Should you be a victim of a vehicle spiking incident, you can continue driving on damaged tyres at a pace of around 30-40km/h until you have escaped your assailants.
This is advice from Dunlop Tyres South Africa’s leading technical tyre expert, Keith Phelps.
With the resurgence of vehicle spiking across the country, Phelps has provided a few key insights on the inner workings of your car’s tyres that should help put your mind at ease in a stressful situation.
The moment of impact
Depending on the speed at which you are travelling, a sudden deflation will occur when hitting a spike or hard object in the road which negatively compromises the inner liner of the tyre, and damages the carcass or casing plies.
Due to the tyre having insufficient air inside it, the vehicle’s handling will be impacted, such as pulling to one side, or unusual vibrations will be felt on the vehicle’s steering wheel.
It won’t brake as well as usual, either, which can result in the driver losing control of the vehicle.
“When a sudden deflation of a tyre occurs, do not brake. Rather, continue to hold the steering so that vehicle can travel in a straight line,” said Phelps.
When brakes are applied suddenly on a vehicle with a flat tyre, a sudden weight shift occurs from the rear to the steer axle, which may lead to a loss of control.
“My view is that you’d rather lose the tyre, than lose control of the vehicle,” said Phelps.
The next move
If you feel unsafe pulling over, especially in the context of a road spiking incident, you can continue driving on a flat tyre if there are no other options.
“Only in these types of situations, continue driving – and I’d recommend driving at 30-40km/h to get out of a potentially dangerous situation to safety,” said Phelps.
He cautions that you should avoid “flooring it” as an instinctive measure to get out of danger.
Additionally, Phelps advises that, depending on the severity of the damage, weight of the vehicle, and speed, the casing or carcass of the wheel could break which will further impact handling ability.
“The casing integrity of your tyre will be negatively affected and will distort the casing plies which means the tyre cannot be repaired,” said the expert.
“Sparks may come off a steel rim when the rim contacts the road surface. With an alloy rim, no sparks would occur, however, as alloy rims are softer, more damage would occur.”
Once safely away from your aggressors, Phelps recommends calling the authorities and notifying them of danger in the road, as well as sharing your location and experience with friends and family as soon as possible.
Phelps warns that in many cases, the steel protector breaker plies inside the tyre will break upon impact.
In this scenario, the wheel is completely unfixable and will definitely fail if repaired and placed back into service.
Safety precautions
While modern tyres are designed to be more durable and safer than those of decades past, no tyre can fully withstand deliberate spiking.
Some manufacturers of high-end vehicles and military vehicles fit run-flat inserts into their tyres, but this is not common due to the expense of the manufacturing process.
To minimise damages in the event of a spiking incident, motorists can put after-market tyre sealant inside their tyres which will buffer the impact of small screws and nails should the tyre be compromised.
“However, the tyre sealant may not be effective against the size of the spikes being placed on road surfaces,” said Phelps.
Carrying a tyre repair care kit is advisable, too, however, it is only a temporary repair and should not be left in the tyre.
“I suggest carrying a small compressor which will work from the battery of the vehicle and can inflate the tyre adequately,” said Phelps.
Last but not least, habitual tyre maintenance is key to ensuring your safety.
Tyres should be inspected for potential vulnerabilities or damage once a week, as well as filled to the correct pressure.
Regular wheel alignment and balancing checks, and tyre rotations every 8,000-10,000km, are vital, too.
“If your tyres are not properly inflated and have bulges etc., then it’s already compromised and poorly able to withstand an “attack” such as spikes,” said Phelps.
Additionally, consult a tyre expert at your local dealer to ensure you fit the correct type for the application you are travelling in.
“Think how you need to continuously build and maintain a strong immune system to fight off illnesses and colds,” Phelps concludes.
“In the same manner, your tyres need to be in good health to withstand an impact. You need to do continuous maintenance to ensure it’s in good health.”
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