Rear tire blowout, what to do?

[loystock]

The 'G' is one of the finest cars on the road. We lost our G last March and really missed it. So I'm asking this question to the forum members to find out the percentage of people giving the correct answer. Please give an honest answer. The Hazard lights are presumed to have been turned on.

In case of rear tire blowout, what is the appropriate response? a. Step on the brake and pull to the side as soon as possible.b. Release the gas pedal, coast down, then pull to the side.c. Step harder on the gas pedal and then pull to the side as soon as possible.d. Call 911

[bschurr]

The 'G' is one of the finest cars on the road. We lost our G last March and really missed it. So I'm asking this question to the forum members to find out the percentage of people giving the correct answer. Please give an honest answer. The Hazard lights are presumed to have been turned on.

In case of rear tire blowout, what is the appropriate response? a. Step on the brake and pull to the side as soon as possible.b. Release the gas pedal, coast down, then pull to the side.c. Step harder on the gas pedal and then pull to the side as soon as possible.d. Call 911

b. Release the gas pedal, coast down, then pull to the side.and, this is the proper procedure for a front blow out too...

PS - I believe your question would be better answered by creating a poll

[Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT]

I would go with B as well



Actually I would down shift to bring the car to a stop... that way you don't lose control.

[pfarmer]

b. Release the gas pedal, coast down, then pull to the side.and, this is the proper procedure for a front blow out too...

PS - I believe your question would be better answered by creating a poll

I think the proper term here is coast down. I would not do much more than put in the clutch on a manual or simply coast off to the side and allow the car to stop with as little assistance as possible.

Perry

[RichiePoor]

Well this has happened to me in my G and I was on a bridge. I released the gas pedal and coasted to the exit. I pulled over and realized that there was a hole in the side of the tire (Kumho) about the size of a quarter. The tire did not shred and only the rim was damaged. So I am going with B. I had a Goodyear tire on a Sentra one time and it shredded into pieces and ripped the rear bumper off the car.

[pfarmer]

Well this has happened to me in my G and I was on a bridge. I released the gas pedal and coasted to the exit. I pulled over and realized that there was a hole in the side of the tire (Kumho) about the size of a quarter. The tire did not shred and only the rim was damaged. So I am going with B. I had a Goodyear tire on a Sentra one time and it shredded into pieces and ripped the rear bumper off the car.

The last thing you want to do is to have a wheel with a compromised tire stop rotating. You saved the wheel and stopped in a controlled fashion.

Perry

[quixote]

B plus emergency lights, for you own sake.

[SVTCOBRA]

b, then I would plug it (always carry a good plug'n kit!!) and pump it up (always carry a compressor) and I would be on my way!

[pfarmer]

I would go with B as well



Actually I would down shift to bring the car to a stop... that way you don't lose control.

May work on a FWD, however on a RWD probably best to just coast to a stop so as to not lose control and to limit any damage.

Worked great on a 59 Ford that had the rear wheel come all the way off and pass us on Pacific Ave. in Tacoma. The car coasted to a stop and then settled down on to the hub without damage. Found one lug nut and stoled a lug nut off of each of the remaining wheels and we were on our way.

Perry

[Kendahl]

Definitely B.

Several years ago, I had a rear tire fail catastrophically at 70 mph in my Mazda RX-7. I heard a puff of escaping air, that corner of the car dropped down and it got real noisy. I coasted down, pulled onto the shoulder and braked gently to a stop. The tire lost pressure because of a razor blade embedded in the tread and both sidewalls had numerous rips. The wheel was undamaged.

When the tire failed, the car didn't even twitch. The incident makes me wonder why people lose control after a blow out. Perhaps it would have been different if I had lost a front tire. I think losing an outer tire in a corner would be bad news.

[pfarmer]

Definitely B.

The incident makes me wonder why people lose control after a blow out. Perhaps it would have been different if I had lost a front tire.

Probably by applying the three brakes they have left.

Perry

[loystock]

My daughter did the most logical course of action, which most of you agreed to - release the gas pedal (b), yet she lost the car. If some of you have been watching the COPS TV series, you may have an idea about the right answer.

[pfarmer]

My daughter did the most logical course of action, which most of you agreed to - release the gas pedal (b), yet she lost the car. If some of you have been watching the COPS TV series, you may have an idea about the right answer.

Be in the cop car following her?

