So um...help?

"zeontestpilot" (zeontestpilot) 06/09/2014 at 15:13 • Filed to: None

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Update Update: I made it home alive.

Update: thanks everyone for responding. Once I get off at 5pm, I'll recheck the tires and figure out what to do from there.

Not sure if you can see it, but the rim is bent for the steelie. It happened coming off of the highway and turning on to the next street. It's a sharp turn, and apparently I turn too much and hit the cement median with my father's car (I'm borrowing it). That was this morning. I checked at lunch, and it doesn't look like it lost any air pressure, but I can't really tell because for some reason there is no tire gauge in the car. I'm at a client's site, in Detroit, I live 62 miles away. The spare, which seems low on air, has about 50 miles on it.

So, is it recommended I drive home on it? Can I? Could I? My dad said to drive it home carefully, and it the tire gets low, switch it with the spare. If I drove on it, would the air slowly leak out? Any and all other information would be golden, thanks.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 15:16

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Stop!

Hammertime!

...

No, seriously, since you haven't warped it much into the actual sealing area, you can probably drive on it, and then if (once hammered) it holds air, should do okay as a spare wheel.

mr_gofast > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 06/09/2014 at 15:18

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keep speed under 40mph...take the back roads - avoid hi ways which will raise pressuer on the tire when you go faster.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 15:18

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Last time I dented my wheels (I dented both passenger side wheels on a pothole), I didn't know the 2nd one was dented till hours later, meaning it had a slow leak, so I'd recommend you proceed carefully and check on the situation frequently, because there is no telling how well it'll still hold air.

In my case I needed one new wheel on the front and the rear one they managed to straighten (which I find a weird term for something that is round).

Alfalfa > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 15:18

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Is there a gas station nearby with air? If so, I would inflate the spare and drove home on that.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 15:21

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My wife did that to her last car. I wouldn't trust that at all. Put the spare on and go buy a new wheel. That one is now scrap.

zeontestpilot > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 06/09/2014 at 15:42

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can you drive a spare 50+ miles though? I thought they only had 50 miles on them.

zeontestpilot > Alfalfa 06/09/2014 at 15:46

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Nothing close by, I haven't seen one downtown at all actually. Plus, I noticed inner cities stations sometimes don't have air pumps.

pfftballer > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 15:49

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There is nothing wrong with that wheel. Drive normally or in your case be extra careful since you hit shit when you drive normally, and take a hammer to it when you get home. Check the alignment next time you get a chance since you may have tweaked it out.

kevinw > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 15:49

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Just go borrow a big hammer and a block of wood and beat it back. I have fixed worse.its not that bad

zeontestpilot > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 06/09/2014 at 15:49

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So if driven on, it'll be a slow leak then? It's a '05 corolla. It's 1 hr and 30 minutes home (rush hr). it's not below 10 psi (it'll be obvious then)....wouldn't the weight of the car in motion make the air escape faster?

Alfalfa > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 15:49

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Depends on the spare, but most of them are around 50. I've seen them driven up to 100 with no problem, though. Not that I'm recommending it, just something to take into consideration...

kevinw > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 15:50

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Oh. You could drive on that.

pfftballer > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 15:50

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Pretty sure they say not to go over 50 mph, never heard of a mileage limitation.

zeontestpilot > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 06/09/2014 at 15:51

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I noticed that too . The lip is bent, but the tire is sort of suctioned to it, correct? Of course the lip keeps it in place. Anything else to use besides a hammer?

Meatcoma > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 15:52

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I'd definitely make sure the spare had adequate air in it before trekking off. You could probably hit up a tire shop and see if they can hammer that back in before you take off too.

pfftballer > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 15:53

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What makes you think it's leaking? Splash some water around the bead and see if it bubbles. If not Fuggetaboudit! Even if it's a slow leak you can drive on it. Just take it easy.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 15:54

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There really is no telling what it'll do, mine lost air just sitting still, I got about 5 miles out of it, parked at a friends house and watched a basketball game, when I went to leave my tire was flat. So... How long as it been sitting with this dent in it? Is it on the front or the rear?

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > pfftballer 06/09/2014 at 15:54

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With how cheap steel wheels are, I wouldn't bother trying to fix it.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 15:57

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The tire is held to a line where you see the inner part of the lip area - the tire has a metal wire in the bead of the tire that forces it to follow that line and keeps it from coming off while inflated. the area further out from there is where it actually seals, under pressure. That "zone" on your tire is about 2/3 or more intact, so your tire can still seal there unless in straightening the outer part (to prevent dirt/etc from getting jammed into the interface, and to give back more area), you happen to distort a section of the bead area that isn't bent.

If you try to flex it back with pliers/etc., you stand good odds of warping more of the bead than just the flange where it's stretched. Sharp hammer strikes localize the distortion forces, and are more likely to allow you to get it straight without distorting the sealing area.

pfftballer > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 06/09/2014 at 15:58

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Why replace it if it isn't leaking? I've fixed far worse with a hammer. The tire area where the tire bead seals it 1/2" above the dent. (from what I can tell in the picture) What's wrong with saving your money and time?

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 16:02

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Max speed on them is 50mph. I don't know how far you can actually drive on one.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > pfftballer 06/09/2014 at 16:02

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Possibly peace of mind, I am not expert enough to judge how bad this one is.

zeontestpilot > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 06/09/2014 at 16:05

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It happened this morning, around 9:30-40 area. I checked at 1pm, it looked like nothing changed, but I know that means nothing except it isn't extreme low. It's the drivers front. I'm suppose to leave at 5, so that's my final check to see how the tire is doing.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 16:07

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I'd say if it's still holding air by then you are probably fine, for piece of mind check shortly after starting your drive and maybe another time after that to confirm that you are ok.

With it sitting with the weight of the engine over it for that many hours, I'd think it would loose are if it were going to. But better safe than sorry and see how driving the vehicle affects things.

zeontestpilot > pfftballer 06/09/2014 at 16:08

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Well, I sent the pic to my dad and apologized to him about it. He then said it looked bad. So I figured I ask oppos opinion because my dad isn't a car guy.

Plus, I prefer to consider the worse case scenario, so it's not that big of a surprise later on.

zeontestpilot > pfftballer 06/09/2014 at 16:15

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I thought I read it somewhere....I'll have to search then.

zeontestpilot > Alfalfa 06/09/2014 at 16:17

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it's not a normal donut, it's the diameter of a full size, but skinnier. Not sure if that makes any difference though.

Alfalfa > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 16:20

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That's normal. Also, pfftballer's comment about speed also holds true. The owner's manual should have all the info you need about the donut.

zeontestpilot > kevinw 06/09/2014 at 16:22

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Well, i figured I should ask people with a greater knowledge of cars than I have. If rather go into this well informed than blindly.

zeontestpilot > Alfalfa 06/09/2014 at 16:31

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I'll look at it, thanks.

zeontestpilot > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 06/09/2014 at 16:36

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Well, I'm expecting it too pull to the left. My own personal car pulls so I'm use to it. thanks for the advice

Alfalfa > zeontestpilot 06/09/2014 at 16:41

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Also also, many car insurance policies cover roadside assistance. You may want to ask your dad about that if you haven't already.

zeontestpilot > Alfalfa 06/09/2014 at 16:47

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That's is an excellent point, I didn't even think of that. I was worried about traveling I forgot to ask him. Thank you.

pfftballer > zeontestpilot 06/10/2014 at 10:15

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So did you died?

zeontestpilot > pfftballer 06/10/2014 at 20:21

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Yes, I died . But in retrospect, the accident was really funny. The tire blew unexpectedly and I hit a clown car. 150 clowns died yesterday.