hi all,

i have got some brand new 195/50 R15 tyres on my new alloys and i went over a verry deep pothole which made a hell of a noise (was pitch black out in the middle of nowhere) anyway.....my tyre now has a big gouge out of the sidewall..i say gauge its more of a flap of rubber.

the flap is about 1cm id say..still attached. there is no bracing strips or bulges in the tyre at all....so is it still legal to use?

i have a friend who works with tyres (hes an aprentice) and recons itll be okay....over the phone.

anyone on here acturly know?

many thanks

I think you'll get a universal "get it mended" from all the guys on here. Your tyres are the only contact between your vehicle and the road and any damage to them in my (and most peoples opinion) is very dangerous to you and other road users! It's probably legal, I'm no expert, but personally I wouldn't chance it and risk a blow out on the motorway.

You can't repair sidewall damage - only tread, and that's not advised for certain types of damage.

The sidewalls incur tremendous loads at speed so while you might think that it's ok now, it could be getting progressively worse through time to the point where it pops :(

Time for a new one, but if the other side is a new one at least you'll get away with just one rather than a pair (which you should always do to ensure even wear and not to upset the traction control/ESP)

If you are able to re-visit the pothole during the day and take photos, put a claim in against the council. Take a standard reference measurement to indicate the depth of the hole when taking the photo (such as a ruler, or can of coke or even a packet of !Removed! lol)

Put a claim in, if it;s over a certain depth the council is obliged to reimburse you. Sent a copy of the receipt for the new tyre and try get a fault report from the tyre shop who fits it to say what the tread depth of the removed tyre is, and that there was irreparable damage to the sidewall. Take photos too.

And whatever you do, make sure you fit the exact same tyre as the opposite side, or you will suffer handling issues. Otherwise you'll need to fit a pair

Good luck :)

I would say yes or no if I could see the damage...best get it to a good tyre garage, have them check it out, including having the wheel off and check for balancing, its likely the pothole will have affected the wheel, maybe even a buckle, best check to be sure.

Long and lengthy legal descriptions on what is/is not permitted, just go get it check is best :)

hi all thanks for the replys,

its not jsut this tyre that is damaged my rear tyre has a gash in the sidewall (went down)from this pothole and the front has a slit in the rubber,,,so i will infat be having to get 2 new tyres :(

hi all thanks for the replys,

its not jsut this tyre that is damaged my rear tyre has a gash in the sidewall (went down)from this pothole and the front has a slit in the rubber,,,so i will infat be having to get 2 new tyres :(

ensure they are well checked for damage to the alloys, dont wana risk that.

Shame tho.

Piggy :)