Is this tire dangerous to drive with or is it driveable. Only one that has damage

Question

Mustang 2011 don’t know how this happened to this one tire. Recently purchased the car, maybe happened when driving over potholes don’t know. Had this car for 3 weeks so far and noticed I had this damage on this one wheel since a week to two weeks after and have been driving with it.

Is this dangerous to be driven further or should this tire be changed. I know it’s bad to drive with tire bubbles but looking at this damage what would u guys say ? Can I drive it for a month more or should it be replaced immediately ? Thanks for the replies.

Answer 1

I see a bulge in the tire sidewall.

Do not drive on a tire with a bulge!

The missing chunk is not an issue. The bulge is the issue.

So, put the spare on and drive to the nearest tire shop to get that broken tire replaced.

Don't start driving around with the spare; there's a maximum rated distance you can drive on the spare. Do observe the max speed as well; mine has 80 km/h speed limit.

About replacing the tire: if the tires are relatively new, you can get away by replacing only the broken tire with an identical one (same size, same brand, same model). Otherwise, replace two on the same axle and observe a tire rotation pattern that maintains the property that both new tires remain on the same axle (alternatively front / rear / front / ...). On four wheel drive vehicles, you may need to replace all four tires. The user's manual should specify if that's the case. More info about replacing 1 vs 2 vs 4.

Answer 2

Limp it to the tire shop NOW.

The problem isn't the gouge, it's the bulge to the left of it. This is a broken steel belt. This tire could catastrophically fail on you at any time, meaning instantly tear itself apart, and cause severe handling problems when it does. It will be a challenge to keep the car from hitting other traffic, roadside objects, pedestrians, bicyclists or even just keep it from flipping over -- depending on how much kinetic energy you have at the time.

Kinetic energy is a function of speed squared.

So I recommend you just limp it to a nearby tire shop, and here's the important part - keep your speed down to 20 mph - 25 tops. You will still need to be on your toes because the car could lurch off in an unexpected direction at any time. However at this low speed, your kinetic energy is quite low, so the other 3 tires should have enough authority to keep the vehicle controllable, and there's no real chance of rolling the car over. And events will unfold slowly enough that you should be able to react to them.

Now, a couple things are important about replacement tires.

First and foremost, your best rubber needs to be on the rear axle regardless of drive system. Period. You don't want to find out what happens when it's not.

Second, it's best that on the drive axle(s), the tires be of roughly equal diameter/wear. If they're not, the differential will have to work extra hard. It's not a deal-killer, but better to avoid it. Here, used tires can be a salvation, because they can let you match the other tire that is worn, instead of having to spend to replace 2 tires.