WASHINGTON, D. C. (Thursday, February 7, 2019)––“Whaam!” That’s the ear-shattering, gut-wrenching sound of a tire hitting a great big old pothole on area roads. It is one reason calls for flat tires, tire changes and tire-related tows are surging to the 24/7 emergency roadside assistance switchboard at AAA Mid-Atlantic. A tire punctured or ruined by a pothole can be really bad news if you happen to own one of the 30 million late model vehicles in the United States that is missing a spare tire. That’s by manufacturing design. To reduce vehicle weight and boost fuel economy, automakers are eliminating spare tires from new vehicles. Motorists can find themselves in a precarious situation. But if you hit a pothole and don’t have a spare, or run-flat tires, make sure you have the number handy for a roadside assistance provider.

Some luxury cars that come without spares are equipped by automakers with “run-flat tires.” They are expensive to replace and depending upon the make and model, some run-flat tires, “standard on 12 percent of new vehicles,” are designed to get you in a range of about 100 miles after hitting a pothole.  So instead of having a spare tire in the trunk of your new car, you may only have a tire repair kit or inflator kit. It’s now standard in one-third of the new vehicle makes and models sold in the United States. “Beep. Beep.  Beep.” It’s the sound of a tow truck’s backup beeper.  So before venturing out, you better think about it twice, and check to see if your car has a spare, or make sure you know how to use a tire repair kit.

“With low-profile tires and the elimination of spares, many newer vehicles are especially vulnerable to severe damage from potholes,” explained Bruce Jenkins, Manager, AAA Mid-Atlantic Emergency Roadside Assistance Fleet Depot. “That can leave you in a lurch, and turn the relatively routine process of changing a tire into an inconvenient and expensive situation that requires a tow. Tire-inflator kits have limited functionality, and, in the cases of catastrophic damage typical of potholes, the kits can’t provide even a temporary fix for many tire-related problems, such as sidewall damage or blowouts. In 2016 alone, AAA rescued more than 450,000 members faced with a flat tire whose cars did not have a spare tire.  Plus, 39 million drivers do not know how to change a flat tire.”

This time of year, potholes are a major factor behind the pandemic of punctured tires on area roadways. Perennially, battery failures, flat tires and key locked inside the vehicle are the topmost reasons for requesting emergency roadside assistance, cautions AAA Mid-Atlantic. Of course, not all tire-related calls to AAA are caused by hitting a pothole. But hitting a big pothole can easily damage your tires and trigger an uptick in SOS calls for roadside assistance. Of late, rescuers dispatched by AAA Emergency Roadside Assistance have responded to thousands of calls from members with dead batteries and now, it's the tires.

“Thwump!” What’s that ungodly sound? A hard pothole impact can damage a tire or wheel, dislodge wheel weights, and bend or even break suspension components. It behooves drivers to recognize strange noises, clatter and vibrations caused by a sudden collision with a pothole. Any new or unusual noises or vibrations that resound after hitting a pothole should be inspected immediately by a certified technician, recommends AAA Mid-Atlantic. Call it the “demolition derby.” Potholes are road hazards. While driving during pothole season, keep your ears open for the sound of odd noises. Often after hitting a deep pothole, drivers hear a noise, that telltale “impact sound.” While traversing potholed-roads during and after a harsh winter, our ears can also discern a “knocking sound” caused by pothole damage to our vehicles. It is the din of a dented rim, the racket of a damaged wheel, or the clatter of dislodged of wheel weights, the jangle of displaced struts, and the clash of dislocated shock absorbers. It is the rattle and hum of destroyed CV joints, the cacophony of damaged exhaust systems, and the tintinnabulation of wheel bearings wearing down.

One radio station called the white noise or molten dissonance made while and after hitting a pothole “The sound that makes you swear.” Then there is the sound of the sickening thud you hear that stems from the shuddering impact with a pothole takes a chunk of your tires or causes “a full-on tire puncture.”  Smashing into potholes, road debris and curbs at highway speeds can cause cuts or deformations in the sidewalls and bulges or blisters on the outer surface of tires. Hitting a pothole can also cause your tires and entire vehicle to moan, groan and vibrate noticeably while you are tooling around. During impacts with potholes, tires sometimes lose pressure through “impact breaks.” That is not a play on words. It is a safety hazard on the highway. Simply put, “an impact break involves damage to the carcass (the casing of the tire) inflicted when the tire is in contact with certain obstacles.”  An impact with a pothole can also cause your tire’s sidewall to bulge. A run-in with a pothole can also cause your vehicle to shake violently like an old rickety rattletrap.

“Often the result of damage caused by hitting a pothole or running into a curb or another object, a bubble or bulge on the tire sidewall or tread indicates one of the belts inside the tire has separated from those around it,” said James Moore, Manager, AAA Mid-Atlantic Car Care Center. “Replace any tire with this damage as soon as possible. The tire is the most important cushion between a car and a pothole. Make sure tires have enough tread and are properly inflated. Adequate tread depth is necessary for a tire to main traction and shed water on wet and slippery roads.”

The noise of tire punctures. Low-profile tires are “more susceptible to blowing out if they hit a pothole or an object in the road.” That humming, thumping clamor and vibrating clangor and katzenjammer can indicate cupping, flat spots on a tire, out-of-balance wheels, or a tire with a separated internal belt, explains AAA Mid-Atlantic Automotive. Then there is lonesome sound of being stuck, stranded or stalled on the roadside or the shoulder of the road because of a flat tire caused by a close encounter with a pothole. Certified automotive technicians at AAA Car Care Centers across the region are seeing vehicles so severely damaged by encounters with potholes that they required repair. Blown tires and ruined rims are common woes.

  Motorists file about 500,000 auto insurance claims each year for pothole damage, reckons the insurance industry. “Potholes cause a variety of woes for motorists. Potholes also drain the pocketbooks and wallets of the vehicle owner. The ravages of hitting a pothole can cost you a pretty penny. Face it, repairing pothole-damaged tires will set you back $100 to $250, the wheel alignment will cost you $75-150,” said Kendall Bramble, Insurance Counselor, AAA Mid-Atlantic Insurance. “The expense of replacing the damaged tire rod ranges from $100 to $240. But replacing that control arm is even more expensive, with the price tab ranging from $200-$400. That is also the average bill for replacing the shocks and struts.”

“Bong!” That knocking noise, that sputtering leaky-tire sound and that hushed and almost imperceptible valve stem hiss are enough to make you sick to your stomach. But keep in mind, contrary to popular sentiment, “slow leaks rarely emit a sharp sibilant fizz or cause dramatic and sudden changes in tire pressure,” certified automotive technicians confirm. Pothole impacts can also cause a misaligned wheel, which focuses friction on one side of the tire, leading it to wear down more quickly. As the ground thaws, we will encounter many more potholes. The moderate weather and mild temperatures outside this week mean area road crews are out there repairing and patching potholes, a task called “potholing.” That’s music to your ears.

Follow us on Twitter: @AAADCNews

Like us on Facebook: AAA Mid-Atlantic News

Washington, D.C. Mailing Address:
1405 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20005

AAA provides automotive, travel and insurance services to 58 million members nationwide and nearly 79,000 members in the District of Columbia.  AAA advocates for the safety and mobility of its members and has been committed to outstanding road service for more than 100 years.  The not-for-profit, fully tax-paying member organization works on behalf of motorists, who can now map a route, find local gas prices, discover discounts, book a hotel and track their roadside assistance service with the AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android. For more information, visit  https://aaa.com