Taking care of the tyres post-floods

This is because this year the floods covered almost the entire country and the water level was higher than ever before, and also for a very long period of time. As a result the damage to automobiles is also the highest ever experienced.

Today, I will also talk about something that is related to the flood, although the topic may not have been discussed before. It concerns the tyres that have been submerged under water or have been used in flooded areas for a considerable period of time. It may not sound like a big problem, but actually it can become a big problem and is often overlooked.

For example, the steering wheel may start to vibrate when driving at high speeds, and it won’t be fixed even if you have the mechanic do all sorts of adjustments; even if you have the wheels balanced, whether by removing the wheel or balancing it without removing them from the hub. Even if you have the wheels aligned, the vibration will still be there, only it may appear at a different speed.

There are many reasons for the problem, but initially it is due to the tyres being used in flooded conditions or the vehicle being parked in flooded areas for more than a week. Even if the water level is just as high as the lower part of the tyre rim, it can still cause unwanted vibration.

First of all, the water is not clean. “It is water with a high dirt and mud content. So even if the tyres are submerged for just a week, the mud will stick to the tyres and wheel rims. You can easily see this when the water recedes.

The dirt that is caught in the tyre treads or tyre walls will cause weight imbalance and this will result in vibrations when you reach a certain speed. When you have the wheels aligned, you will feel that the vibration will decrease for a while. But once the dirt starts to fall off after using the vehicle for a while, the wheels will be imbalanced once again.

For vehicles that are driven through floods often, the water may not seep through to the inner side of the tyres or between the wheels and the tyres. But the constantly changing temperature can cause water to seep inside the tyres, and this can also lead to vibration that can be felt through the steering wheel.

It is not difficult to solve this problem, even for those who don’t understand what the problem is. All you have to do is remove the tyres and clean both the outer and inner sides, as well as the wheels. Wipe them dry and leave them to fully dry before putting the tyres and wheels back together. Then have the wheels balanced before using the vehicle. Simply follow these steps and you can be sure that the problem will not recur.

For vehicles that have been flooded to the axle or higher than half the wheel, and left like that for a long period of time, or been driven through that level of flood continuously, similar vibrations could also occur. This is due to the drive shaft and wheel bearings.

In this case, the solution is not complicated either. Just remove the ball bearings and regrease them, check and clean the drive shaft, drive shaft axle, as well as clean and re-grease its bearings.

In order to be confident after the floods, apart from checking the engine and electronics, also have the wheels, tyres, drive shaft and all bearings. This will prevent damage from extending to other parts and just think of it as added cost for post-flood repair.