How many tires have you blown?

[SuperKing]

Those evil potholes. Just messed up my second tire on this car. Are low profiles really that easy to blow?

First time, I was taking a trip from Vancouver to Portland and I hit a pothole on the i5 about 20 miles from Portland. I was going about 100kph and the sidewall on the ProContacts split open. Replaced all the tires with DWS06.
Today, I hit a pothole right before a bridge joint and I got a nice bulge in the sidewall. The tires are barely 6 months old and I have to replace one already. Second time in a year since I bought the car.

 

[Mark_888]

Radial ply tires are specifically made with weak sidewalls so they can flex, which improves handling and gas mileage, especially when turning. Bias ply tires (all new United States-built cars had radial tires as standard equipment for the first time in the 1982 model year) have stiff sidewalls, but poor handling.

Yes, very low profile tires make radial tire sidewalls, and rims, even more susceptible to damage from pot holes.

 

[Lord Humunculous]

I have never had a flat with a Michelin in almost 20 years with the exception of one of my (original directional) Pilot Sports on my honda that grabbed a broken half-mill bastard file, which NO tire short of a heavy industry offering would have resisted. My mom had a sidewall blister (mfr failure as confirmed by mich) on one of her LTXs in the late 90's but since that she only uses michelin as well and has never had a flat since. I have had flats on dunlops (D60a2), 3 in less than 7k miles, that I switched out for some Kumho 712s that I got a flat with on the left rear as I drove home from the Discount tire. They pulled out a very small, but oddly bent finishing nail that had been flattened somehow on one side, I bitched, they relented and threw on some 711s that I tore through in less than a year). Had 2 flats on the Yokos that came w my accord. So bottom line, I use michelin. This is all not to say I haven't hit shit w my cars that if hit by a wheel wouldn't have destroyed it (and the tire) just my experience.

 

[Mark_888]

I have never had a flat with a Michelin in almost 20 years with the exception of one of my (original directional) Pilot Sports on my honda that grabbed a broken half-mill bastard file, which NO tire short of a heavy industry offering would have resisted. My mom had a sidewall blister (mfr failure as confirmed by mich) on one of her LTXs in the late 90's but since that she only uses michelin as well and has never had a flat since. I have had flats on dunlops (D60a2), 3 in less than 7k miles, that I switched out for some Kumho 712s that I got a flat with on the left rear as I drove home from the Discount tire. They pulled out a very small, but oddly bent finishing nail that had been flattened somehow on one side, I bitched, they relented and threw on some 711s that I tore through in less than a year). Had 2 flats on the Yokos that came w my accord. So bottom line, I use michelin. This is all not to say I haven't hit shit w my cars that if hit by a wheel wouldn't have destroyed it (and the tire) just my experience.

Not surprising, since Michelin was the first to commercialize the radial tire in France in the late 1940's.

 

[Seejay]

Zero so far, but I live in the land of Happy Motoring, where potholes have been eradicated.

 

[Mark_888]

Zero so far, but I live in the land of Happy Motoring, where potholes have been eradicated.

Most potholes are created when moisture in the roadway freezes, which expands and eventually leads to a pothole. Doesn't freeze too often in Houston.

Once when I was driving a fairly new car in Houston, I ran over a manhole, with the manhole cover turned upside down. On the back of the manhole cover there was a raised point in the center to reinforce the cover, that tapered off to the edges. The raised part of the upside down manhole cover nicked my rim, which let the air out of my tire, which immediately ruined the tire. Had to replace both the rim and tire.

 

[bjayfry]

I hit a pothole in the DFW area about 6 months after buying the car and blew two tires and dented the rims. Fortunately the rims could be fixed relatively easily but unfortunately I had just the week before had the tires replaced due to the recall so had to go back to the shop again.

 

[Aquineas]

Blown two tires and damaged two rims with the Genesis. On I-40, just west of Memphis in Arkansas, I blew both passenger tires and bent both rims on the same pothole (was deep enough that someone could have torn a ligament in their ankle if they had stepped in it wrong without looking). Car has not ridden the same since, because the replacement rims I purchased, while gorgeous, never seem to stay balanced. I think the fact that they are two-piece rims and they *might* not be completely perfectly made might have something to do with it. I do love the look though.

