Busted Wheel (alloy)

Just wondering what could ha e caused an alloy wheel to fail that way.
Maybe thermal expansion beyond its design, or something?

Let's await other PC members to offer an explanation.

 

Hi from Queensland. That looks like the rim had an impact from inside, the way the alloy is bent - as though something has pierced the tyre and then the rim at the same time. BUT, there doesn't appear to be any piercing of the tyre itself - or have I missed that in the photos. Do you recall any impact, some debris on the road?

I've had a couple of VOLVO alloy rims destroyed - one by a decent (or is that un-decent) pothole, and the other on the road to Carnarvon Range (which shredded the tyre too). But not just driving on the Hume, which, you'd think was relatively innocuous.

If it's failed without an impact, I'd be taking it up with TOYOTA (initially via your dealer).

What is this?

 

I’d check with the local legal authorities to see if similar blowouts have happened nearby, it looks like a projectile pierced the tire then rim, I’d say you were lucky the rim gave out and the car didn’t overturn.
Imagine the force required to blow a hole through the rim.

 

Looks like you hit a piece of rebar or something and it punched through the tire and through the wheel too. Or maybe through the wheel first, and popped the tire from the inside.

It's bizarre though.

Food for thought: I had a buddy at work who had one of his Acura alloy wheels damaged by something. When he saw the cost of a new Acura one, he looked in the aftermarket and found a nice full set of wheels for the same cost as a single Acura one. He sold the others as spares after that, and came out smelling like a rose. The aftermarket wheels also LOOKED better than the OEM ones!

 

major bummer! sorry for your trouble. you can see my 'spare' in my avatar. don't leave home without it.

 

Yeah, I would say that's not a failure of the tire or the rim. The way the hole on the inside of the wheel is bulged out and then that part where the metal looks like a potato peeler was used on it is indicative of something coming through the tire and wheel.

Count your lucky stars that the car didn't flip or the entire suspension come apart after hitting whatever it is that you hit.

 

Impressive!! Looks like the right rear wheel. And it looks like something came through the tire, went on through the rim, and gouged the spoke. Then it got flung out and ripped up some plastic as a parting shot.

My guess would be that it was a large bolt or maybe a bent, short piece of rebar. The front tire hits it laying flat, but makes it bounce. If it bounces just right, and this one did, it's pointed in the right direction to spear the rear tire like the big drill bit my wife recently ran over. It wasn't long enough to reach the rim like whatever you hit, but it came close and would have done similar damage if it was long enough. Hers was a rear tire, too.

I'll add that to my list of reasons I consider a spare tire to be essential.

 

There should be plenty of used wheels in the junk yard by now.

 

Not in Australia - they've only sold a few hundred Gen 4s, and most were 15". I haven't heard of any being written-off yet - though possible.

 

Not that I'm suggesting this for Gnu-Gnu's PRIUS - but my VOLVO 940, which had 2 wheels damaged - one was repaired somehow through the dealer, the other I replaced the spare wheel with a steel rim.

My son ended up buying the car from me, and damaged another one when he was forced off the road and clipped a kerb. He looked for another, and the prices were ridiculous, he ended up buying a set of nice new alloys - and sold the remaining 3, which I think almost funded the new set of wheels.

 

sniper? did you piss someone off?
theres always e bay...
or rent one with the same wheels and ya know.... switch them (wink wink)

 

I'll add that to my list of reasons I consider a spare tire to be essential.[/QUOTE]
LKQ just did their 40% off sale so I bought a full sized alloy and it will live behind the passenger seat.well worth the $40 investment . Ill carry the doughnut also

 

Looks like it was shot out.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Unlikely here in Australia (though not impossible).

 

That's a new spelling for me, it's spelled curb in the U.S. I run across colour and grey all the time (color and gray) but I think that's the first time that I have seen kerb.

 

That's odd - another regional variation.

 

That's a scary thought, but considering the OP doesn't recall hitting anything, it may be more likely than he thought...

 

Curb has the second meaning restrain or check in the U.S. also. It's from the Latin word for curve, originally referring to the curved strap on a horse's bit (which restrains the horse). In fact there is still a type of horse bit called a curb bit. Curb is also a verb, for example we have a TV show called Curb Your Enthusiasm, don't know if you get that show in Australia.

I would assume that a stone or concrete curb/kerb is based on the same concept of restraining. Interesting that the U.K. spelling for that specific usage is so different, yet still pronounced the same.