Check your spare tire, it's pothole season.

[Johnno_Oz]

Hit one here in suburban Sydney last week in my Mercedes CLK500.

$150 to get the wheel re-welded and straightened, it had some other wobbles that needed straightening out....... $160 for a replacement Pirelli P7 which was close for replacement anyway. A good alumninium wheel repairer will get them back to new.

Pothole has since been repaired.

 

[leesonic]

More pictures of the carnage. I found a bulge in the sidewall on the other side front tire as well. I just ordered four new 195/60R16 tires to go on the original rims. Now I have to see if I can get some money from the State or County.

 

[Shadowdog]

Wow I just picked real cheap (likely because of the the AT) 2012 SES Fiesta Hatch. (write-off I bid on) with those polished , not painted AL rims and good tires plus new winter tires in the size you mentioned on steel 15" rims.

Too bad you didn't have the 15" ones on it for the winter as the higher sidewall may have helped there. My car just needs the front plastic bumper piece , pass headlight and bumper bar, as far as I can see to put it on the road. Only has 116K KM or 72K miles and will need a structural integrity and safety to put back on the road. As for the AT I will likely swap it for the 5 sp std. for reliability if all goes well.

 

[srs735]

When you're checking your spare tire, check it carefully for dry rot. Regardless as to the miles on a tire, the age will do it in

A 15 year old car has a 15 year old spare.

Years ago my stepson had a flat. 15 miles after putting on the spare it blew out. He promised me he hadn't hut a curb or pot hole. After confirming the 55psi I put my donut spare on the car, gave him my car, put another spare in the trunk. In less than 30 miles that tire failed. Yes, all the spare tires were about 16 years old. I found new replacement donut tires to remedy the situation

 

[Farmhand]

I’ve seen tires with broken belts from hitting potholes.

 

[MaxxVolume]

Another thing to consider these days is the piss-poor excuse for a jack being offered in many cars. After having a couple of near-mishaps involving factory jacks, I purchased what`s known as a "Trolley Jack", basically a scaled-down hydraulic floor jack. Far safer than the original unit. Comes in a blow-molded case, got that clipped into the tie-down points to keep it secured.

 

[Shadowdog]

Great idea as I carry an aluminum one all the time in the trunk!

 

[gadget73]

My Towncar came with a bumper jack if anyone remembers those. I pitched it a long time ago. It was broken anyway. Had one of those little trolley jacks in the trunk since 2004 along with a nice 4-way lug wrench. The other two have your basic screw type scissor jack but they fit and function well enough.

 

[eteller]

Hit a pothole last weekend in my CLK350 blew outmy Michelin Pilot Super Sport on the front passenger side. Pulled over and there were four cars ahead of me, hit the same pothole.

 

[SPL db]

 

[MaxxVolume]

 

[sfox52]

My wife and daughters cars have no spares or jacks ('16 and '14 model year). I saved one of the old tires from my daughters car, but I don't have a wheel for it.

 

[Andyman]

Michigan's roads blow big chunks and the government is totally inept at fixing them. The answer they have is tossing cold patch into wet craters that fails within days, and repeat.
These jackasses might just as well set pallets of $100 bills in the street and set them on fire. Probably cheaper and just as effective.

This is the intersection by my house. It's pretty self explanatory.

 

[MaxxVolume]

My wife and daughters cars have no spares or jacks ('16 and '14 model year). I saved one of the old tires from my daughters car, but I don't have a wheel for it.

I think they have wrecking yards in Maryland, no ? Or, maybe purchasing a Triple AAA Plus plan for each of them might be a practical solution.

 

[sfox52]

Yeah we have towing coverage on all of the vehicles. I should look for a wheel for the daughters, though they are aluminum 17 inch low profiles so I doubt a cheap steel wheel is available. My wife's car has similar wheels and tires so probably the same situation. My 2000 Ranger still has the original spare under the bed, no doubt dry rotted but it is also the wrong size (15 inch) I have a 16 inch aluminum with a usable tire on it, but I have to strap it in the bed because it's too big to sling under where the old spare was mounted. I haul it and a jack and jack stand if I go any distance from home.

 

[Quadman2]

Might do well to check if you have a spare if you own a newer car.

Some don't come with a spare today!

Q

 

[MaxxVolume]

Yeah we have towing coverage on all of the vehicles. I should look for a wheel for the daughters, though they are aluminum 17 inch low profiles so I doubt a cheap steel wheel is available. My wife's car has similar wheels and tires so probably the same situation. My 2000 Ranger still has the original spare under the bed, no doubt dry rotted but it is also the wrong size (15 inch) I have a 16 inch aluminum with a usable tire on it, but I have to strap it in the bed because it's too big to sling under where the old spare was mounted. I haul it and a jack and jack stand if I go any distance from home.

There are several factors which will determine whether or not a particular wheel/tire combo can be used on your car. The important ones:
1. Wheel bolt circle....popular these days are 5 x 120 and 5 x 114. This has to match your current specs.
2. Offset (also expressed as either "et", or "is"), determines how far from the vehicle`s centerline the wheel will sit. Too little or too much offset will result in rubbing on either the suspension or the inside of the wheel well.
3. Overall tire height/diameter....these days, on passenger cars, somewhere around 25" high is typical, you want to stay as close to original size as possible, to prevent triggering warning lights for your ABS, DSC, or any other electronic nannies that are sensitive to wheel speed and/or size.

The important thing is to learn which of the above are needed for your car, and to realize that any wheel (from any manufacturer) that meets these fitment criteria will work just fine on your vehicle.

 

[WillVT]

It's definitely pothole season around here. The freezing and unfreezing really cracks up the pavement.

Reminds me of the "artist" Wanksy. If you don't know about him and his work, look it up.

 

[Shadowdog]

Too cold here this winter! LOL!

 

[Dr Tinear]

Southeast Michigan roads are often reported with video. Everyone who watches shakes their heads and moves on. Been that way for decades.

My wife saw a Facebook post the other day about a 4-bedroom, 2-1/2 bath pothole in Livonia. We do grow them big here in southeast Michigan.