Wife hit a pothole - a big one

[rogerwa]

So my wife took out my 2009 Mazda 6 the other day to drop the kids off somewhere. Teh next day as I am driving to work I definitely feel that something is off. There is a slight vibration in the front.

So I ask my wife if she hit something the day before and sure enough she said she hit a puddle that was a lot deeper than she thought. Not her fault, we have potholes everywhere this time of year..

Anyway, what kind of damage should I expect? Damaged tire or Rim?? What is the most likely? I don't think it is a linkage thing as you can feel the uneveness as the wheel spins up?

Anyway just like to get an opinion..

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

Probably just put the wheel out of balance. You should get the front end checked out just in case there's more damage.

 

[JustJason]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

Probably a bent rim. The womans brother owns a place called RimPro and they straighten wheels all day long. Now that winter is over business is booming for them.

 

[heyttown]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

Could be a broken steel belt in the tire also...Had that happen to mine..

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

Could be a broken steel belt in the tire also...Had that happen to mine..

This is the MOST likely.
Then comes bent wheel.
Then come knocked out of alignment (with no damage).
Then comes suspension damage.

 

[scoutabout]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

This is the MOST likely.
Then comes bent wheel.
Then come knocked out of alignment (with no damage).
Then comes suspension damage.

With Mazda, I'd put bent rim at the top of the list. My Mazda Millenia would bend a rim if you looked at it wrong. Now, that was a 2000 model year vehicle so hopefully they've improved their supplier or held their supplier to better standards since that time. And if you have bent a rim I'll bet they'll be asking about $600 for a new one as well. Check out junk dealers or car recyclers first.

*Edit* I'm talking alloy rims of course. Steelies can take much more abuse. I like the idea of getting it professionally straigthened although I've never tried that. As suggested, if you go to a tire shop and have them throw it on a balancer you will see instantly if it's bent.

 

[jonesg]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

Swap the wheel to the rear of the car, if the vib goes away its the rim.
Use it as a spare or get it fixed.

I've whacked them with a pursuader when the rim was so bent it wouldn't hold air.!

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

May I ask you a question? Does the wife have a habit of talking on the cell phone while driving? If so I think there lies the reason she screwed the car up. Pray it didnt do damage other then just the wheel.. You will know when the front tires start wearing out early

 

[shuswap119]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

Hi Roger,
First thing you need to do is take it to your tire shop and have them check the balance of the tire/wheel assembly. This will allow them to see if any visible cord damage has been done and also see if the wheel is bent. If you have steel wheels they can sometimes be repaired in shop if the damage is limited to the bead area of the wheel . With alloys, it probably means sending it away to be repaired. Most damaged wheels are repairable. An alignment check is also needed after a hit that would damage a wheel/tire.

Regards,

 

[Sikiguya]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

Need it address soon. If it is out of alignment, you will get uneven wear on the tire. Hope it is just one of those problem and not all. Depending on your deductible, it can be covered by your collision coverage. However, it is a chargeable claim. My dad hit a curb while slipping on ice. Ended up several thousand dollar..tire, rim, alignment, etc.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

I am going to bring it in to have it looked at on Saturday. If it is a tire or Rim I think my cost would be around $150 +mounting. I can get the rims on E-bay new for $150 shipped. The tire would be about the same. Although I hate the Michelins that came on it and would like to replace them all.

As for my wife on the phone, she does this in the Suburban, but my Mazda is a stick and she cannot hold it up to her ear while shifting.

She told me she hit this one as it looked smaller than the other one she swerved to miss.

She didn't notice a thing after she hit it. I noticed it immediately not even knowing she hit something.

 

[Vlad D Impeller]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

My wife never met a pothole that she did'nt like.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

Could be tire, wheel or both. May have even just knocked off a balancing weight with the impact throwing it out of balance. Could be that simple.

 

[scipper77]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

Last year I hit o big pot hole in my '07 focus. It broke some bands in both passenger side tires. I had to keep the car under 60 until I got the tire replaced because the vibration was so strong.

Look at the tread itself around the whole tire. If you can see any bulges you have your answer. If you do not see any bulges then it means nothing, it still could be a bad tire, or rim, or ....

 

[paulspaddle]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

Frontend alignment?

 

[shuswap119]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

Hey roger,

Did you get the car checked out? What were the results?

Regards,

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

I tried to get it checked but I could not get it in anywhere on Satruday. I need to get it in though because it is very annoying.

 

[JaseBosto]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

I tried to get it checked but I could not get it in anywhere on Satruday. I need to get it in though because it is very annoying.

It's probably more dangerous than annoying...if it's tire damage you could have a blowout at any time.

 

[Proselect]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

Most likely you just knocked it out of balance. There is a good chance you may have a bad tire now due to an impact break. Also you may have rim damage too. If you hit a hole hard enough to cause a tire to wobble then you most likely knocked out the alignment. Misalignment will never cause a vibration(except in super extreme situations). It will cause tire irregular tire wear and/or handling issues. It is very unlikely anything is bent. I have also seen tie rods and ball joints go loose as the result of hitting potholes and curbs. Of course they were already on the verge of being loose or loose already, but the impact pushed them along further.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Wife hit a pothole - a big one

I'm sure it is the cast allow rims.That is what is on my Mazda 6.
That and those extremely expensive Michelin tires at about 200 bucks each!

Hopefully out of balance but more likely a bent rim or damaged tire..