Rav4 Tyre Blowout Concerns

[ahmurray]

Hi folks,

Off on holiday to Devon next week in the Rav4 (2002) for the first time (usually take my BM 5 Series)

I had a horrible thought last night about tyre blowouts on 4*4s - presumably if the tyre side wall is that much higher and ditto the centre of gravity, the impact of a blowout would be much more severe?

I'll have the whole family, tons of luggage and a roof box, so it is a bit of a worry.

Can anyone reassure me as to the risk/impact?

As an aside, I'm amazed how much luggage I can fit in the boot - 2 huge suitcases (on their end side by side) and a buggy, plus 2 fold-up chairs and a picnic table - and that's without even struggling - could only get 1 big case in a car boot!

Cheers,

Ali

[alanbradley]

You'll be fine... The worries you're having are only an issue if you're either overloaded (which, by the sounds of it, you're not) or if you're tyres are underinflated.

Before you load up make sure the tyres are at the recommended pressure and you'll know that you'rve done pretty much all you can.

Btw, cfc1 (normally an inhabitiant of Yaris or MR-2 mk3 forums) is an experienced tyre fiter - a pm to him should result in some expert advice!

Enjoy your hols,

A

[cfc1]

I'm here, i'm here.. sneaked in the back door ;)

Your chances of having a blowout are the same as anyone elses.. very slim. As long as your tyres are in good condition and at the correct pressure you should be fine.

The centre of gravity and height of the sidewall causing the car to roll over if a blowout occurs is nothing to worry about.. the very fact that the vehicle is a 4x4 the suspension would be designed to cope with a little extra body roll.. as will the chassis, the car has to pass minimum safety standards during the design process right through to production, and as far as i know the Rav scores fairly high in the Ncap saftey awards.

Tyres are also a lot safer these days.. we don't get that many coming in that have blown out due to a manufacturing fault, the main reason tyres blowout these days is down to poor maintenance.. tyres are designed not to blow out, but to deflate in a safe manor should anything untoward happen (the picking up of a foreign object).. when you see a tyre that has totrally disintegrated 99 times out of 100 it is becuase the driver got a punture and didn't notice or wasn't in a position to be able to stop and has kept on driving...

So, check your tyres for wear and tear (remembering the inner wall) check the pressures and then go and enjoy your holiday without worrying about your tyres.

[ahmurray]

Hi there,

Thanks very much for your reply, it's very reassuring.

One less thing to worry about!!

Cheers,

Ali

[pips]

Only ever had one blowout in 20 years of driving, and that was with a Conway ReMould Tyre on the back of my 1980 Mini Metro (my first car!).

Have fun in Devon,

Cheers Phil.

[sjrainsford]

Just another quick point.

Check the tyre pressures for extra loading, and high speed. Normally there will be a slightly higher pressure for the extra load you are carrying.

[bothwell_buyer]

Just another quick point.

Check the tyre pressures for extra loading, and high speed. Normally there will be a slightly higher pressure for the extra load you are carrying.

I'm just new onto forum and saw this post. I've had a RAV since Sep 94 - one of the first in Scotland. A few years ago had a blowout when there were 4 of us in car on M74 motorway.. doing 70 onto the M73. Guy behind flashed me and I stopped to find rear tyre had blown. I hadn't even noticed ! So I'm sure your trip went well ! Since then I've put non- toyota alloys on, still with original tyre size and car sits better on corners due to a slightly wider track.

Ian

[rav4merv]

Hello im new to this forum and have come here for advice on my overheating alternator. But just browsing through here I notice this string about the danger of a blowout on a bmw and a rav4.

well a bit of common sense tells me "not from previous experience" on a two wheel car if you have a blowout on a front wheel on a rear wheel drive car BMW the car can flip when the burst tyer causes a lot of extreme drag and snatches the steering to the burst tyre side causing the car to swerve drastically.

but on a rav4 they are permanent 4 wheel drive and will be very little drag on the burst tyre as the wheel is still being driven by the drive shaft and not freewheeling and able to suddenly stop spinning the same as on a front wheel drive car there is not much snatch when a tyer blows out on one of them. So maybe it’s the bmw you want to be wary of.