Tire Sidewall blown after psi raised to 34

Your life = priceless
A couple new tires = $300

 

Looks like side wall damage. Replace it.

 

That tire has obvious sidewall damage. That caused the split.
That tire needs to be replaced asap!
Do not go over 30mph. Even then, it's hard to say how long that tire will last.
34 psi is nothing to a good tire.
On the tire, it will last the max tire pressure.

It also looks like an older and/or sun damaged tire.
Also, from your location, that car may have previously spent time near the shore. Salt from the sea can do very nasty things to cars.

 

Imho, for a 215/45R17, the best for the money:

Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3
P7 AS Plus 3 - Size: 215/45R17
$146

Firestone Firehawk AS
Firehawk AS - Size: 215/45R17
Price $141


Michelin Primacy MXM4 | P215/45R17
Primacy MXM4 - Size: P215/45R17
Price: $175
Imho, I think that the Michelin MXM4 is much better than either the Pirelli or the Firestone tire above.


Imho, from TireRack's selection, the Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 is cheapest all season tire that I'd use.
Imho, be careful of the BS UTQG ratings. Many are like dress sizes - are mostly made up.

Fwiw, imho, the Pirelli's I've used in the past lasted longer than better rated tires. Because availability, I got 2 Pirelli tires and 2 other similar tires (same size, same category, even similar tread design). However, Pirelli has limited tire models and sizes. So, they are no longer an option for that car, and the desired type of tires.


Good Luck!

 

Note, the tires I mentioned above are all season.
The tire that blew is a mud+snow (M+S) tire.
I picked all season tires above, because of the location you listed.
If you need an M+S tire, make sure that the tire/model is M+S rated.

Good Luck.

 

Unless your other two tires are bald/bad, the other two tires should be fine.
From what I could see, the tire you showed did look very worn, and near the end of it's useful/legal tread depth.
Imho, if you can, then I'd recommend that you 4 new tires now.
If money is tight now, then get the other two tires within 6 months.


They sell tread depth gauges for ?~$8?.
To get a rough idea of tire wear, google
tire tread depth chart penny


Fwiw, since you have ABS and traction control, many tire stores will Tell/Require you to get all 4 tires at once.
Fwiw, in some States, it's the law.
For some companies, it's to protect them against any possible law suits.

So, if you want only two tires replaced, the tires may need to be carried in.
You may need to tell them the tires are for an off-road only vehicle.

Tire-rack will do the same thing for mounted tires on wheels.
As of a few years ago, besides a separate email confirmation, I _had_ to also do a phone voice verification that the Two tires and wheels were for an off-road, never on public road, vehicle.


If you don't drive in snow, get All Season tires.
They'll last longer, have better handling, and performance.

For an M+S tire, the tread has to be softer to prevent the tread from being to hard in the snow, and at temps below ~30F.

Fwiw, there are extreme performance summer tires.
In temps below 50F, they loose a lot of traction.
In temps below 40F, because of the lack of traction, they are unsafe on the highway(from the tread being hard, with little grip, at those cold temperatures).
I know all too well.

Good Luck!

 

See that indentation?



You hit debris or a pothole. Looks like you may have bent the wheel besides rupturing the sidewall. Judging by the cracks in the rubber, it happened a while back. The belts broke at that time and there was a bulge in the tire that finally let go.

Even without damage to the rim, that tire is not repairable. Holes in the sidewall are the end of the road for any tire.

I don't know what tire pressure you were running before, but even 34 psi is a little lower than the recommended pressure. But it looks like it was pretty low since the tread is almost gone at the edge of the tire. Most Prius drivers here use about 40 psi. I keep mine at 42 front and 40 rear. The tread wears very evenly.

 

You’re joking, right??

 

That was exactly my thought. I can't believe it is still holding air in that condition.

 

Depending on the tire dealer, there may also be the option to buy two new tires and have them shaved to match the circumference of the best two older ones they'll be shared with.

That doesn't make a lot of sense unless the older ones are still fairly new.

 

NO. It made some BAD damage show up in a more obvious fashion.

Your question about having more mileage left is just a joke......right ???

In addition to the damage, it looks like those tires are OLD too.
Replace them all.

 

I don't think so.
What States exactly ?
Specifics, please.

 

I also wanted to add, that unless the person is in a heavy snow area, many/most All-Season tires are fine for non-heavy winter/snow.
In New England, in general, that would roughly mean All-Season tires, that are in good shape, are generally okay in most areas that are South of the Southern tip of Maine.
Of course, for major snow storms, or for ice, for safety, real snow tires are needed.

The Michelin mxm4 tireS are M+S rated.
Buy Michelin Primacy MXM4 Tires | Michelin

Fwiw, what M+S and the three mountain peak symbols mean on tires, in regards to snow performance:
Mountain/Snowflake Symbol Tires & M+S Tires Explained - The Tires-Easy Blog

I know so!
Use google. I'm not your flunky.
Have you ever heard of Google?
Or done anything yourself, other than make false/incorrect comments?

You also clearly don't have any idea how ABS, traction control, stability control, 4wd, nor AWD work.
You don't have any idea of my background, nor experience.

RTFM.
From the Prius 2020 manual.
(Took all of a few seconds to find. If interested, even a pre-schooler should've been able to find the info within a very short time.)

.

 

Fwiw, I try to reply to messages based on the expected/likely members.
Many 16/17 years olds drive Prius cars. So do many college students.
Not everyone is interested in learning about cars. Many people have other interests other than cars.

At the same time, I can be brutal on forums for older sports cars. I can eviscerate a person in seconds. No time for trolls.
If someone is working on a multi-decade old sports car, they better be ready, and used to, looking at repair manuals.

I taught engineering for many years.
I quickly learned that if one person has a question, then many people likely have that same question.
Everyone has a different background, different knowledge, and different experiences.
At the same time, if some idiot asked me what I meant by "we differentiate this", I'd point blank ask them how they got that far in engineering, without basic calculus.

Be considerate, but don't be a push-over!

 

Funny, you've just done the same thing Sam typically does when asked about support for something he has claimed.

Don't let someone slap you on the back at the same time, or you could get stuck that way.