4 min read · From the bay
Pothole season: what a bad hit does to your wheels
The rains open up the roads from May. One hard pothole can bend a rim, break the cords inside a tyre and throw your alignment out, all at once.
The morning after
Walk round the car in daylight. Look at each sidewall for a bulge or a cut, and at each rim edge for a flat spot or a crack. Check pressures; a slow leak after a hit often means a bent rim edge.
A bulge is not cosmetic
A bulge means the cords inside the tyre have broken and only the rubber is holding the air. It can burst at speed. Do not drive far on it; fit the spare and bring it in.
Slow down before the hole, not in it.
Steering shake and pulling
Shake through the wheel at 80 km/h is usually a bent rim or a weight knocked off. A pull to one side is alignment. We can check both in one visit, and straighten most steel rims.
Drive to save your wheels
Slow down before the hole, not in it; braking hard as you hit it loads the wheel more. Keep pressures right, because an under-inflated tyre pinches against the rim. And give puddles respect in the rainy season; you cannot see how deep they are.
Profile and potholes
Very low profile tyres on big rims look good but protect the rim less. If your daily route is the Airport Road or Jakpa Road in July, one size taller in profile can save you a rim a year.
Written by the Treadwell fitters. General guidance; ask us about your own vehicle.