TZD Blow out

djm666 · Post by **djm666** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 7:05 pm

Coming over a hill and round a bend at 100kph tyre just decided to disintergrate. nearly tore the wing off. ripped the wheel arch lining out. i am pissed off with the michelins they are usually so good.

Mothman · Post by **Mothman** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 7:16 pm

Hell,
thats quite a blowout, very nasty. At least your ok, i hope.

Andy

JayW · Post by **JayW** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 8:47 pm

Equally, i'm glad no serious damage was done!

But, if anyone's gonna point it out it may as well be me...

That tyre looks remarkably like an MXV and therefore about 20 years old (most of us still have them under our cars as spares)... so in all fairness, not too surprising that 1. It blew in the first place - & - 2. It delaminated and discintegrated so badly...

If it is indeed the MXV it looks then this should pose as a stark warning to anyone tempted to use one of those "brand new and unused" spares!

Post by **Tim Leech** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 9:23 pm

Thats not an MXV its a MXL! which is even older. Probably a good 25 years old? :

Mothman · Post by **Mothman** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 9:28 pm

I hope that all the other tyres on the vehicle are not the same. Best get rid of the lot if i were you if they are.

Could have killed yourself or even worse, others.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 10:37 pm

Agreed, whilst these tyres were very good, I found as they got older they easily developed "eggs" on the tread and walls

Luckily no one was hurt

Post by **Defender110** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 10:40 pm

Yes got to agree with JayW here, you can't blame Mitchelin for this one.

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 11:29 pm

Date code looks like 208, or in other words the 20th week of 1988....

Check the others - after the DOT marking there should be a 3 digit code (made in the 80s), 3 digit code plus triangle (90s) or 4 digit code (after 2000).

Accepted wisdom is no more than 6 years old, but IMO that depends how they've been stored, as UV light is one of the factors that affects rubber life.

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 12:03 am

Glad you're allright, but you were living on borrowed time with tyres of that age

Get them all changed or is your life not worth the price of 4 new tyres made this decade.

I was looking at a neighbours car, 2 tyres were very old as the tread & sidewalls were showing quite a lot of cracking. I informed them that they are dangerous & that i wouldn't be driving at motrway speeds on them, 30-40 zones if it was a matter of life & death emergency, but get them changed. Would they fail an MOT?

smiffy1071 · Post by **smiffy1071** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 3:36 am

I once had a blow out on the motorway in my CX turbo, at ***censored***mph.
It totally shredded the tyre, and frankly, I'm glad i was in a Citroen, and not a lesser car, or I would definately be dead!

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 7:56 am

Just looking at that rubber you can see it looks hard and brittle - more like bakelite

I think I'll get mine checked now.

JayW · Post by **JayW** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:56 am

MULLEY wrote: Would they fail an MOT?

Any "Significant deterioration or cracking" should cause it to fail. BUT, it's one of those very grey areas that come down to the testers opinion (which vary greatly).

I've definitely had tyres passed that I myself would have failed (like the 2 rears on my TGD in december which were both old MXV's).

Any bulging, delamination or visable cords/threads/wires ARE a failure but tyre AGE isn't checked.

johnbird · Post by **johnbird** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 7:10 pm

that must haver been pretty scarey. never had one in a car before but had one in a van and it blew a hole in the wheelarch into the van,filled the cab up with smoke and knocked the drivers seat off its rail..nearly sh....t myself. its not good on an artic trailer either..............

Jayboy · Post by **Jayboy** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 7:41 pm

Yeah definitely an MXL which I guess were unavailable by about '94. My '94 Xantia had one as a spare but I remember we couldn't get direct replacements for the BX back in the day and had to buy the new fangled MXT's instead!

Dollywobbler · Post by **Dollywobbler** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:01 pm

Scary indeed - and very similar to a blow out I had in my 2CV. The tyre had been fitted to a Dyane, then left in a council lock up for 15 years. I put it on just because another tyre had a fault - forgot and did 3000 miles on it before it blew! Exactly like that - sidewall just fell apart.

Can't say I had any reason to be p*ssed off with a tyre that old. I was amazed it lasted as long as it did. Thanks once more to Citroen and I certainly learnt my lesson!