Andre1969
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I had a tire blow out on my '67 Catalina convertible in 2022, on my way to a car show. It actually gave plenty of warning, but I didn't realize what it was. The car picked up a funny vibration, on the driver's side rear. It was subtle at first, and I didn't pay it any attention, because it's an old car, and they do pick up rattles from time to time. However, it gradually got worse, and after about 20 miles, I pulled off at a rest stop, to check the left rear tire. Nope, tire looked good. I also pulled on it, to see if it felt like it was getting loose, and checked the lug nuts, but nope, nice and tight. I also checked the right rear, for good measure.
Still, the car show was a good 65-70 miles away, and I didn't feel safe continuing onward, so I got off at the next exit and went back, to a friend's house. The vibration kept getting worse, and suddenly, about 10 miles after turning around, the whole car started to shake pretty violently. I was thinking all sorts of things, like the driveshaft, a U-joint, something in the rear-end, etc.
Suddenly, there was a loud POP! One of the rear tires blew out. My first thought was, thank GOD, it's just a tire! But nevermind the fact that I'm still doing about 55-60, in a middle lane on I-83 above Harrisburg, and had to get over. Meanwhile, I had a friend in the passenger seat, and he started panicking. But, in hindsight, he said he was really impressed with how I handled the whole thing so nonchalantly.
I've had tires go flat before, but honestly couldn't remember the last time I had a blowout like that. As for the age of the tire? Well, I hate to fess up to this, but it was put on the car around late 2008/early 2009! I'd had a bunch of work done to it back then, and one thing I did was swap out the original 14" rims for some 15x7" Pontiac Rally 2's and had new 225/70/R15 whitewalls put on.
Logically, I know it's not a good idea to let a tire last almost 14 years. But the car's always garaged, doesn't get driven much, and I just lost track of how many years it had been. The tires still looked great. But yeah, after 14 years, they can be a time bomb.
Still, the car show was a good 65-70 miles away, and I didn't feel safe continuing onward, so I got off at the next exit and went back, to a friend's house. The vibration kept getting worse, and suddenly, about 10 miles after turning around, the whole car started to shake pretty violently. I was thinking all sorts of things, like the driveshaft, a U-joint, something in the rear-end, etc.
Suddenly, there was a loud POP! One of the rear tires blew out. My first thought was, thank GOD, it's just a tire! But nevermind the fact that I'm still doing about 55-60, in a middle lane on I-83 above Harrisburg, and had to get over. Meanwhile, I had a friend in the passenger seat, and he started panicking. But, in hindsight, he said he was really impressed with how I handled the whole thing so nonchalantly.
I've had tires go flat before, but honestly couldn't remember the last time I had a blowout like that. As for the age of the tire? Well, I hate to fess up to this, but it was put on the car around late 2008/early 2009! I'd had a bunch of work done to it back then, and one thing I did was swap out the original 14" rims for some 15x7" Pontiac Rally 2's and had new 225/70/R15 whitewalls put on.
Logically, I know it's not a good idea to let a tire last almost 14 years. But the car's always garaged, doesn't get driven much, and I just lost track of how many years it had been. The tires still looked great. But yeah, after 14 years, they can be a time bomb.