RE: Blow out! The modern tyre dilemma
Discussion
ChevronB19 said:
We’re under orders from Work - if we have a puncture in a company car, pool car or van, we are forbidden from changing wheels ourselves (I’m perfectly capable by the way) - company would rather put breakdown people at risk than employees. I certainly wouldn’t fancy changing an offside tyre on a dark rainy night in the hard shoulder and would prefer it of someone with a van festooned in amber beacons did.
Nobody should ever change a wheel on the hard shoulder of a motorway. I've variously seen it reported that your chance of getting hit is such that an average vehicle lasts between 10mins and an hour. It's why you should get out and move far away.Jez
sparkythecat said:
The Michelin Tweel is marketed for a number of industrial machines, but doesn't seem to have developed enough to make inroads into the car market yet.
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/tweel-airless-tire....
Hard cornering?https://auto.howstuffworks.com/tweel-airless-tire....
After my last experience of a puncture I'll never try to change a wheel again.
On the A30 near Launceston on a dark and rainy evening I drove over some debris from an accident that happened a few minutes earlier by the look of it.
Got the warning light of low tyre pressure so stopped in a layby ( not one of the ones with a barrier between it and the carriageway ) and saw my front nearside tyre was flat. Cue emptying all the luggage from the boot to get out the spacesaver and the tools. The only light I had was the torch on my phone so it was difficult to see the jacking point, but I put the jack under what I thought was the right place ( turned out it wasn't, but more of that later ) then attempted to remove the wheel. Much swearing ensued as the nuts must have been tightened by King Kong but I eventually got the wheel off with the help of my wife who held the pathetic excuse of a wheel brace while I stamped on it. All the while the car was rocking violently every time a lorry went past and I was wondering how long it would be before one smashed into us so there was no way I was going to put the spacesaver on the rear like I know you should, I just wanted out of there.
Got going again and the car was pulling to one side because of the spacesaver on the front but got home ok. Next morning in daylight I could see that I hadn't put the jack in the right place because the front wing and sill were deformed. Cost £200 to put right.
I'll be calling out the AA if ( when ) I ever get another puncture.
On the A30 near Launceston on a dark and rainy evening I drove over some debris from an accident that happened a few minutes earlier by the look of it.
Got the warning light of low tyre pressure so stopped in a layby ( not one of the ones with a barrier between it and the carriageway ) and saw my front nearside tyre was flat. Cue emptying all the luggage from the boot to get out the spacesaver and the tools. The only light I had was the torch on my phone so it was difficult to see the jacking point, but I put the jack under what I thought was the right place ( turned out it wasn't, but more of that later ) then attempted to remove the wheel. Much swearing ensued as the nuts must have been tightened by King Kong but I eventually got the wheel off with the help of my wife who held the pathetic excuse of a wheel brace while I stamped on it. All the while the car was rocking violently every time a lorry went past and I was wondering how long it would be before one smashed into us so there was no way I was going to put the spacesaver on the rear like I know you should, I just wanted out of there.
Got going again and the car was pulling to one side because of the spacesaver on the front but got home ok. Next morning in daylight I could see that I hadn't put the jack in the right place because the front wing and sill were deformed. Cost £200 to put right.
I'll be calling out the AA if ( when ) I ever get another puncture.
thatjagbloke said:
After my last experience of a puncture I'll never try to change a wheel again.
On the A30 near Launceston on a dark and rainy evening I drove over some debris from an accident that happened a few minutes earlier by the look of it.
Got the warning light of low tyre pressure so stopped in a layby ( not one of the ones with a barrier between it and the carriageway ) and saw my front nearside tyre was flat. Cue emptying all the luggage from the boot to get out the spacesaver and the tools. The only light I had was the torch on my phone so it was difficult to see the jacking point, but I put the jack under what I thought was the right place ( turned out it wasn't, but more of that later ) then attempted to remove the wheel. Much swearing ensued as the nuts must have been tightened by King Kong but I eventually got the wheel off with the help of my wife who held the pathetic excuse of a wheel brace while I stamped on it. All the while the car was rocking violently every time a lorry went past and I was wondering how long it would be before one smashed into us so there was no way I was going to put the spacesaver on the rear like I know you should, I just wanted out of there.
