What Would Oppo Do?

"P5guy now GTIguy" (p5guy)
10/19/2020 at 14:15 • Filed to: tires, VW GTI, damage

Curbed my first wheel on the GTI today and tore up a bit of sidewall. It passes the soapy water test so should I worry?

Options are:

1. Put my set of winters on and deal with this in 6 months.

2. Fix now or risk screwing it up more.

3. Ignore and hope the tires last another year or 2 (really only 12 months of use since they’re off the car about half the time).

More tire gore below.

DISCUSSION (53)

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:21

You and I are in the same boat. 3 of my wheels are majorly dinged from 3 different blow outs (thank MN potholes!). I was able to pick up a set of 4 brand new GTI take offs for 500 bucks earlier this summer. I’m getting winters mounted onto them tomorrow, and seeing as how the forecast says 6 inches of snow (seriously, wtf Minnesota?) to morrow, the timing couldn’t be better.

My current plan is: If I buy the car out once the lease is up (in March), I’ll get a set of aftermarket wheels with summer rubber. If not, I’ll give it back with some scuffed wheels and hope they don’t bill me for it, and sell the good ones with the winters on them.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:22

Hari Kari is the only option that I can see. /s

TBH, it isn’t that bad. It feels shitty now, but the damage from what I can see is minor to the rim and tire. Is there a floppy bit of rubber? It can be re-secured with rubber cement/glue.

I always tell the story of getting my new Sparco Asseto Gara’s and Falken Azeni’s put on and literally curbing the shit out of it on my way home from the tire store. Took a chunk out of the rim and tire.

Arrivederci > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:24

That looks okay to me - as long as it’s just a daily driven vehicle, I wouldn’t have a problem riding on it until the tread wears out.

user314 > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:25

Kinja'd!!!

adamftw > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:26

Thats 100% fine.

sony1492 > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:26

Still Looks safe

Sovande > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
10/19/2020 at 14:26

I once got a set of wheels professionally refinished and they looked amazing. I took them back to the garage, got three mounted without any trouble. On the fourth, I dropped the lug wrench and it bounced off the floor, hit the wall and then proceeded to hit the wheel and take out a chunk of the finish. It was as though the universe didn’t want me to have nice things. Or that it was just confirmation that I’m clumsy.

Point is, that sucks.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:27

too bad about the rim (the first curbie sucks) but the tire just looks bruised, but keep and eye out for it bulging.

OmerCarrothers333 > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:27

you should see the Denver wheels on my Mk6, they’re gnarly.

you’ll be fine.

my plan is to wait until I have to change my Pirellis for a 17in. wheel and tire combo with a taller sidewall.

notsomethingstructural > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:27

It looks just sorta bad but not OK. If you can see belts at all ditch that shit. If not drive it for like 2 weeks and take it to a good shop or dealer and say you need your tires rotated. See if they catch it and what they say. A good shop or dealer isn’t expecting to sell many tires.

P5guy now GTIguy > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
10/19/2020 at 14:29

That must have been rough, especially considering how much care you put into all your cars. I’ll look into the rubber glue.

P5guy now GTIguy > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI
10/19/2020 at 14:31

That’s a good plan. I always want to put my winters on around this time anyway but since I’m in Northern IL it is a bit too soon.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:31

It’s fine. My GTI had a tire that looked worse than that when I bought it; it wore out before there was any trouble.

P5guy now GTIguy > OmerCarrothers333
10/19/2020 at 14:31

Thanks. I always feel a bit better when I’m on my 17 s than the 18s.

facw > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:32

The wheels seems like a purely aesthetic concern. Tires don’t seem bad to me, though maybe it looks worse in person. Seems pretty shallow though, and in that thick section that sticks out a bit? I’d guess you probably won’t die from it.

P5guy now GTIguy > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
10/19/2020 at 14:32

I aired all of them up and will keep an eye out.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:32

I wish it was a bit too soon, but my stupid state has other plans I guess......

P5guy now GTIguy > MiniGTI - now with XJ6
10/19/2020 at 14:33

Good to know!

Svend > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:35

Ordinarily any damage to the sidewall I’d say replace it but looking at that, it seems more than okay to continue driving on. It’s a slim wedge out of the wider section of the tyre that protrudes out.

If it was any thicker and further out on the tyre wall it’d be a different story.

Tripper > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:35

I’m all or nothing here. This is a maybe keep an eye on it situation for me as an individual. If it was my wife’s car, I’d replace the tire.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:36

what winter rims are you running?

dogisbadob > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:37

Downsize the wheels year-round so you can use tires with real sidewalls :o)

P5guy now GTIguy > notsomethingstructural
10/19/2020 at 14:37

No belts in sight.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:39

Burnouts.

P5guy now GTIguy > Tripper
10/19/2020 at 14:39

I feel the same way. Since it’s mine I feel better keeping an eye on it, if it were my fiance’s I would already be at a tire shop.

