Said hi to the curb, it wasn't too friendly...
 

Well last night during a pretty good thunderstorm i hit the curb, at first i didnt think it was too bad as it was a pretty low curb and i was at a pretty slow speed. The max tracked straight, had no noticable shimmy at varying speeds, and the psi seems to remain constant. But after i took a look at it home, it scratched up the lip of the rim pretty good, but the curb also actually took some rubber off the tire. There were two patchs of damage, a smaller crater like damage and a larger cut damage as the rubber was not completely incised. The damage was around 2mm deep. My question is, is this damage dangerous to drive around with and anyone know how large the sidewall is (please tell me i don't have to change $200 tires becuase i definatly dont have the money after tuition for next year)?

Heres some pics just to clarify:
http://arcanestudiosllc.com/Car/rims1.jpg
http://arcanestudiosllc.com/Car/rims2.jpg

i know this isnt what you want to hear, but you should probably get a new tire...... 200 is awfully high for an 18" tire..... i wouldnt feel safe driving on a tire that looks as bad as that....

give me the tire size, and if you are willing to have a different brand than stock.... i can see what price tilley can get you a tire for and if you plan on going to the johnson park meet, or if you want i can see if redmax can pick it up for you..... cause 200 is really really pricey for a tire unless its like a 19 or so...

Yup, new tire unless you plan to drive really slow and avoid all potholes and curbs. I see some Dunlops for about $150 in Tirerack in our size, but it's still $150 plus shipping and mounting.

**** **** **** **** **** **** ****. and i just got my full ****ing license yest. mother ****er. if you could get me a qoute on stock tires, becuase i dont think tires with different treads is too safe either, that'll be great. thanks. i also heard tires with different amount of tread isnt that great either, anyone?

p.s. i might just have to drive 2 or so more months on these and tell my parents right before i go to college since it will be thier car after and they cant really yell at me from a different state.

different thread pattern doesnt really make a difference but if you want them to match i can see about that. but i drive a 4th gen so could someone please tell me tire brand and size?

edit: i wouldnt wait 2 months...honestly, it would be better to have a mismatched tire of the same size than to risk having the tire blowout while youre driving and having possible wheel, etc. damage

Definately, Definatelty do NOT wait to get that fixed. I had less damage than that on another car from hitting a curb and in less then a week the tear increased about 1.5 in length. I thought it was okay b/c i was going to drive under 40, but I was wrong. DO NOT wait.

Its eagle-rsa, but the size is 245/45-18 i think

haha, im having grad/bday party sat, i guess i should just tell everyone to chip in for a tire. oh, on a side note, anyone change their rims and want to sell me one with the tire cus i dont think the rims are in too great condition either?

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...45WR8EUHPXL_=4

$189. Anyone knows who can beat that price?

joseph, im also looking for a new rim on my passengers front side.. if you need help we can both pitch in and get a new rim and tire... PM me.. or AIM: ndnpimp717

I agree that the tire should be replaced -- now. I don't agree that "different tread patterns doesn't really matter" -- it does matter. But a different pattern is better than continuing to use that damaged tire.

You should at least have the same tread pattern on both front tires and on both back tires. You are also correct that the car handles better and safer if the tread depth on all four tires is close to the same. If you can get a single tire with the same pattern as the other three, that should work so long as the tread depth of the other three is not substantially less than the new tire. If it is substantially different, you would be better advised to get two new tires and put them both on the front. Then don't rotate the tires until the tread depth on the two new tires is at or below the depth of the two old tires (on the back). Then start rotating tires again.

Two choices, first, suck it up and get it fixed. Your safety and piece of mind will thank you. OR

Take a chance, drive around, even slow, have the tire blow, hit another car, hit a person, pay for towing, hassle, hassle, hassle and in the end, you still have to buy a tire, plus pay all potential additional damages...

Also, I agree, tirerack.com has some of the best prices for Eagle RSA tires...

Drive safe and good luck.

PS, I have 4 stock rims in excellent condition (sorry rims only) PM me if interested...

Since he didn't get his license (plate, I assume) yet, I think the tire isn't too worn so one should be okay.

no, i meant my drivers license, i was on provisionals before. in maryland you have to get provisional license first (no driving aftre 12pm), then get full license after 18 months with no tickets, trafic violation, etc. i have around 12000 miles on the tires. i think i'll just have to get a new rsa (prob just take it to the dealership and see how much it would cost). hopefully no bent rims.....

you'll pay alot more at the dealership.

buy the tire off the web then take it to any tire shop and have it mounted & balanced... or...

go to a goodyear tire place and buy it there and have them put it on.

DOH!!!! Rim should be OK.....get rid of the tire though for highway driving....should be OK in the city until you get some money for a new tire. I did the same thing with my Z28......sidewall got cut and left a hanging flap.....very dangerous....I could see the belts in the cut.

Sorry to hear about this....but get a tire and all is well. My personal opinion though.....OK to drive a slow city speeds for a few weeks....you got a spare. Just no high speed driving. Damage to a sidewall is not a good safety thing on the highway.

damn, thats pretty bad......... get a tire for sure, be safe.....

ouch... i scratched my rims not too long ago but just curb nothing much serious i ddint' get the tires so thats a good thing just ... dude get the tires .. dont' get the hassle of not fixing it

that sucks

i recently hit a curb... i got instructions on how to repair the rim from a fellow .org member.. heres the thread:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=410090

My motto is: Sometimes it costs more to be cheap.

If not for you, get a new tire for the unfortunate people who happen to be driving next to you when that tire blows.

Right on. I had some damage to the front bumper shroud (the plastic shroud that covers the steel bumper) on my Max and it cost $2,500 (the other insurance paid) to replace the bumper shroud, the right headlight (only the bracket was broken, the light was fine) and the night "turn light." You won't pay that much for a new tire. And any accident you may cause when the bad tire goes will likely be much more.