I believe the concept is to transfer the weight to the front but the problem I see with this is that your braking action would stand to brake the car unequally. I have never had any problem with just coasting off the side of the road and making a rolling stop. I have had cars actually drop down on the blown tire's wheel after a stop in this fashion. If she lost the car she may need to do more than watch reality tv.

Here is one source that mentions both front and rear blow outs:

http://www.ehow.com/how_233052....html

The first thing done wrong is to put on the hazards which now obscure the turn direction to following drivers.

Other sources seem to agree with the methods with the exception of the hazards. I don't think the hazards should go on immediately until after the car is well under control and the direction of action has been communicated.

Perry

[loystock]

She did not turn on the hazard lights. I just added it for the sake of other people who insist that hazards lights must be turned on first in case of emergency. In fact, one of them already posted earlier.

I agree with you that corrective action must be done first - take control of the car before turning on the hazard lights or signal lights..

In her case, she just released the gas pedal and tried to control the car. Unfortunately, her forward momentum was not enough to offset the effect of the blown tire and her car drifted to the other lane, hit another car, spun out of control and then hit the center divider. The other car just had a small dent on the driver's side door. My daughter was shaken but not hurt - thanks to G35's airbags and curtain airbags.

The worst thing to do in case of a rear tire blow out is immediately stepping on the brake. You will definitely lose control. Releasing the gas pedal immediately may or may not allow you to control the car.

The best course of action in case of a rear tire blowout is to depress harder on the gas pedal (to maintain vehicle momentum) until the car can be driven straight and under control. Once the car is under control, slow down, signal (or hazards), and then pull to the side of the road. Once stopped, turn on the hazard lights.

For years, I've been telling my friends about stepping on the gas in case of a rear tire blowout and most of them disagreed. Some even thought I'm crazy. You have probably have seen the 'bad' drivers in the COPS TV series whose car tires got spiked by the police yet still driving straight...just because they got 'pedal-to-the-metal.'

I found this site last year and finally convinced my friends about what to do in case of a rear tire blowout.

http://www.edmunds.com/ownersh....html

Here's another one from TireRack

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...id=13

[pfarmer]

She did not turn on the hazard lights. I just added it for the sake of other people who insist that hazards lights must be turned on first in case of emergency. In fact, one of them already posted earlier.

I agree with you that corrective action must be done first - take control of the car before turning on the hazard lights or signal lights..

In her case, she just released the gas pedal and tried to control the car. Unfortunately, her forward momentum was not enough to offset the effect of the blown tire and her car drifted to the other lane, hit another car, spun out of control and then hit the center divider. The other car just had a small dent on the driver's side door. My daughter was shaken but not hurt - thanks to G35's airbags and curtain airbags.

The worst thing to do in case of a rear tire blow out is immediately stepping on the brake. You will definitely lose control. Releasing the gas pedal immediately may or may not allow you to control the car.

The best course of action in case of a rear tire blowout is to depress harder on the gas pedal (to maintain vehicle momentum) until the car can be driven straight and under control. Once the car is under control, slow down, signal (or hazards), and then pull to the side of the road. Once stopped, turn on the hazard lights.

For years, I've been telling my friends about stepping on the gas in case of a rear tire blowout and most of them disagreed. Some even thought I'm crazy. You have probably have seen the 'bad' drivers in the COPS TV series whose car tires got spiked by the police yet still driving straight...just because they got 'pedal-to-the-metal.'

I found this site last year and finally convinced my friends about what to do in case of a rear tire blowout.

http://www.edmunds.com/ownersh....html

Here's another one from TireRack

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...id=13

I don't think either one of these are really in conflict with the link I posted above. Keep in mind that step one in my link is to determine what has occurred prior to following your course of action. That is when you remove you foot off of the accelerator. The police videos show all sorts of different cases with spike strips which wipe out mulitple tires. Also you are looking at reality tv which is not reality.

While many links state there is no difference with FWD or RWD I don't accept this since I have seen many flats with FWD on the rear which have went unnoticed. My 300 m is one of these where I have had very low tire pressure with very little difference in handling noted. One way to stop a fishtail with FWD regardless of cause is to step on the gas. I believe the biggest benefit in doing so with a flat is that it keeps you off of the brake. Some links suggest that simply keeping the throttle as is, is the correct procedure at the onset.

Releasing the throttle also is different with FWD and RWD. I have found for example that going down hill in ice that my best bet has been to put the car in neutral with FWD when sliding since engine braking has a tendacy of helping to remove your steering. If your rear is fishtailing then engine braking on the front could make for an interesting situation.

Perry