Rear tire peeled off at speed

[bavarian]

I just had my rear tire self-destruct. I must have hit a pothole going 70-80mph last night in my '04 C4S Cab. The ride started to feel harsh, and I saw blue smoke out my rear view mirror. At first, I thought I had engine trouble, but all indicators (engine temp, oil pressure etc.) were fine. Luckily, I was able to slow down and pull over in heavy traffic (4 lanes). The brakes hardly worked, so I used the hand brake. By now, the entire tire had come off and was in the middle of the expressway. What seems incredible to me (having had several previous tire mishaps) is the fact that the rim appears totally undamaged. There remains a buffer of about 1-2 inches of rubber along each edge where the rim meets the road, and this seems to have protected the wheel from damage. I also expected some collateral damage from the tire as it flew of the wheel, but a superficial inspection shows nothing unusual. I called Porsche Roadside assistance for a tow, because I didn't want to use the spare and wasn't sure about the condition of my car--they showed up in 45 minutes, and I was able to drive the car up the flatbed myself.

I will let you know if there is a post-script. BTW, the 295/30/VR18 Michelin Sport Pilot is going to set me back around $400.00--I only hope I don't also need a new rim!

Edited July 29, 2004 by bavarian

[Chronos]

Uh, unless the tire was new you should buy two of those tires... :o

I'd want the two rear tires to be worn at the same rate and depth. Wow, I'm sorry this happened, but what a relief that you weren't hurt. :cheers:

Edited July 30, 2004 by Chronos

[KarlS]

Check the rear fender liner carefully for damage when you can. There are some plastic frame parts that support the rear bumper cover behind the rear wheel. When a tire starts flapping around, these plastic pieces are usually cracked or broken.

Karl

[bavarian]

Thanks for the helpful comments. I would just like to follow up: the tire was replaced, and after careful inspection I determined that there was no damage to the car or rim. I must confess that I am very impressed by the quality of the original tire (Michelin Sport Pilot 295/30/ZR18). It took the installer an hour to carefully remove what was left of the steel and rubber surrounding the edge of my rim which had remained in place. Incidentally, even as the tire disintegrated, the car tracked perfectly straight with no loss of control--most likely helped by the PSM and 4 wheel drive software.