What exactly is a blow-out and how do I prevent one?

Most people who experience a blowout may think that they have suddenly hit something when driving and out of nowhere the tyre just goes "bang"! In many situations this is simply not the case, a blowout can be something that builds up over time, to put it in general terms you could compare it to a hernia, it can be present in the tyre and due to pressure and time one day it just bursts!

For example if you hit a kerb and the smallest of bulges appears in the sidewall of your tyre, it could even go totally unnoticed, the tyre may begin to weaken more and more the further you drive on it, even if this is over a period of days, weeks or months and then one day it will just fail and this will cause a blowout.

Another way a blowout can occur is if you have a small puncture in the tyre, this may have also been caused by hitting a kerb or maybe running over some debris on the road surface, over time and a few more miles this can cause the tyre pressure to fall due to air escaping through the puncture. The tyre will become partially deflated and will bulge out at the bottom due to the weight of the vehicle, this flexing and bulging of the rubber will result in excess heat building in the tyre.

As the sidewall heats up the capability of the tyre wall degrades and the pressure in the tyre overcomes the sidewall's strength to keep it in, resulting in a blow out.

One way to see this coming is by having a TPMS system fitted to your vehicle, this will alert you of any pressure loss in your tyres meaning the TPMS is checking your tyre pressures constantly for you! This means the system will essentially 'catch' the puncture for you before it becomes a bigger issue.

Here at Hometyre we are able to come out to your home or work address and do a mobile puncture repair, which is much cheaper and much less hassle than a roadside blowout. We always make sure we carry a potential tyre replacement on board just in case the puncture is not legally repairable to the BSAU159 standards, if you have been running your tyre with a puncture there could be sidewall damage or this may have affected the internal structure of the tyre.

If this is the case and the puncture cannot safely be repaired, we will fit a new tyre so we can get you back on the road again.

Do you think you may have a puncture? It is important to regularly check your tyres for any loss in pressure, low tread depths or any small cuts and bulges that may appear in the rubber. For more information on checking your tyres, click here!

Or call us today to book an appointment on 0333 444 5454! A simple call could save you money, time and potentially prevent an accident.