[sanchari]

I was making a left turn while driving my Jazz the other day, and the rear wheel hit the kerb (it was abrupt edge of the kerb with sharp edges ). It caused a dent in my tyre. I am attaching the pictures below. I took it to a tyre shop, had them remove the tyre, inspect it, and make sure there was no debris inside, and had them put it back again. The tyre shop guys told me that it should be all right and shouldn't cause any issues, just advised me to drive carefully and make sure I don't hit that part of the tyre again.

Has anyone had anything similar happen to them? Is there anything else I need to be aware of? I am planning on driving to Bangalore from Hyderabad later this month, and I want to make sure its safe (the tyre shop guys told me it shouldn't be an issue).

Unfortunately in Jazz VX (not sure in other models), the spare tyre is of different size and the manual advises to use it only for temporary purpose and not for regular use.

Please post this thread in appropriate forum if this is not the right one.

[Kishen.padiyar]

Originally Posted by sanchari

I want to make sure its safe (the tyre shop guys told me it shouldn't be an issue).

From the picture it looks like a fairly deep cut. Given that it is on the wall (the weakest part of the tyre) I would recommend you changing the tyre for absolute peace of mind. Reduction in wall thickness (at the zone of impact) is something that reduces the strength of the wall and also becomes a point of maximum hoop stress - thus increasing risk of a tyre blowout.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by sanchari

Has anyone had anything similar happen to them? Is there anything else I need to be aware of? I am planning on driving to Bangalore from Hyderabad later this month, and I want to make sure its safe (the tyre shop guys told me it shouldn't be an issue).

Unfortunately in Jazz VX (not sure in other models), the spare tyre is of different size and the manual advises to use it only for temporary purpose and not for regular use.

Please post this thread in appropriate forum if this is not the right one.

I would say change the tyre, or 2 depending on the age of the tyres. Its not worth driving with such a deep gash especially in the sidewall.

[sanchari]

It's just a one year old car, and has hardly done around 7000 kms.

[Geo_Ipe]

Try exchanging the brand new spare tyre for a new one of the desired size. Shouldn't burn your pocket too much! The dented tyre can be used as an exclusive spare henceforth.

[mints21]

Originally Posted by sanchari

It's just a one year old car, and has hardly done around 7000 kms.

Irrespective of the kms done, you should not use this tyre with such a deep cut on the side wall.

Sidewall strength plays an important role. My Innova crysta from the first lot was on 17" wheels which had poor side wall and is a known fact. It had a tyre burst and by the time i could realise what had happened everything was over.

My Good Luck that I could control the car which was moving at 80kms/hr on NH-1. (Refer Pics Below)

My ODO was 6686 at the time of accident.

[VellVector]

Originally Posted by sanchari

I am planning on driving to Bangalore from Hyderabad later this month, and I want to make sure its safe (the tyre shop guys told me it shouldn't be an issue).

I definitely wouldn't use this tire for such a long highway drive. The cut looks fairly deep on the sidewall.

With any damage to the sidewall the chance of a blowout is very high. It's not really a risk worth taking over one tire.

[Jaggu]

Replace the tyre, it is not worth using a sidewall damaged piece. The risks of a blow out is high for such tyres and can be dangerous in our indian summer. Don't bother with the spare tyre since it would be non alloy and spending additional money for a temporary use spare is not worth it.

[SmartCat]

1) Remove damaged tyre from the alloy wheel
2) Take out the spare steel wheel and remove the good tyre
3) Fit the good tyre on to the alloy wheel.
4) If a rubber tube is available for that tyre size, place tube inside the damaged tyre
5) Fit the damaged tyre on to the spare steel wheel.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by sanchari

Has anyone had anything similar happen to them? Is there anything else I need to be aware of? I am planning on driving to Bangalore from Hyderabad later this month, and I want to make sure its safe (the tyre shop guys told me it shouldn't be an issue).

Frankly I have replaced tyres for lesser reasons including minor cracks on the sidewall. That tyre shop guy has nothing to lose by giving you what I consider as nonchalant advice.

Please don't take risks, lives depends on those tyres especially when you are doing high speed runs and long journeys on the highway. Spending 4-6K on a tyre is better than regretting it later.

[sanchari]

Originally Posted by smartcat

1) Remove damaged tyre from the alloy wheel
2) Take out the spare steel wheel and remove the good tyre
3) Fit the good tyre on to the alloy wheel.
4) If a rubber tube is available for that tyre size, place tube inside the damaged tyre
5) Fit the damaged tyre on to the spare steel wheel.

