Buddy Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 man this morning on the way to school i was trying to turn left at an intersection with no arrow just yield. well to make a long story short the cars coming from the other direction did not let me turn so when it was clear i started to turn but i was watching another car that was coming and while doing that i hit the curb really hard. hard enough to put a quarter sized hole in my tire on the sidewall. it was my 85' GL wagon. i changed the tire after pulling to get it back home. rite now i'm driving my mom's Chevrolet Cobalt. is there anything to check bcuz i checked it really quick and did not find any damage. rite now i'm in the college library. hey let me know what i need to check please i would really appreciate it. Buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Abides Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 man this morning on the way to school i was trying to turn left at an intersection with no arrow just yield. well to make a long story short the cars coming from the other direction did not let me turn so when it was clear i started to turn but i was watching another car that was coming and while doing that i hit the curb really hard. hard enough to put a quarter sized hole in my tire on the sidewall. it was my 85' GL wagon. i changed the tire after pulling to get it back home. rite now i'm driving my mom's Chevrolet Cobalt. is there anything to check bcuz i checked it really quick and did not find any damage. rite now i'm in the college library. hey let me know what i need to check please i would really appreciate it. Buddy get your tire replaced but have the shop double check for the wheel to be bent. drive your vehicle make sure it doesnt pull to hard to any side. If that did you probally threw it out of alighment. Try to observe any squeeking or leaning. You really cant diagnose something unless 1 you get under it or 2 you drive it. Just get in and driveit around your block to start. Take it easy for a little bit and then if everything seems ok then just drive it like normal. But Id think more than likely you might of thrown it out of alignment. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virrdog Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 There are quite a few things that could have bent. But like was said, you won't really know until you drive it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted September 24, 2007 Author Share Posted September 24, 2007 get your tire replaced but have the shop double check for the wheel to be bent. drive your vehicle make sure it doesnt pull to hard to any side. If that did you probally threw it out of alighment. Try to observe any squeeking or leaning. You really cant diagnose something unless 1 you get under it or 2 you drive it. Just get in and driveit around your block to start. Take it easy for a little bit and then if everything seems ok then just drive it like normal. But Id think more than likely you might of thrown it out of alignment. Ben i drove it back home on the spare. i did not hear any squeaking at that moment. like i said i checked it out before mounting the spare tire on and everything looked ok. btw just before i hit the curb a nice brown GL wagon turned left headed in the opposite direction. anyway back on topic i'm gonna get the tire replaced and put it back on and drive it with the regular tire on. i'll post the results when i finish. Buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chef_tim Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 There's a good chance that blowing the tyre saved the rest of your steering components. Like said above, you'll have to drive it to find out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy FitzGibbon Posted September 25, 2007 Share Posted September 25, 2007 I ran my Loyale over a curb once. It didn't blow the tire, but forever after the steering wheel has been off center. I was all over it many times looking for bent parts and didn't find any. Not sure what happened. It's parts now, so I'm not worried. The last tire I blew was from hitting a chuckhole really hard, and nothing got bent. Same thing as you, put a big hole in the tire. I agree with Tim, if you're lucky the tire absorbed the damage. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 25, 2007 Share Posted September 25, 2007 I whammed a curb doing about the same thing, made it up to about 30, maybe 35 MPH before I hit, too.. I flogged my tie rod end, it was BAD but it was immediately apparent.. it DID get worse, but it only had about 20-30 miles before it was too bad to continue driving. Jack the car up, and check the radius rod.. The tie rod end and the ball joint are the most likely things to go wrong, with a bent radius rod, and then a bent lower control arm, being the next two most likely possibilities. Do you have a copy of the HTKYSA file? That gives you a GREAT walk-through on how to check your suspension components for a possible problem, and its what I used to pinpoint my issue to the tie rod end.. When you check the radius rod (thats the long rod that bolts to the LCA right behind the wheel) make sure you investigate the spot where that rod bolts to the subframe as well. Just compare the two sides; if the impacted side has something that looks bent or out of shape, then replace it with junkyard componentry. The tie rod end, or the ball joint, should be replaced new, and they should be replaced in pairs even though its only one side that is "bad." Tie rod ends are the only alignment adjustment on the front end of the EA series subarus.. That being the case, you will need a front wheel alignment after replacing it. You can get it real close at home, but since I haven't done any GOOD homebrew wheel alignments, I will leave it to someone else to explain how you can do that IF you want to bother. Personally, I would rather take it to a shop and let them do it, and I NEVER SAY THAT. The shop SHOULD be able to tell if anything else was damaged that you missed.. after all, they ARE experts at finding things to charge you for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted September 25, 2007 Author Share Posted September 25, 2007 well i forgot to say that i was going about between 5-10 mph so i was not going that fast i had my dad take a look at the car and he says everything is fine he drove it also after properly airing up the spare and the car drove straight and noise free. it doesnt drift to the side and like Tim said above looks like the tire took the sacrifice for the