MadSci Network: Physics
Query:

Re: Is a front tire blowout or rear tire blowout more dangerous

Date: Mon Oct 2 21:19:46 2000
Posted By: Mike Scannell, Powertrain Product Engineer, Ford Motor Company
Area of science: Physics
ID: 970193449.Ph
Message:

Paxton,

Thanks for writing. Unfortunately, with the looming Firestone recall, these kind of questions are on lots of people's minds. First off, let me say, if you ever question if a tire (or any part of your vehicle for that matter) is road-worthy or safe, please get it checked out by a professional. Don't try working around a problem, or moving a bad tire to a less dangerous position. Your life is worth much more than the cost of repairing your car.

That said, let me answer your question. I would have to say that a front tire blowout can be much more dangerous than a rear tire. Here's the reason why: when a tire blows, it will very likely apply a sideways force on your vehicle at the point where the tire blew out. While a sideways force at the rear of the vehicle has greater potential to cause stability problems, a force at the front of the vehicle has an additional, and greater, risk. Your front tires are your steering tires. Not only does this mean you suddenly have half the amount of tires for steering that you had a second ago, but the force could cause a strong jerk in the steering wheel causing you to steer yourself off the road, into another car, or turn so sharply that the vehicle rolls over.

Here are a couple of websites that discuss what to do in case of a tire blow out or other on-the-road emergencies.

The basic advice for a tire blow out is not to slam on the brakes, but rather regain control of the vehilce, then slow down gradually. Hope that answers your question.

Your Mad Scientist
Mike Scannell


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