Thursday I did something over 85% of Americans cannot do (safely or correctly).
I got to change my tire on the side of the road.
As I was driving to run an errand during lunch on a local township road the pothole swallowed up my front wheel.
The local township can't be bothered to fix potholes big enough to swallow up the front end of a suabru!
I heard a loud thud as my suspension bottomed out. The airbag did not deploy thankfully. About 15 seconds later the tire pressure monitoring system light went on - as expected. I pulled over.
Despite having free towing I decided not to wait almost an hour for it to respond. I knew I was about 8miles from home. I also knew I had checked and adjusted the tire pressure on all my tires (including the spare) only 2 weeks ago.
I made sure I was on a flat surface, in a safe area. The houses appeared empty so there was no hope of asking for a pump. I put on the parking break, grabbed my mpact gloves with knuckle protectors, and the extra large tire iron I keep handy.
A quick visual inspection of the tire told the whole story. No airpump or tire sealant would help. Tire had burst in 2 spots.
It took me about 4 minutes to transfer my traveling armory from the trunk to the back seat.
Took me a few tries to break the tension on the nuts. This is actually a very common mistake - people jack the car up and then then tire rotates through as they try to break the tension on the tire nuts.
I didn't have my nice jack, jack stands or tire chuck that I keep in the garage. Had to make due with OEM crap subaru provided. The jack isn't too terrible but the handle was far from ideal.
The gloves with knuckle protection came in handy for loosening the bolts and when jacking up the car.
The subaru tires/wheel are quite a bit lighter than eclipse wheel/tire.
Lessons learned: Need to reorganize the trunk armory so it's easier to get in and out of the car, and to better utilize the trunk space. - done
Maintain propper tire pressure in all 5 tires. - done
Keep propper gloves and clothes in the car for emergencies. - done
File small claims against the town for not maintaining a major road through the town.- Monday
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