Drive without TPMS? You could lose your car

[Tomster]

Loads, but they'd probably go over your head. Your post seemed like you didn't know what General was. Just helping you out fella

Have a good night whatever your name is.

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[br_an]

Have a good night whatever your name is.

Yeah you too whatever your name is.

 

[luc]

How did people manage before abs, traction control, stability control, tpms , etc ????
Glad that you’re fine but the most important safety item in a vehicle is the driver…..skills

 

[User5.2]

Date code is 0520, so only a couple of years old. TPMS should have flagged a flat tire before it blew off the wheel. I found a small nail hole in the tread, probably from a construction nail. With these low profile tires, I did not feel much difference driving, just a very slight pull to the right.

I would like to believe that my driving skills from the track and autocross helped out - the outcome could have been much worse. I also believe the work van could have avoided me - he saw me veer off the highway into the median and only slowed down a bit.

The State Farm adjuster originally estimated $20K to fix - I knew that was low but had hope. But then the body shop estimated $75K and recommended against fixing it.

 

[Tomster]

So this is the way it probably went down..... you had been driving with nail in your tire and eventually the low pressure caused the shoulders of your tire to fail. I don't think you have any recourse against the manufacturer because of the known issue and probable low tire pressure.

Low tire pressure kills tires to the point of failure and delamination.

Sorry to see/hear.

 

[Jackson1320]

This was caused by pure laziness. now days we need to have TPS sensors to tell us the pressure. we need to have GPS to tell us where to go. we need traction control to control us. all these may be nice to have but if you rely on them to the point that you total your car over not checking your air pressure then you're driving the wrong car

 

[WildHorse]

But then the body shop estimated $75K

In what universe is that 75K in damages ?

 

[Tomster]

In what universe is that 75K in damages ?

Watch the video I posted. When they finally get to the point that they repair the quarter section in a later video, it is a major, major job. I dont know about 75k, but It's a big deal.

 

[Skye]

Glad to hear you and the family are OK.

Sorry to hear about the loss of the car.

This is why I manually check my tire pressures once a week, regardless if the TMPS are fully functional.

Agreed. When TPMS ultimately alarms, you're already out-of-spec. Also, TPMS does not give an indication how quickly the rate of change was that brought the alarm. Further, one could be driving for some time with an object in a tire and never know, until conditions change and things go south.

IDK, systems like these can have benefits in some situations. We are better off for having them. But they're not a catch-all.

 

[Strokerswild]

OP, glad you're OK.

That tire failure is nearly identical to one I had on the right rear of my '07 GT500. I was told at the time it had to have been a manufacturing defect. The only warning I had was a bit of sudden vibration before it blew catastrophically at highway speed, no TPMS indication whatsoever until it went. I had checked pressure the day prior to this trip, which was to a car show.

 

[User5.2]

OP, glad you're OK.

That tire failure is nearly identical to one I had on the right rear of my '07 GT500. I was told at the time it had to have been a manufacturing defect. The only warning I had was a bit of sudden vibration before it blew catastrophically at highway speed, no TPMS indication whatsoever until it went. I had checked pressure the day prior to this trip, which was to a car show.

Thanks, that does look very similar. Did you get any resolution on the tire failure? I am starting a claim against General Tire.

 

[DCShelby]

I cut a rear tire at 70 mph and the TPS system gave me an alert that the pressure was going down, so I put my hazards on and let off the gas and did not use the brakes too hard and got off the road, but I was lucky to get off on a wide shoulder. Still I got out of the car and away from it till the flatbed arrived.

 

[Strokerswild]

Thanks, that does look very similar. Did you get any resolution on the tire failure? I am starting a claim against General Tire.

I did not. Good Year didn't seem to be interested in doing anything at the time, and I didn't press the issue. I replaced them all and moved on. The theory at the tire shop was that it was a ply separation where the carcass met the sidewall. IIRC, the tires had only about 10K miles on them and were only 3-4 years old (OEM fitment). I shudder to think about if it had blown on a spirited romp versus at highway speed with the cruise on....

 

[Bluelightning]

Thanks, that does look very similar. Did you get any resolution on the tire failure? I am starting a claim against General Tire.

I'm not sure you'll get far with a claim against General. What happened to your tire is not a defect. It was caused by driving on it for an extended period with low, or no air pressure in it, which caused the rim to cut through all of the cords in the sidewall, and when it had cut through all of those, there was nothing left to hold it in place.

 

[460Fred]

TPMS is just another tool.
I check my pressure about once a month with a good gauge and compare it to the TPMS. TPMS has been a couple pounds lower than actual since new.
I’ve had a very, very slight leak on a rear tire since new. Lose about a pound in 2-3 weeks. I do inspect when I rotate my tires and have never been able to find a leak….weird.
When I go to the coast, I air down and refill with thicker air, seems to help
All the above said, nobody, I mean nobody can be guaranteed to not have a catastrophic failure of a tire, I don’t care how much you check your pressure manually.
I’m glad the OP and Mrs OP were not injured. At the end of the day, it’s just a car.
Quite a few years ago we witnessed a van, a few car lengths in front of us, have a blowout on a freeway. It was the left front, I saw it “blow”. She lost control and flipped the van.

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