suspension. the wheel just got scraped no bending or anything. i'll keep this thread updated. i have to go rite now or i'll be late for class Buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayakertom Posted September 26, 2007 Share Posted September 26, 2007 If you have good tread on your rear tires, I would put the rears up front and your unmatched pair in the rear. Should have same type of tires and wear pattern for the fronts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted September 27, 2007 Author Share Posted September 27, 2007 well its been bout 3 days since it happened the car is just fine the only question i have is that is the car gonna feel funny with the spare tire on? just wanna know thanks Buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 well its been bout 3 days since it happened the car is just fine the only question i have is that is the car gonna feel funny with the spare tire on? just wanna know thanks Buddy Well, kinda, yah. "Funny" is a vague term, and I can certainly tell the difference between the ride with a donut on and without.. if the car is a FWD I always put the donut on a back wheel and roll one wheel forwards, if needs be. Even RWD cars, I prefer to keep my front wheels with good tires.. Steering and stopping are more important that going fast. However, until you drive the car with four normal tires on it for a couple days and don't feel anything awkward, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of buggering a tie rod end.. if they are old it can be easy to push one over the edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 the spare should be the same overall diameter for a stock tire size. if anything you may have a vibration and this would be the tire itself if it is off balance. make sure it is aired up to 60 psi. driving on a flat rim is entertaining but when the tire shreds off it can beat the piss out of your fender(if you put on a flat donut...) aside from all that if anything put the spare on the back and rotate the rear tire(s) to the front so you maintain your steering and braking ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted September 28, 2007 Author Share Posted September 28, 2007 Well, kinda, yah. "Funny" is a vague term, and I can certainly tell the difference between the ride with a donut on and without.. if the car is a FWD I always put the donut on a back wheel and roll one wheel forwards, if needs be. Even RWD cars, I prefer to keep my front wheels with good tires.. Steering and stopping are more important that going fast. However, until you drive the car with four normal tires on it for a couple days and don't feel anything awkward, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of buggering a tie rod end.. if they are old it can be easy to push one over the edge. can u notice by looking at it because i took a look at it and it looks fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 can u notice by looking at it because i took a look at it and it looks fine sometimes you can, but I would think that if it were VISIBLY bad then you would know yuo had something seriously wrong. Rotate the rear tire up to the front on that side and see if things feel weird. If they do, then try to dismount the tie rod's ball joint stud from the steering knuckle; the "best" way to do this without buggering the boot up with a pickle fork (and rendering the tie rod useless very soon, even if its good now) is to smack the side of the steering knuckle with a hammer, HARD. Picture the steering knuckle as a donut, and the stud from the tie rod as a cone that donut is sitting on, you need to thwack the outer edge of the donut and supposedly, they drop out. I say "best" and "supposedly because *I* have NEVER had success doing this, but MANY MANY MANY people do it this way and get it on the first two or three shots. If you really are in doubt, then just replace the tie rod ends, and take it in to a shop to have it aligned. don't tell them about your "Accident," and see if they come up with any other problems. THe tie rod ends (two of them) shouldnt cost more than 60 bucks, the wheel alignment maybe 50, and you get 100% peace of mind that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted October 4, 2007 Author Share Posted October 4, 2007 sometimes you can, but I would think that if it were VISIBLY bad then you would know yuo had something seriously wrong. Rotate the rear tire up to the front on that side and see if things feel weird. If they do, then try to dismount the tie rod's ball joint stud from the steering knuckle; the "best" way to do this without buggering the boot up with a pickle fork (and rendering the tie rod useless very soon, even if its good now) is to smack the side of the steering knuckle with a hammer, HARD. Picture the steering knuckle as a donut, and the stud from the tie rod as a cone that donut is sitting on, you need to thwack the outer edge of the donut and supposedly, they drop out. I say "best" and "supposedly because *I* have NEVER had success doing this, but MANY MANY MANY people do it this way and get it on the first two or three shots. If you really are in doubt, then just replace the tie rod ends, and take it in to a shop to have it aligned. don't tell them about your "Accident," and see if they come up with any other problems. THe tie rod ends (two of them) shouldnt cost more than 60 bucks, the wheel alignment maybe 50, and you get 100% peace of mind that way. mmm....donuts anyway i rotated the rear tire to the front and put the spare on the back on saturday afternoon and drove the car and its driving straight and no problems actually when the spare was up front everytime i accelerated the car would pull to that side and while driving at a steady speed it would occasionally pull but now that the regular tire is up front that has stopped. i'll still keep this thread updated. Later Buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 mmm....donuts anyway i rotated the rear tire to the front and put the spare on the back on saturday afternoon and drove the car and its driving straight and no problems actually when the spare was up front everytime i accelerated the car would pull to that side and while driving at a steady speed it would occasionally pull but now that the regular tire is up front that has stopped. i'll still keep this thread updated. Later Buddy Thats because the spare is a spare. Lesson learned, young padawan? :-p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 Donuts... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now