 

[Seejay]

Blown two tires and damaged two rims with the Genesis. On I-40, just west of Memphis in Arkansas, I blew both passenger tires and bent both rims on the same pothole (was deep enough that someone could have torn a ligament in their ankle if they had stepped in it wrong without looking). Car has not ridden the same since, because the replacement rims I purchased, while gorgeous, never seem to stay balanced. I think the fact that they are two-piece rims and they *might* not be completely perfectly made might have something to do with it. I do love the look though.

It's the price of performance as far as low profile tire's greater susceptibility to road hazards. That and ride are the down side. But the upside is stunning to the uniitiated. I once dodged a deer at 50-60 mph at night in my Sonata (which has 50 series tires) and it was as though I were dodging some stationary object just as a matter of course. In steering and brake inputs I gave, the tires achieved results I did not hope to expect. The deer was obliging and we proceeded along our separate ways without further incident.
For the Genesis owner, blowing out or severely compromising a tire is a serious bummer. The tires are so damned expensive to replace, and pairs are probably the least expensive but acceptable ways. I hope this doesn't happen but I won't cry (ok, maybe) since they are pretty much getting done now--they might have 10k more good life in them. I will buy the next set with a hefty road hazard coverage.

 

[Aquineas]

<snip>
I will buy the next set with a hefty road hazard coverage.

Aint that the truth! Does anyone know if it's possible to get road-hazard coverage on a new vehicle? At 52,000 miles, I'm going to be at 100K in less than two years and am already starting to think about the Genesis replacement. Incidentally, blowing out the tires and bending the rims cost my insurance company about 3K. Well, 2500 after the deductible.

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[PaulNY]

I've been lucky so far with the Genesis but I picked it up the road hazard coverage when I got it.

Prior to the Genesis I had a few Acura TLs (2009 and 2011) and a 2014 Acura RLX all with the low profile Michelin tires (Pilot and Primacy), I had one blow out on the '09 TL from an NY Pothole. In the same spot 5 years later, I had a double blow out (and it took 2 rims too) on the RLX...Road Hazard/Tire & Rim coverage is totally great and has paid for itself in those cases for me.

 

[C-130Geek]

Two flats and two bent rims. Think I would prefer a 50 or 60 profile, sacrifice a bit of handling for better ride and tire health.

 

[StarPower]

I hit a pretty large pothole at about 30 - 40 MPH a while back and blew out one of the fronts. This was with the Continental Procontact TX replacement tires for the 19" wheels. Since my rears were almost due for replacement (normal wear), I replaced them with the ExtremeContact DWS06, which were less expensive and better reviewed.

I do recall a couple of reviews on TireRack mentioning that the Procontact TX seem more prone to damage, but I'm not sure it's a large enough sample size to be meaningful. The DWS06 do have a noticeably stiffer sidewall than the Procontact TX, so I hope they're a bit stronger. They also flat spot in the morning more than the Procontact TX, but just like with the original Hankooks it goes away after about 15 min of driving.

If you have a blowout on any Continental tires, I recommend looking into their Road Hazard plan. Continental offers free road hazard coverage on all tires for one year, extended to three years with towing if your register online. I don't know if these apply if you received the tires as part of the flat-spotting recall/satisfaction campaign instead of buying them yourself.

 

[G-561223]

Those evil potholes. Just messed up my second tire on this car. Are low profiles really that easy to blow?

First time, I was taking a trip from Vancouver to Portland and I hit a pothole on the i5 about 20 miles from Portland. I was going about 100kph and the sidewall on the ProContacts split open. Replaced all the tires with DWS06.
Today, I hit a pothole right before a bridge joint and I got a nice bulge in the sidewall. The tires are barely 6 months old and I have to replace one already. Second time in a year since I bought the car.

have replaced 9 tires in g90 (27000 miles) and 3 tires in g80(6000 miles)
great car totally unsafespoke to lawyer who will file class action
actually afraid to drive car