A Blow out

[xelasnave]

I have always worried about a blow out in the car at speed.

Coming down to Sydney a couple of days ago it happened.

About 110 klms per hour.

The funny thing was rather that rather than going out of control as I expected the experience was entirely different.

I heard no "pop" I felt no change in direction or control.
I heard a noise which I thoughtwas a wheel bearing dieing.

I travelled maybe a k or more trying to figure exactly where the noise was coming from...

My curiosity saw me finally pull over... The smoke suggested that the tyre was ready to burst into flames... but it was trashed almost beyond a recognition of it being a tyre...yet the rim showed no destruction.

So at 10 pm with three dogs and gear covering access to the spare I hunted for the jack..hoping that the wheel would come off and that who ever had put it on had not over reved the air gun... I tip for the future see if your equipment will move the nuts put on by an air gun... I had not checked same with this car.

I got it off and man was it hot....smoking and replaced it with the spare.

And so repacked dogs and gear happy that I was alive to be able to continue.

But is amazed me how the car did not race out of control and swerve and crash... to think I drove for so far had me recalling a scolding I gave wife number 2, some years before, that she should have realised she had a flat and stopped earlier.

I made a point to call her the next day and appologise for my inexcusable behaviouryears before.

I todayrecalled racing a motocross bike with a flat front tyre and only thinking the track was a little more slippery than in practice... that made me think again about my bad behaviour to wife 2.

Still I will mention that when I speak to her again so she knows I am really sorry.

It was at the rear of the car so maybe a front would have been different..but recalling the race experience I now wonder about that also... I dont wish to have the opportunity to compare needless to say...

Still I add this experience to all those others that tell me I am blessed and that death has a hard time catching me...when it does I bet it will be out of breath.

alex

[h0ughy (David)]

You're a lucky guy, thats All I can say!! Glad you are still participating on spaceship earth

[xelasnave]

Been so close so often all I can think is there is validity in the saying ....

only the good die young...

Near had a head on crash because a fool raced me to a no passing brigde a month or so ago...I did not realise he was trying to beat me otherwise I would have slowed..that would have been a hesitation that would have been curtains for sure... He realised he was not going to make it ... he was locked up out of control sliding sideways to wards me smoke coming from all wheels...into the lane I had on the other side of the bridge... I did not blink ..kept it flat to the board... missed by under an inch I reckon... so lucky with that one ... any tap would have been it.

So easy to get killed ..I am sure it is a luck thing that saves me..or the above saying.

alex

[DeanoNZL (Adrian)]

Lotto ticket time, and a "praise be" to the vehicle designer. Installed good struts and shocks. Newer vehicles are certainly safer.

[bloodhound31]

There's another "praise be" to think of Alex. As I said to my uncle and a few others in the same situation....."How many chances do you think you are going to get?...."

It's like being told to knock off work early....I only need to be told once...

I've been close to death only once and my thoughts were not where they should have been, given that I had about 2 minutes of life left and I could see the end. Terrifying.

Not terrified of dying anymore because of that.

Baz

[xelasnave]

Baz your gotta post in the thread openned for this praise be as you put it and share it with us... if it is not too personal ..I dont mean to pry but simply encourage you if you are willing.

alex

[Ric]

Glad to see you came through safely Alex.

It would be terrible not to have your interesting and thought provoking posts to ponder.

Cheers mate

[xelasnave]

Ric thank you so much for that ... very kind of you indeed.
alex

[bird (Anthony Wesley)]

Alex, thankfully your experience is the norm these days with modern tyres - I had exactly the same experience a few months ago in a hire car, thought I had a bearing dying or gearbox or something, when I pulled over and checked it was a flat left rear.

Quite different to my experience in 1989 when Leisa (now my wife) was driving me, my brother and his wife (four of us in a small car) when we had a left rear blowout at 100kph and the car just went out of control and started spinning down the middle of the road.

My attention was on the semi coming the other way, but I could only see it getting closer each time it went past as the car spun... we ended up off the road in the ditch and must have done 3 or 4 full 360 degree turns along the way.

A lot of people stopped to help us get the car out and change the tyre, apparently it looked quite spectacular from their point of view...

Turns out all the tyres were seriously over pressure, we think a faulty air guage at a servo was the likely cause.

cheers, Bird

[xelasnave]

Yes Bird thats the way I expected it would go... but a praise be moment as Baz calls it..really stable... I was wondering if there is something in the way they make them now that made it so stable.

Anyways no worries about that one now ..that did not get me.
Happy as for sure... I remember there was some road work that made the traffic detour right to the grass I figure I must have picked up something there...but from the tyre I dont think you could tell..its like there are no walls left...
alex