My car’s been acting funny all week. It was being driven by various family members last week, and when I got it back last Sunday, Jill’s stepdad told me I should check the tire pressure. I meant to, but didn’t get to it ’til yesterday, the front ones were low. I headed to Bethesda this morning for myo, and it’s still wonky. I figured out that every time the front wheels completed a rotation, the steering wheel would twitch. While it was annoying at 30MPH, at 65MPH on the Beltway it was very disturbing. Still, I wanted to go, so I did.
I didn’t have a good feeling on the way back, so I jumped off on Georgetown Pike as soon as I could. I turned down a road that turned into Baron Cameron, and about a mile down, I heard a pop and immediately pulled over. Sure enough, it was flat. I tried to inflate it – no go. Of course I was missing the handle to the jack that turns it, so I was using my vise grip pliers to turn the jack. Got the tire off and the spare on, then looked at the tire. It looked like something had come from the inside (tireburster?). No idea why – once I got on the road, the steering wheel twitches had ceased.
Got home just in time to change. Tim Cannon’s wedding was out in Leesburg, and we had a couple errands to run on the way. The wedding was at Rose Hill Manor, a place that we had considered but rejected because they required you to use their approved caterers, the cheapest of which was $45 a plate. Plus it would have been a tight squeeze for the number of guests we invited.
Debbie and Tim only had less than 50, though, and it was great. A string section was playing as we came in, then came the groomsmen in kilts (Tim had embraced his Scottish heritage). A nice ceremony, then a ton of food. They had a huge table of cheeses and fruits, and passed around appetizers. Then they had a big sitdown dinner – salad and bread, followed by a salmon and steak course. The CD went over well, Mr. Cannon seemed to enjoy it. It was good seeing all of the Cannons as well as Tim’s friend Anand (Anand, Tim, Chris and I used to play epic sessions of Magic:The Gathering). We were so full of food, we took slice of cake with us to have later (hmm, it is later…). My only complaint: the DJ cranked the music so loud you could hardly hear conversations.
A nice night, and now I’ve finished packing for tomorrow. Ivan looks to be headed further west, so we might just get rain on Tuesday. I’ve got my fingers and toes crossed. I thought I might get to some wedding pictures, but they’ll have to wait for our return.
Sounds like your tire had a sidewall bubble, a place where a small flaw in the steel allowed air to escape, held back only by the outer rubber layer. They can be dangerous if they blow out at highway speeds. If you feel that bumping again, visually check the tires for lumps – they look like tire has a boil anywhere from golf-ball size to softball size before they go.
They’re also a sign that the tire died by defect rather than by use. If you didn’t get the rated mileage out of the tire, you can legitimately ask for a discount on a replacement.
Hi Kerry
I have a box of music for you! I have gone through everything and this is the funfest that remains. Could you send me an address where I can ship it? Perhaps you did but there is so much going on right now I apoligize if I lost it.
Cheers!
Chris L