Causes and solutions for a car tire blowout.

Overloading vehicles, hitting potholes, and having underinflated or excessively old tires are the main causes of tire blowouts.

1. Causes of car tire blowouts

The car tire is underinflated.

Underinflated car tires are considered a major cause of tire blowouts. In fact, according to the operating principle of a vehicle, the air pressure in the tires is responsible for supporting the entire weight of the car, as well as the weight of passengers and luggage. Underinflated tires mean the tire casing has to bear extra "responsibility," causing the tire's components, including the steel wires, rubber, tread, and even the tire bead, to work overtime. Furthermore, underinflation prevents the tire from cooling properly, and the increased friction area between the tire and the road surface leads to overheating and a higher risk of blowout.

Experienced drivers advise that you should regularly check your tire pressure using a portable tire pressure gauge or install a tire pressure monitoring system for continuous monitoring. When inflating your tires, you should also ensure you adhere to the pressure specifications usually posted on the back of the driver's door.

Overloaded vehicle

Overloading trucks has become a perennial problem in Vietnam. Overloading inadvertently pushes tires to their "maximum load limit." At this point, the heat generated by friction with the road surface and driving over uneven roads pushes the tire's endurance beyond its limit. Therefore, tire blowouts are almost inevitable.

Falling into a pothole

Drivers should maintain a moderate speed if they are unfamiliar with the road. It is difficult to spot potholes from a distance when the driver's visibility is limited, especially when traveling too fast.

Hitting a pothole is something that will instantly "kill" a car's tires, and can even destroy the wheel rims. At low speeds, hitting a pothole might only cause discomfort. However, at high speeds, the pressure from the road surface can cause tire blowouts, cracked rims, and, more seriously, broken shock absorbers.

If you're driving a sports car with large rims, this means the tire sidewalls are very thin, and hitting small bumps or rocks at high speed can easily cause a tire blowout. Therefore, experienced drivers advise driving at a moderate speed if you're unfamiliar with the road. It's difficult to spot potholes from a distance when the driver's visibility is limited, especially when driving too fast.

The car tires are too old.

Each tire has treads or grooves, whose main function is to channel water to improve traction and prevent hydroplaning on wet roads. According to most manufacturers' standards, if the tread depth is less than 1.6 mm, it means the tire is worn and unsafe.

Car drivers should replace their tires after 50,000 km, depending on road conditions.

According to manufacturers' recommendations, drivers should replace tires after 50,000 km, depending on road conditions. If you frequently drive on rough roads, you should replace them after 40,000 km or after 5 years of use. If tires are too old, they will wear down to their limit, and when operating at high speeds, the factors of temperature, pressure, and load will completely destroy your tires.

2. How to handle a car with a flat tire.

Just hearing these three sounds is enough to confirm a tire blowout: a very loud bang (due to the tire being destroyed by pressure), a very strong hissing sound (due to air escaping), and a "thump-thump" sound of the rubber tire rubbing against the road surface.

In more serious cases, if a tire is completely blown out, you'll certainly hear the wheel rim scraping against the road. So how should we handle this to avoid losing control or crashing into other vehicles?

When a tire blows out, try not to brake; just release the accelerator and keep the steering wheel straight.

When a car has a flat tire, the basic reaction of drivers is usually to slam on the brakes or swerve in the opposite direction because they notice the car tilting. However, this action only makes the car more unbalanced. At this time, try not to brake, just release the accelerator and keep the steering wheel straight because when the car loses balance, safety systems such as the Electronic Stability Control (ESP) and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) will intervene immediately. Any further action will make it very difficult for the ECU to handle the situation. Gently apply the brakes and pull over to the side of the road when the car is stable.

To handle this situation, the driver must have good steering skills. The correct steering position is with the left hand at the 9 o'clock position on the steering wheel and the right hand at the 1 or 2 o'clock position. The thumb of the left hand should always wrap around the steering wheel slightly above the triple clamp. Upon hearing a loud bang or hiss, the driver's first reaction is to grip the steering wheel tightly with the left hand and immediately grab the steering wheel with the right hand at the 3 o'clock position (also at the triple clamp).

If the car is tilting to the right, use your left hand to pull the steering wheel in the opposite direction and your right hand to push. If the car is tilting to the left, use your left hand to push and your right hand to pull the steering wheel to the right. Try to keep the car moving straight due to inertia, apply moderate pressure with your foot to slow the car down, and then let it come to a slow stop. Most importantly, do not brake suddenly, as this will certainly cause the car to overturn.

According to VNN