Author Topic: Came so close to buying a new wheel today  (Read 264 times)

DirtDriver

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Came so close to buying a new wheel today
« on: January 25, 2012, 11:47:47 AM »
But it would have had a tire wrapped around it. Took an early apex through a turn on the way home last night and hit a concrete island just tall enough to shred the sidewall on the tires and scratch up the rim real good.

One tire and a front-end alignment later I am out $220.00.

On a good note, driving home on the little donut spare was a fifty mile trek at forty mph. I got good gas mileage!

DD

Fit4aking

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Re: Came so close to buying a new wheel today
« Reply #1 on: January 25, 2012, 12:14:13 PM »
That sucks.  The recent snowfall we had here sent a lot of our customers into the curb.  We have at least 3 cars here now waiting on insurance adjusters to approve repairs needed.  Like replacement wheels, control arms, tie rods, etc.
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DirtDriver

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Re: Came so close to buying a new wheel today
« Reply #2 on: January 25, 2012, 12:17:35 PM »
geez, I got off easy! I just couldn't help but notice how close the repair cost was to the price of a CSR wheel...(weeps softly and then sighs).

DD

Big Mooing Cow

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Re: Came so close to buying a new wheel today
« Reply #3 on: January 25, 2012, 05:10:14 PM »
Ouch!  I've never killed a tire that way, I've only nailed them.  I guess you can count yourself lucky that it wasn't a taller island that could have broken your front clip.

So you guys down South are getting snow?  Ain't it fun!?  We finally got a couple good days here (we're WAY under for the year) and I discovered my new car's switchable personalities:

Normal: HolyCrapTheBackEndIsComingOutBRAAAAAKES.  Stability control saves the day and tugs the appropriate wheel hard to stop the skid, and often the car.  Damn.

DTC ("sport" mode): Hey!  Sporty slide, Boss!  WheeeeeeWHOA!  TOO MUCH!  <tap tap tap on the brakes to tuck the car in>  There.  Now don't go so nuts next time, you almost spun!

OFF: I bet you can't hold a 45 degree drift on a straight!  WOOOOOOO!  OK, next time try 60 degrees!

This car is even easier to hold in a slide than my Legacy was.  Kinda like is true in Forza, I suspect the open diffs make this car easier to keep traction on the edge, because one wheel will happily spin if you apply too much power, making traction loss predictable.  With sufficient snow I can easily hold it in a pretty severe slide with only minor wheel adjustments.  My record from my limited play time (ie: no baby in the car) is 45 degrees at 20mph for half a residential block.  It handles left-right transitions pretty well too so long as you don't feed it gas until the car stops its pendulum swing into the second slide.

Ahem.  Careful out there.  Snow is dangerous.  :)
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chargercrazy

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Re: Came so close to buying a new wheel today
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2012, 10:40:11 PM »
Snow can be dangerous.  I just used this list as my safety topic for work this week.

http://jalopnik.com/5875786/top-ten-tips-for-safer-winter-driving/gallery/1

TheJohnNewton

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Re: Came so close to buying a new wheel today
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2012, 01:09:20 PM »
I did something similar about 10 years back.   Just barely cliped the island with the rear tire making a left hand turn.  Didn't think anything of it until I got home and later saw the sidewall had a minor split and was leaking. 
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Big Mooing Cow

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Re: Came so close to buying a new wheel today
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2012, 01:49:18 PM »
Snow can be dangerous.  I just used this list as my safety topic for work this week.

http://jalopnik.com/5875786/top-ten-tips-for-safer-winter-driving/gallery/1

All the maintenance stuff is good (I just realized I forgot my scraper this year!) but I disagree with their assertion about a lightweight FWD car.  More weight + narrow tires is the formula you want in deep snow or slush.  It won't help you on ice (at which point light weight and thus less momentum can be an advantage), but ice is usually patchy and identifiable a ton easier to work around than snow or slush, which tends to be everywhere.

AWD > FWD > RWD, but horsepower can't help you stop, and you have to be lucky/good for it to help you keep the car under control.  For me AWD in the winter is an advantage for hills, for deep snow, and for goofing around.  I have had the rare circumstance where it helps keep the car under control, but that's only when I was driving too fast for conditions anyway.  99% of the time (I hate it when people say that!) in the winter when the car is getting squirrely you're best off to just mash the brakes, STOP, and then get moving again with an embarrassed look on your face.

Winter driving is so nice and quiet and peaceful.  A nice big flurry and a country road with a clean windshield and the heater cranked up is almost as nice as a top down cruise through a twisty summer backroad, IMHO.
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fndrbndr

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Re: Came so close to buying a new wheel today
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2012, 07:06:38 PM »
It rained last week.  :)

I love Florida this time of year. 
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Choccy

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Re: Came so close to buying a new wheel today
« Reply #8 on: January 30, 2012, 05:24:26 PM »
It rained last week.  :)

I love Florida this time of year.
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Spiny Anteater

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Re: Came so close to buying a new wheel today
« Reply #9 on: February 04, 2012, 12:57:14 PM »
Grrrrr! Looks like it's catching as I picked up a screw through the tyre today... and not in a place where it could be repaired either. >:(

Still, on the bright side, at least I saw it before the tyre went flat so didn't have to stand around in below freezing temps waiting for the AA, but my credit card is £135 lighter than it was this morning. Here's hoping that these things don't do the usual trick of coming in threes...
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DirtDriver

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Re: Came so close to buying a new wheel today
« Reply #10 on: February 04, 2012, 08:48:47 PM »
Yeah, I understand that instant loss of monetary weight!

Spiny, I thought that "old-wives tale" about bad things coming in threes was old american folk-lore. Looks like we inherited it from the mother ship. At any rate, if it comes in threes you will almost have a full set of new tires :)

DD

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Re: Came so close to buying a new wheel today
« Reply #11 on: February 05, 2012, 04:06:00 AM »
Yeah, I understand that instant loss of monetary weight!

Spiny, I thought that "old-wives tale" about bad things coming in threes was old american folk-lore. Looks like we inherited it from the mother ship. At any rate, if it comes in threes you will almost have a full set of new tires :)

DD

I wouldn't mind, but it had to pick a rear tyre which is barely worn rather than a front one which has probably 5000 miles left on it :(

You got me searching to try and find where the threes thing comes from... and it seems nobody really knows. The most common theory I found is that it was from the Boook of Job in the Bible, but that would mean we both inherited it from the grandmother ship :)
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Blooze

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Re: Came so close to buying a new wheel today
« Reply #12 on: February 05, 2012, 07:19:45 AM »
You may want to consider Pep Boys for your tyre purchase.  According to their TV ads you could get the 4th one free.

;D
« Last Edit: February 05, 2012, 07:22:07 AM by Blooze »
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Big Mooing Cow

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Re: Came so close to buying a new wheel today
« Reply #13 on: February 05, 2012, 10:03:37 AM »
If one more of you guys pop a tire, I claim the free one!  :)

I blew a run-flat last summer.  That was an interesting experience.  I had no clue until the car started complaining via the TPMS.  Even down to 18psi I couldn't feel the difference, at least driving cautiously.  I drove about 60 miles at 60mph on it.

The pain came in the bill to replace it.  I hate 17" wheels!
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Spiny Anteater

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Re: Came so close to buying a new wheel today
« Reply #14 on: February 07, 2012, 01:32:29 PM »
It seems the "threes" struck my workplace over the weekend. Once everyone had reached the office, it turns out that of 9 of us, 3 had a wheel-related mishap over the weekend.

On the bright side, that probably means the rest of you are safe. Or.... Dirt was actually the start of a whole different set of three :P
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