Got going again and the car was pulling to one side because of the spacesaver on the front but got home ok. Next morning in daylight I could see that I hadn't put the jack in the right place because the front wing and sill were deformed. Cost £200 to put right.
I'll be calling out the AA if ( when ) I ever get another puncture.
Or be better prepared next time, torch, proper wheelbrace?On the A30 near Launceston on a dark and rainy evening I drove over some debris from an accident that happened a few minutes earlier by the look of it.
Got the warning light of low tyre pressure so stopped in a layby ( not one of the ones with a barrier between it and the carriageway ) and saw my front nearside tyre was flat. Cue emptying all the luggage from the boot to get out the spacesaver and the tools. The only light I had was the torch on my phone so it was difficult to see the jacking point, but I put the jack under what I thought was the right place ( turned out it wasn't, but more of that later ) then attempted to remove the wheel. Much swearing ensued as the nuts must have been tightened by King Kong but I eventually got the wheel off with the help of my wife who held the pathetic excuse of a wheel brace while I stamped on it. All the while the car was rocking violently every time a lorry went past and I was wondering how long it would be before one smashed into us so there was no way I was going to put the spacesaver on the rear like I know you should, I just wanted out of there.
Got going again and the car was pulling to one side because of the spacesaver on the front but got home ok. Next morning in daylight I could see that I hadn't put the jack in the right place because the front wing and sill were deformed. Cost £200 to put right.
I'll be calling out the AA if ( when ) I ever get another puncture.
TooMany2cvs said:
How are you calling a cab or the AA from the middle of a windswept Lake District hillside?
You're not assuming there's going to be a mobile signal, are you...?
Yes. About a decade ago, it was true, there were lots of areas with no signal. Admittedly, I don’t drive in the Highlands, but I no longer have a problem with a mobile signal - indeed, i’ve You're not assuming there's going to be a mobile signal, are you...?
been streaming music via my phone for the last year, and I can’t remember when I last had a dropout.
JimbobVFR said:
millen said:
Slight tangent, but I wonder how many competent wheel changers would actually stop to ask if they could offer assistance to a punctured vehicle? I expect the answer is a flat 'no' or a 'it depends' but rather less than say 30 years ago. (amongst the cycling fraternity it would be the norm, but cyclists puncture multiple times a year so hardly the same thing!)
I've done exactly that so there's at least 1 of us.I'll also hand in my man card and say I've called the AA out to change a tyre. Warning alert on the dash about 2 minutes from work, I made it the rest of the way and parked up. Decided as it was pouring with rain and I didn't want to ruin my work clothes to call them out. No rush as I wasn't going anywhere for 9 hours. All done through the app (non-urgent box ticked) and a couple of hours later the guy turned up and was done in less than 10 minutes. If it had happened earlier and I was stuck by the roadside then I'd have just sucked it up got on with it, but as I didn't have to be anywhere I thought I'd get something back for my membership fee.
Oh, and managed to survive driving 25 miles home on a space saver afterwards without dying. Took it easy but the car was perfectly stable. If a car has space for a spare I can't understand why anyone would not want one. It meant I could drive home and take it to my local trusted indy who could repair it and not scratch the alloy, rather than the nearest Kwik Fit, or similar alloy de-refurbish centre.
thatjagbloke said:
TooMany2cvs said:
How long are the AA going to take to arrive...?
I've no idea, but I'll be away from the car while they are on their way. I've read enough stories about people being killed while sitting in their car on the hard shoulder.With my wife's puncture, we were in countryside backroads trying to get to Heathrow following a closure of the M40. I nearly couldn't get the wheel bolts off (s
tty OEM wheel brace a whole meaty 7 or 8" long and angled), so wife called the RAC as a precaution, to be told "about 90 minutes", which given the circumstances was as useful to us as a chocolate teapot.I'd far rather the option to sort it myself, rather than rely on someone else.
rxe said:
TooMany2cvs said:
How are you calling a cab or the AA from the middle of a windswept Lake District hillside?