The spare tyre size is not the same as the regular tyre. And the manual says not to use spare tyre for regular use, only for emergency till we can get to a tyre store/mechanic, and also not to exceed 80kmph. These are tubeless tyres.

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by sanchari

Unfortunately in Jazz VX (not sure in other models), the spare tyre is of different size and the manual advises to use it only for temporary purpose and not for regular use.

Though it is mentioned as "for temporary use only" it is safer to use the spare wheel in place of a tire with such a bad damage on side wall. Though the spare is of different size, it is a full size regular tire (not the space saver one) with matching overall diameter.

If you are in middle of a trip, use the spare instead. Else get the damaged tire replaced ASAP.

Originally Posted by smartcat

1) Remove damaged tyre from the alloy wheel
2) Take out the spare steel wheel and remove the good tyre
3) Fit the good tyre on to the alloy wheel.

Not possible buddy, Ground tires are 15" and spare is 14"

[thatfastdude19]

Originally Posted by sanchari

I was making a left turn while driving my Jazz the other day, and the rear wheel hit the curb (it was abrupt edge of the curb with sharp edges ). It caused a dent in my tyre. I am attaching the pictures below. I took it to a tyre shop, had them remove the tyre, inspect it, and make sure there was no debris inside, and had them put it back again. The tyre shop guys told me that it should be all right and shouldn't cause any issues, just advised me to drive carefully and make sure I don't hit that part of the tyre again.

Has anyone had anything similar happen to them? Is there anything else I need to be aware of? I am planning on driving to Bangalore from Hyderabad later this month, and I want to make sure its safe (the tyre shop guys told me it shouldn't be an issue).

Unfortunately in Jazz VX (not sure in other models), the spare tyre is of different size and the manual advises to use it only for temporary purpose and not for regular use.

Please post this thread in appropriate forum if this is not the right one.

As per the mistake you made with that curb, it's no reason to get frustrated. Recently hit a similar curb myself
and got a little dent on the left side sill.

But as far as the tire is concerned. Get it replaced by a new one ASAP. A new tire will give you peace of mind as a cut so deep could result in a blowout.

[Ry_der]

You have bought a Sub 10 lakh car, why risk it and your own life for a meagre sum of ₹10K. I have gone through a blow out on an NH and believe me, you would never wish to experience this especially when you are travelling with family. Trust all these good people's advice and change the tyres.

Just to inform you that my tyre was blown due to a 35PSI pressure in a 30PSI recommended tyre, that too on a June afternoon. An experienced mechanic insisted for 35 PSI pressure, And I reluctantly nodded. 2 days later, I had my first tyre blowout. Since then I stick to the recommended pressure ratings. Now I wonder how many accidents that fellow has caused till date.

No second thoughts. Replace the tyre with a new one.

[tud]

Originally Posted by Ry_der

Just to inform you that my tyre was blown due to a 35PSI pressure in a 30PSI recommended tyre, that too on a June afternoon. An experienced mechanic insisted for 35 PSI pressure, And I reluctantly nodded. 2 days later, I had my first tyre blowout. Since then I stick to the recommended pressure ratings.

Ryder, was the 35PSI below -10% of the tyre manufacturer's max PSI indication? (Pls refer to the quote below).
Since you've been through the worst, you may be giving the most accurate answer.

(Quoting relevant paragraph from this URL for easy reading - http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible_pg3.html)
Every tyre has a maximum inflation pressure stamped on the side somewhere. This is the maximum pressure the tyre can safely achieve under load. It is not the pressure you should inflate them to.
Having said this, I've given up using the door pillar sticker as my starting point and instead use the max.pressure-10% theory. According to the wags on many internet forums you can get the best performance by inflating them to 10% less than their recommended maximum pressure (the tyres, not the wags - they already haves inflated egos). It's a vague rule of thumb, and given that every car is different in weight and handling, it's a bit of a sledgehammer approach. But from my experience it does seem to provide a better starting point for adjusting tyre pressures. So to go back to my Subaru Impreza example, the maximum pressure on my Yokohama tyres was 44psi. 10% of that is 4.4, so 44-4.4=39.6psi which is about where I ended up. On my Element, the maximum pressure is 40psi so the 10% rule started me out at 36psi. I added one more to see what happened and it got better. Going up to 38psi and it definitely went off the boil, so for my vehicle and my driving style, 37psi on the Element was the sweet spot.