Chariotoflove > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:39

I’m not worried about that. I had a deeper cut for a long time that actually developed into a bulging area of the sidewall, which I should have replaced but didn’t and never had a problem with. If you don’t get a bulge, and you won’t, you’re fine.

It just sucks about the rim. There are lots of good tutorials about how to touch that up for cheap though, if that makes you feel any better.

notsomethingstructural > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:40

Eh yeah just drive it till your next rotation then and see what they say. Keep an eye on it. I tend to play it safe on tires since they do all the go-ing, stopping, and turning, and a OK tire can turn into a bad tire pretty fast if you’re asking it to do too much.

P5guy now GTIguy > Chariotoflove
10/19/2020 at 14:42

I’ll see what I can do about them when they are off for the winter. The surface has a polished finish so who knows.

P5guy now GTIguy > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
10/19/2020 at 14:43

It’s a rear tire on a FWD :(

Chariotoflove > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:43

Mine are chromed, which is the worst for touching up. So, my sympathies.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:45

Swap to front, disable traction control.

P5guy now GTIguy > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
10/19/2020 at 14:46

Some VW take offs from Craigslist. Love me that OEM look.

Kinja'd!!!

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:47

My wife gouged a piece of rubber off of her tire sidewall. I figure, no belts showing and no bubble, so OK for now.

It’s one of those lame “low profile tires on an SUV” setups, which we both hate but it was the only way to get some other options she wanted on the car.

DasWauto > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:50

That looks pretty minor. Unless it loses air frequently or the sidewall bulges due to damaging the structure, I’d expect it to just be cosmetic and the tire to last just as long as the others. If it was more serious I’d expect the wheel to me more gnashed than it is anyway.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:54

Run em til they’re bald. Absolute worst case is you get a flat later. A blowout, even going 80 on the interstate, isn’t going to make you flip . I wouldn’t take them to the track or anything, but these are fine.

Tripper > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:55

Yep one other factor is my kiddo so now a days I would probably replace my own tire as well (after weeks of insisting that we not take her in my car because of it)

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:56

It looks fiiiine but I don't like taking big chances with tires. Replace the tire, don't worry about the rim. You'll just curb it again some day, why pay for two repairs?

camarov6rs > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:57

Buy a new car ;)

Bandit > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 14:59

Send it, you’re probably fine. Maybe try taking some very high grit sand paper to smooth out the curb rash too, should hopefully make it look less noticeable .

TorqueToYield > Svend
10/19/2020 at 15:00

Right, I had tires with thicker bits near the rim that were purposefully meant to take rubbings with curb, I can’t imagine those thick bits would be the same wall thickness as the rest of the tire.

P5guy now GTIguy > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/19/2020 at 15:04

I’m already buying a set of tire this fall for the Kona so maybe in the spring the GTI will get some too.

P5guy now GTIguy > camarov6rs
10/19/2020 at 15:04

The GR Corolla isnt out yet!

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/19/2020 at 15:06

Two of my wheels are curbed, and at one point when I was bored I kept an eye out for take-off replacements. Didn’t happen right away, and then I figured that as soon as I replaced them, I’d curb them again, so dropped the search.

Of course, in the years since then I haven’t curbed them, but, you know that Murphy’s law would have kicked in with the original plan.

Future next gen S2000 owner > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 15:17

Have you considered burning it down and starting over?

You’re fine. Rip that little piece of rubber off and roll on.

superdave847 > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 15:21

I would fix it right away. You don’t want to loose more money ruining winter tires if it’s above freezing.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 15:25

Rotate, burnouts

RacinBob > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 16:00

That rubber is there to protect the sidewall from events like curbing your tire. If you don’t see cord, the tire is fine. I hi t a milwaukee pothole on an onramp at 50 mph. It tore out a 1" chunk the thickness of a pencil . It removed enough mass that I had to rebalance it. That was 2 years ago.

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 16:24

Roll with it. That part of the tire is the curb guard. I t did what it was designed to do, sort of. T hat part of the tire is about 1" thick. D on’t worry about it, you will be fine.

Shift24 > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 17:50

Are these run flats? Looks so, if so thats one of the meaty areas. Leave it

Urambo Tauro > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 18:01

Take it to a shop where one of the techs is a JRitS contributor, and decline anythi ng they r ecommend .

P5guy now GTIguy > Urambo Tauro
10/19/2020 at 18:29

Lol I don't want to end up on there.

P5guy now GTIguy > Shift24
10/19/2020 at 18:30

Regular tire.

Nauraushaun > P5guy now GTIguy
10/19/2020 at 20:28

I’d leave it. Make sure your spare or whatever you have is usable. Hopefully it’ll last, and if not at least you’re not stranded.

I don't like premature fixes. Often you avoid them and find they weren't that necessary