aMsupp

Hey guys,

Today I was reversing VERY SLOWLY and hit some bricks for landscaping. I initially thought I had bumper damage, but didn't see any, so I thought I got lucky. Drove it home on both highway and normal streets. Didn't have issues, didn't feel different. Got home and looked at it again knowing that something had to have happened and sure enough the tire has a chunk missing near the wheel. Essentially, the tire overhangs the wheel slightly, so if you sheared it off exactly in line with the wheel, that's how much was removed. I'm certain I'll take it to a tire shop soon, to get their opinion, but I'd just like to know what you guys think.

MBRedux

That sidewall has been compromised. New tire is necessary indeed!

ZeroSeVen

The tire is shot. I won't even recommend you driving with it.

The curb rash is also fixable by the way.

snarlingchicken

If you see the cords, which you do, it needs to be replaced. I had a similar situation to this but luckily it wasn't down to the cords for me so they advised that I would be fine. (They missed a perfect opportunity to gouge me out of $120).

aMsupp

Thank you for the responses.

I talked to my buddy this morning and he looked at it. He said even though you can see the cords, they're all still intact and said I shouldn't have any issues driving on it. I want to go back and get the piece of rubber and glue it back on for both cosmetic reasons and to not let the cords be exposed directly to the elements.

The only reason I'm hesitant to buy anything new if I don't have to is because I am waiting until the end of summer to buy a set of 19" Vossen CV3's which will require new tires, so if I can last until then I'd prefer that.

splinter

AZN Optics

honestly, I'd just pick up some used tires if you were going to get rid of those in a few months. You can get them dirt cheap at various wheel shops. Not ideal, but should last you the summer and be safer than those.

Carsy

IMHO driving at low speed around town you will be OK in the short term.

High speed highway driving & cornering runs the risk of the tyre coming off the rim .

Can't you put the spare on ?

aMsupp

Thanks for the continued responses, I do appreciate them. I had a coworker who used to work on cars a bunch come look at it. He said the sidewall peeled off the cords, but they're still in good shape. Putting the piece back on would protect them from the elements and I'll still have structural stability in the tire.

I went back and found the rubber piece and glued it back on with some heavy duty adhesive. This is about 2 hours after it's been back on.







The wheel got scratched in two spots (one where the tire peeled off and one on the spoke). I've looked at some DIY wheel repair and think the scratches aren't deep enough for bondo to adhere and not flake away. Would sanding and then painting/clearcoating be a stupid idea, or an okay one?

clkwork

This may not be what you want to hear but that tire is dangerous to drive on. Like others have said it will probably be fine for a short while around town but as soon as you take a corner hard you are risking a blowout. If it causes you to wreck and the insurance company finds out about your "repair" there is no way they would cover it. Do yourself a favor and buy another tire before worrying about the cosmetic damage on the wheel.

dadangman

i had similar damage b4, but not as bad... and from what my mechanic friends told me.. as long as u don't see the core then u'r fine.. and i think i see the core on ur tires.. just replace it man, it's not worth it if something goes wrong on the highway..

victort

is your safety really not worth the <$200 for a new tire?

aMsupp

Well, my current tires have ~20k on them, so I can't just buy ONE $240 tire... I'd be buying 2, so that's $480 + $50 for installation and balancing. That's roughly $550 for this. I'm borderline thinking about not buying the Vossen CV3s and just getting a new set of Continental DWS UHP All-Season tires for ~$800 fully installed and selling the other 3.

MBRedux

Whewwwwww!!!!!!!! And I thought I was cheap! Don't forget to have your passengers sign a waiver!

Sportstick

You're getting on the right track. Tires are far more critical than wheels and that damaged one is a goner. Either the DWS (if you live in a snow area and don't change to winter tires) or the Bridgestone Pole Position RE970AS or Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus will far exceed the very mediocre Conti ProContact tires you now have.

dadangman

here's an idea, why don't u get one tire to replace the bad one, and drive it until summer since u are going to replace them with new RIMs anyways. Use one of ur OEM Wheels and replace it with ur spare tire, now u won't feel like u are wasting ur money =) And i agree with sportstick, ur tires are really critical

Saeedg48

you don't need a new wheel for that. if you go to a good wheel shop they can use a putty type material for shape and paint over it.