You're not assuming there's going to be a mobile signal, are you...?
Yes. About a decade ago, it was true, there were lots of areas with no signal. Admittedly, I don’t drive in the Highlands, but I no longer have a problem with a mobile signal - indeed, i’ve been streaming music via my phone for the last year, and I can’t remember when I last had a dropout.You're not assuming there's going to be a mobile signal, are you...?
I had to do a roadside wheel change for the first time ever a couple of months ago. Coincidentally in my Volvo V70 (2001) T5. The wheel brace is indeed an absolute joke of a thing (desert spoon, very amusing comparison!). Fortunately I never suffer stubborn bolts etc as with with all my cars I've always had them on and off multiple times a year for various jobs. I also check the bolts if a garage has been at them for any reason and if they've been done up gorilla tight I'll correct that right away so it doesn't bite me in the bum some time later, just as it would have in my recent experience as that Volvo brace would not have coped with the aftermath of your typical tyre fitting monkey with an over eager air gun!
The problem with the space saver spare wheel system is that the wheel you remove with its punctured tyre does not fit into the the well from which the space saver came. How do you explain to your Lamborghini's passenger that they will have to vacate their seat and make their own way home because there's nowhere else to put the punctured wheel?
thatjagbloke said:
After my last experience of a puncture I'll never try to change a wheel again.
On the A30 near Launceston on a dark and rainy evening I drove over some debris from an accident that happened a few minutes earlier by the look of it.
Got the warning light of low tyre pressure so stopped in a layby ( not one of the ones with a barrier between it and the carriageway ) and saw my front nearside tyre was flat. Cue emptying all the luggage from the boot to get out the spacesaver and the tools. The only light I had was the torch on my phone so it was difficult to see the jacking point, but I put the jack under what I thought was the right place ( turned out it wasn't, but more of that later ) then attempted to remove the wheel. Much swearing ensued as the nuts must have been tightened by King Kong but I eventually got the wheel off with the help of my wife who held the pathetic excuse of a wheel brace while I stamped on it. All the while the car was rocking violently every time a lorry went past and I was wondering how long it would be before one smashed into us so there was no way I was going to put the spacesaver on the rear like I know you should, I just wanted out of there.
Got going again and the car was pulling to one side because of the spacesaver on the front but got home ok. Next morning in daylight I could see that I hadn't put the jack in the right place because the front wing and sill were deformed. Cost £200 to put right.
I'll be calling out the AA if ( when ) I ever get another puncture.
Step1.... Slacken off the wheel nuts with all 4 wheels still planted firmly on the ground by jumping up and down on the wheelbraceOn the A30 near Launceston on a dark and rainy evening I drove over some debris from an accident that happened a few minutes earlier by the look of it.
Got the warning light of low tyre pressure so stopped in a layby ( not one of the ones with a barrier between it and the carriageway ) and saw my front nearside tyre was flat. Cue emptying all the luggage from the boot to get out the spacesaver and the tools. The only light I had was the torch on my phone so it was difficult to see the jacking point, but I put the jack under what I thought was the right place ( turned out it wasn't, but more of that later ) then attempted to remove the wheel. Much swearing ensued as the nuts must have been tightened by King Kong but I eventually got the wheel off with the help of my wife who held the pathetic excuse of a wheel brace while I stamped on it. All the while the car was rocking violently every time a lorry went past and I was wondering how long it would be before one smashed into us so there was no way I was going to put the spacesaver on the rear like I know you should, I just wanted out of there.
Got going again and the car was pulling to one side because of the spacesaver on the front but got home ok. Next morning in daylight I could see that I hadn't put the jack in the right place because the front wing and sill were deformed. Cost £200 to put right.
I'll be calling out the AA if ( when ) I ever get another puncture.
Step 2... Jack the car up......
Sa Calobra said:
sparkythecat said:
The Michelin Tweel is marketed for a number of industrial machines, but doesn't seem to have developed enough to make inroads into the car market yet.
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/tweel-airless-tire....
Hard cornering?https://auto.howstuffworks.com/tweel-airless-tire....
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