The Dangers of a Blow Out - Blow Out of VW Golf in Cambridge

A new customer called our head office earlier this week with a 'puncture' in one of his tyres on his VW Golf, as you can see from the below photo, this was definitely not a simple puncture and beyond repair…!

Luckily for this customer whenever we get called out to a puncture repair we always carry a potential replacement on board just in case the puncture is not legally repairable to BSAU159 standards, for more information on whether a puncture is repairable, click here!

We took a budget in a 225/40R18 with us and fitted it to the vehicle, balanced and cleaned up the wheels. The reason for this particular blow out was due to running the tyre underinflated, if your tyre is running on a lower pressure than recommended it will slightly bulge out under the weight of the vehicle, this will cause it to slightly spring up and down when driven at speed. The friction caused by this will create heat and the tyre will begin to weaken, once the rubber has weakened it is much more prone to bursting.

Another cause of a tyre blowout could be something as innocent as clipping a kerb, if you hit a kerb, even at low speeds, a small bulge may appear in the sidewall of the tyre, driving on this can cause pressure which will ultimately lead to the tyre failing.

Thirdly, age can play a big factor in a tyre blowout, rubber will deteriorate over time and begin to crack and perish. This will begin to happen once a tyre reaches 5/6 years in age, many people do not realise how dangerous running your vehicle on old tyres can be. Even if the tyre has ample tread remaining it may still need replacing, when you drive on that tyre friction will cause it to heat up, when the rubber heats up it will expand and if those cracks expand they are at risk of bursting.

Have you checked your tyres lately?

Any of the above problems could exist on your vehicle! We recommend checking your tyres at least once a month. Taking 5 minutes out of your entire month could save you from suffering a blow out or a serious accident on the road. For more information on how to check your tyres, click here.

Or call us today to book an appointment on 0333 444 5454