What a day....

[bj]

Driving onto an on ramp to the freeway and my tire had a complete blow out.  It pulled to the left no matter how hard I tried to turn the wheel and hit a guard rail.   My jack would not raise the truck high enough. My husband came to help and his jack was smaller.   Ugh...had to flag down some guys and finally a guy with an industrial jack.  It was taller than me.  Followed my husband home then and the car started vearing to the right and he almost got into an accident.  He did all he could to just get it home but it was scary to see.    Apparently, when the tire blew an axle broke too?  That is my guess....Then later my daughter was crying with ear pain....yes an ear infection.   Long day to say the least.   My back is a little sore but other than I am fine but who knows how stiff I will be tomorrow.

[Dottonedan]

Wow.   Glad you're ok. I have been running on a bald tire for months and just changed it to my spare. Lazy.


But today,  (I wasn't going to tell anyone this), cuz it's a crappy gift, but for a Valentines gift to my wify, I bought her new tires.    Her front tires were almost bald also. I kept thinking about that and it raining today all day so I spent her Valentines gift money on tires. I know, how romantic, but at least we both will feel better driving now.


I've always worried about having a blow out and thought about if I really would be able to control it without hitting something or someone. So, you sort of illustrated it's harder than one thinks.

[bj]

Thanks!!!    It went so fast it was crazy.  I really had an angel looking over me.  My truck went from right to left in front of another vehicle.  I have no idea how he didn't hit me.  I was also very lucky for the guard rail, it saved my life.  If It wasn't there I would have rolled down an embankment right onto the freeway or even five feet further I would have been beyond it and into oncoming traffic.  So, oddly if it were to happen it was just in the right spot.   I had both my brakes on and trying to steer to the right but it went where it wanted to. 

[tpitman]

I can see the interstate from where I sit in my living room . . . just a block away and raised up as it crosses the lake. Every time it rains, I'll hear tires screeching, a split second of silence, then a bang. Sometimes followed by others in succession. As dry as it's been here for the last few months, a little rain makes for one hell of a slick road. If your wife finds herself needing to hit the brakes, and finds some traction, she might just remember this as the best valentine's present she's ever received.

[mk162]

It is probably the anti-sway bar on the front of the car.  I hit the brakes really hard one time and snapped the mount holding it and until I fixed it the car pulled right really bad.

Look under the front of the car and there should be a 1"(roughly) thick metal bar that runs from one front tire to the other, chances are the mount to the frame or to the suspension broke.  Not a big deal to fix most of the time.

Good luck

[blue moon]

Driving onto an on ramp to the freeway and my tire had a complete blow out.  It pulled to the left no matter how hard I tried to turn the wheel and hit a guard rail.   My jack would not raise the truck high enough. My husband came to help and his jack was smaller.   Ugh...had to flag down some guys and finally a guy with an industrial jack.  It was taller than me.  Followed my husband home then and the car started vearing to the right and he almost got into an accident.  He did all he could to just get it home but it was scary to see.    Apparently, when the tire blew an axle broke too?  That is my guess....Then later my daughter was crying with ear pain....yes an ear infection.   Long day to say the least.   My back is a little sore but other than I am fine but who knows how stiff I will be tomorrow.

glad to hear you are OK. Everything else is minor detail when you look at the big picture. 20 years from now only thing you will remember is that you made it out in one piece!

good to still have you with us!

pierre

[3Deep]

Glad you didn't panic and just let go of the wheel, a blow out on the front is always bad, I try to check our tires all the time but stuff happens, and Dam that's not a bad gift to your wife it's shows her you love and cherrish her life.

Darryl

[Audifox]

BJ, I'm glad you are OK.
 I know the feeling though, blew a ball joint out doing 60 on the highway. That was an adventure I don't want to repeat.

[Sbrem]

Glad you're OK BJ. A blowout on a front tire requires an awful lot of strength to regain some kind of control. On a back tire blowout, you can at least still steer to safety. Had my only one going about 40 on a secondary road, the snap in the wheel sprained my wrist. It's pretty scary and sudden. Again, glad you're OK.

Steve