Tire question...not what you think!

[Catfish]

Another annoying tire thread? Oh no! Well, not really...

So a couple of months ago, I got sideswiped by a guy in a rental car. It was totally his fault. There wasn't much damage...mostly cosmetic. He hit me on the passenger side back door and scraped back to the tire. Nothing was dented, just surface scratches and such, though the running board was bent under. Enterprise Rental sent out an adjuster and cut me a check for $3000. Not too shabby! Here's what Enterprise thinks is $3000 worth of damage...

Not too bad, as you can see. My buddy at the body shop charged me $50 to buff out the scuffs and scratches and he bent the running board back into place. The body work looks pretty much brand new...you can still see some very minor scuffs if you get really close. The running board is still in place, but I'll probably replace them with tube steps once I find an affordable pair online.

But what about the tire? Well, the bumper of the rental car cut into my right rear tire. It kinda cut a flap into it. Enterprise gave me $400 for a new tire (I'm running Nitto Terra Grapplers 265/70 R17)...I paid about $180 per tire 24,000 miles ago. The damage...

Not too bad, as you can see. But I'm wondering if I should replace the tire? Or maybe two, for equal mileage wear...? The current tires have 24k on them. The majority of my driving is just around town and such, with an annual "off-road" trip to Big Bend. But I also have a ~2500 mile roadtrip to Chicago coming up in July.

The guys as Discount Tire said that the cut was just cosmetic and that I should just pocket the money. My dad thinks I should get two new tires. The guys at the body shop said take the money and run. What do you guys say?

 

[20034RunnerV84x2]

If air isn't escaping and you doing mind the cosmetic, pocket and run!

 

[zstampe]

Meh....i'd probably leave it or put it underneath for a spare and use the current spare as that tire (if it is a matching spare). Or buy a new tire. Win-win in the end regardless.

 

[DMC91187]

what would steve miller band do...

 

[dwm2112]

Maybe I am old school but I will not run on a potentially bad tire. It would be a real shame to have a blowout going down an interstate with a tire you knew may be compromised. I would go ahead and buy 2 just for the peace of mind, confidence factor.

 

[JB.]

If it's only rubber missing and you can't detect any cord, I wouldn't worry about it. You've already had it looked at by a tire guy. Couldn't hurt to ask <a href="http://www.toyota-4runner.org/general-discussions/110300-ask-tire-engineer.html" target="_blank">this</a> guy, but since he can't see it, I'm guessing he'd tell you to have a tire professional look at it.

 

[Huskey]

Depending on your finacial situation, I'd be making a compromise on a couple of the previous posts, definatly get it off the truck keep it as a spare. you would most definatly feel something stupid if it did fail while you knew it was questionable. As to replacing it for two new spares... like I said, it all depends on your finacial situation. If you need the money to get you out of a jam, or for your trip, or whatever, then its replaceable later. If not, then better to take care of it sooner then later.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

The damage for the most part looks cosmetic, but such a small cut could lead to problems down the road. There is a decent depth into the tire and it could potentionally reduce sidewall strength in that area.

That being said, are those P or LT, because usually the sidewalls are a little tougher on LT tires. Chances are the damage will not cause structrual weakness in the tire and you should be fine. Its all about what you feel comfortable risking at the moment. But I would say 400-500 bucks out of a few grand isn't bad if its all free?

 

[Gecko123]

Maybe I am old school but I will not run on a potentially bad tire. It would be a real shame to have a blowout going down an interstate with a tire you knew may be compromised. I would go ahead and buy 2 just for the peace of mind, confidence factor.

I dont think you are old school, just wise. I would do the same. It's crazy to risk your life or someone else's to save a few bucks.

 

[08medic4x4]

what would steve miller band do...

what is...."take the money and run" alex?

 

[aha2988]

man I'd love to get 3400bucks for someone doing that minal of damage, damn me for being a the one to avoid accidents lol. go grab two new tires and through that ripped one away and keep the other incase you have a flat on a sunday and the only tire store open is walmart lol. there isnt any point in risking a dangerous blowout to save what its gonna cost for two new ones 400 bucks maybe. Thats awesome man I think you can even buy the plastic panels on the door for like 50 bucks a piece and have them painted either way you got some free money in there for sure!!

 

[Catfish]

Well, I've been leaning towards replacing the tire, but sure could use the money on other stuff too. The cut isn't that deep...definitely not down to the cords, but I do have some reservations about running on a damaged tire. These tires are "P" tires, for what it's worth.

Unfortunately, my spare is the original Dunlop that came on the truck, so the size is different...not to mention that those tires kinda suck. So I would likely buy two new tires...ditch the damaged one completely and move the other rear tire to the spare and run the two new ones on the back.

I know in the end, it's all about what I'm comfortable with, both financially and safety-wise. In the grand scheme of things, $400 out of $3000 for a little peace of mind isn't too bad. Thanks for all your input!


And yeah...I lucked out, big time! I laughed when they quoted me $3000 for the damage. Then I told them to drop the check in the mail ASAP! Win!

 

[Mytoy4]

Nice! I need to go and get myself hit by an Enterprise Rental car!

 

[Sungod]

That looks cosmetic. As JB said as long as the cords are not cut you are ok. Look at the sidewall of your tire and it should how many layers of cords and what kind. Usually nylon, rayon, polyester, etc. That is what makes your tires strong. Rubber just holds the air in. When the cords get cut that is when you see the bubble on the sidewall and that is bad news. As long as you don't see a bubble, you are golden. I would probably take some rubber cement to fill in that hole because you don't want rocks or other abrasive thing getting in there.

 

[nevada]

there isnt anything wrong with that tire, other than the look.
i would run it, without ever thinking about it again.

 

[Catfish]

Well, I went back to Discount Tire and talked to the manager about it. He agreed that it was just cosmetic and not to really worry about it. But then he said that if I wanted to replace it, he'd do it under warranty. Sooo...I had them replace that tire under warranty, bought a new tire for the other side and moved the other good one to the spare. All in all...two new tires, a same-sized spare (with 25k on it) and all 5 tires under warranty...out the door for $265.

A day later, I took my truck in for the 65k maintenance and they found that my front struts were leaking pretty badly and would need to be replaced to the tune of ~$600. Toyota Platinum Warranty to the rescue again! All I have to pay for is the alignment and I got a 20% off coupon for that...

All of this is good timing seeing that I'm heading out on a 3000 mile roadtrip in a couple of weeks...