A Lucky Escape

[mickeyc]

Well what a morning I had today! I'd arranged to meet up with Spoons and not wanting to let the side down I decided to take a trip to the jet wash about five miles away. Whilst on my way, a funny noise started coming from the front of the car which at first I thought was the gearbox, and later thought it must have been a wheel bearing. So I decided to turn round and make my way home and when I got back found that the drivers side tyre had deflated and that there was particles of hot rubber all down the side of the car

I took the wheel of and to my horror this is what I found!

pic1


pic2


pic3


What has happened is that the spring (yellow circle pic 3) has broken and punched a hole through its seating (blue circle pic 3), where the first thing it came into contact with was the inner sidewall of the tyre. I've tried to mark in pic two the groove all the way round the tyre to give you an idea and in pic 1 I've circled where the tyre finally gave way. Excuse the poor pics they were taken with my mobile!

Fortunately the I was going at a very slow speed when the tyre wall gave way, but it could have been so different.

I now need to change some of the front suspension parts and wondered if it was a good time to upgrade the standard SXi stuff to SRi/GSi/VXR kit.

Please see this post if you have upgraded yours and have the original kit left over (cash waiting)

[T4M]

That's scary! Good job you weren't going that fast

[AL21784]

bl00dy hell, that could of been a lot different

[John35]

crikey.........your lucky day..could have been a lot, lot worse...

[parapaul]

jeez!

[mickeyc]

By the way before anyone says - I know I need to clean my arches, and no I didn't buy a cheap tyre with "made in malaysia" written on it, I just haven't got round to changing it yet!

[spoons]

... as said earlier Mickey... sorry to hear the news, but glad you are OK

[surreyl31]

sorry to hear that it could of been worse thow if u been going fast

[VauxVeteran]

Has anyone contacted Vx direct about this, looking at that at 70 mph there'd be a good chance you'd be dead given it's on the front of a front wheel drive car.

[nutron]

Yeah, get in touch with them quick, so they can send us all another sticker telling us how to check our suspension and fit steal walled tyres!