Actually, by some miracle, the damage was minimal. There was a rock slide on my road last night and at about 1:30am, I was coming home and just over the crest of a hill was a pile of rocks spread across the entire road, and there is no shoulder.

I basically had 20 feet to react and stop. I failed. Actually, I could have reacted much better. I wasted a good 10 feet just trying to figure out how to avoid the situation, and by the time I made a decision, it was way too late to execute it.

So, I went straight through entire pile of rocks, and thought I would miss the biggest one - a one foot cube. Apparently my right front tire hit that one, and it ripped the sidewall of the tire completely open. The tire has a semicircle gash with a radius of approximately 3 inches. By some miracle, there is no visible damage to any other part of the car, which is very surprising, given the spread and size of the rocks I crossed.

So, this tire is basically irreparable, and I need to order a new one. Problem is that all four tires have approximately 1.5mm of wear before the wear bars. If I put on a new tire, I will have completely uneven tires.

Now, on the other hand, I only have ~6,000 miles on these tires (11,500 miles total, and this is my second full set) and all four are worn pretty evenly. I would like to postpone installing new tires as long as possible, since I am spending more money on tires than I am on gas!

Should I install a whole new set of tires, or should I just replace the one?
Does anyone have a well worn front tire they are replacing anyway that I could use to postpone the inevitable?

 

It's on the front so just drive around with the mini spare for a while.

Just kidding, sorry about your tire but glad your Stook is ok.
Mark
01 TheBlackBeast #0090

 

Sparky, sorry to hear about your problem. I would just change out the front tires and check the wheel ( and the car) out completely for unseen damage. These cars can have hidden damage than won't show up immediately. Good luck.

 

Good advice Sideways. Have the wheel dye pentrant inspected at a speed shop before you put on new rubber. Replace both for even wear....

 

Diddn't think of testing the wheel. I diddn't even know that could be tested. Thanks!

I just ordered a set of all 4 tires from TireRack, since the rears are pretty close to the wear bars too. I am off to Europe tomorrow, so the tires should be in by the time I get back, and so should all of Ricks accessories.

I'll have the dealer check out the car for other damage too. The rocks covered the entire road, and I just can't believe I could be this lucky that it only cost me a tire.