfunk]

Contact the manufacture of the tire and they will either give you a new tire or prorate a replacement. I've done this in the past with some success.

[B-Time]

Where did it happen? You can likely file a claim with PennDOT.

[westwest888]

Why were you going 90 on snow tires?

[B-Time]

Why were you going 90 on snow tires?

Because they are performance winters, rated to 149mph. I've done 90 for hours on end with these.

[westwest888]

Because they are performance winters, rated to 149mph. I've done 90 for hours on end with these.

So you just leave like 500 feet of stopping distance in front of you if it's dry and 1/4 mile if it's wet?

[B-Time]

So you just leave like 500 feet of stopping distance in front of you if it's dry and 1/4 mile if it's wet?

Not sure of your point. As far as winter tires go, they do extremely well in all conditions. But not sure about braking hard from 149 though, if that is what you meant.

[LINDW4LL]

OP, just put a new tire on and have it balanced, if you notice it's out of round afterwards, then go ahead with repairing/replacing the wheel.

[acturater]

OP, just put a new tire on and have it balanced, if you notice it's out of round afterwards, then go ahead with repairing/replacing the wheel.

Cool, new tire's coming in this Saturday so I have my fingers crossed. My 5,000mi checkup at the dealership is coming up soon too (just crossed 3000), so i'll probably have them take a look at the other alignment issues at that time.