Hi folks,
Just got back from Vegas monday. I'm still trying to recover from that evil place.
It was the Chrysler's first trip to vegas! From the day I bought the car I envisioned how great it would be for spur of the moment sin city visits, but have been way too busy with my career lately to go out there (not a bad thing at all)! We left at 7pm PST in heavy rain and drove through some nasty conditions most of the way. Heavy fog and flooding were causing drivers to slam on their brakes. Many Californians think the best way to drive in the rain is to slam on their brakes the moment their windshield gets wet.
The 300c is an amazingly stable vehicle in the rain. I feel so much safer in my 300c than any vehicle I have ever owned. Perhaps its the 265/35/22 rubber on the road, perhaps its the car itself, but the car exudes confidence in wet weather. Be easy on your throttle through hard turns, and it feels like a magnet on the road. This was the first road trip I have taken since retrofitting the OEM navigation unit in my car and I was anxious to use its functionality. Its nice being able to look up the casino you are staying at, and having the car drive you to that exact spot. The function I love most, is the approximate time you will arrive at your destination. In this case 1:54am. We arrived in Las Vegas at 1:56am.
On the trip home, the weather was perfect and traffic was minimal. After passing Bakers and the world's largest thermometer, I decided to open it up. We did a stretch of 125mph for about 5 minutes before finally hitting some traffic and slowing down. Driving at that rate for so long is a bit hair raising for the passengers because of their lack of control, but no one seemed to mind. They encouraged it to begin with. About 50 miles after my highspeed run, I noticed a slight increase in road noise, and a stutter consistent with tire rotation. I pulled over to inspect my tires and found nothing out of the ordinary. It still concerned me, but I just assumed it was perhaps a wheel going out of balance or something of the sort. It did not get progressively worse, nor was it vibrating the steering wheel or chassis. It was just audible. I continued the drive home and figured I would have my tires balanced when I got back to LA.
I took my car into the tire shop and was expecting to find the tires out of alignment. What I found, was a 3 inch gash in my rear tire, stretching from the edge of the sidewall, to the middle of the tire. You could see about 3mm in the gash and see that the tire was beginning to bubble. My other rear tire had a nail in between the treads. I didn't feel like risking a rim by patching the nail hole due to its particular location on that tire. The fronts were fine. $700 for 2 tires later, my car is driving normal and I feel safe again. I consider myself very lucky that I made it home from Vegas alive and safe. At the least, I could have ruined my 22" wheels and been stranded in horrible weather hungover from Vegas.
Be wise and Inspect your low profile tires often. This is the second time I have found nails in my 22"s. These lower profile soft compound tires tend to attract them it seems.
I would hate to see someone get in an accident due a 22" tire blowout. The least that will happen is a damaged wheel. Inspect your tires every once in a while at a gas station visually for nails or defects. It could safe your life, and your wheels.
My quote at the tire shop? I guess you have to pay to play. It sucks but its true. Oh well, I had 14k miles on the tires anyway. You would be lucky to get 20k out of them...
Just got back from Vegas monday. I'm still trying to recover from that evil place.
It was the Chrysler's first trip to vegas! From the day I bought the car I envisioned how great it would be for spur of the moment sin city visits, but have been way too busy with my career lately to go out there (not a bad thing at all)! We left at 7pm PST in heavy rain and drove through some nasty conditions most of the way. Heavy fog and flooding were causing drivers to slam on their brakes. Many Californians think the best way to drive in the rain is to slam on their brakes the moment their windshield gets wet.
The 300c is an amazingly stable vehicle in the rain. I feel so much safer in my 300c than any vehicle I have ever owned. Perhaps its the 265/35/22 rubber on the road, perhaps its the car itself, but the car exudes confidence in wet weather. Be easy on your throttle through hard turns, and it feels like a magnet on the road. This was the first road trip I have taken since retrofitting the OEM navigation unit in my car and I was anxious to use its functionality. Its nice being able to look up the casino you are staying at, and having the car drive you to that exact spot. The function I love most, is the approximate time you will arrive at your destination. In this case 1:54am. We arrived in Las Vegas at 1:56am.
On the trip home, the weather was perfect and traffic was minimal. After passing Bakers and the world's largest thermometer, I decided to open it up. We did a stretch of 125mph for about 5 minutes before finally hitting some traffic and slowing down. Driving at that rate for so long is a bit hair raising for the passengers because of their lack of control, but no one seemed to mind. They encouraged it to begin with. About 50 miles after my highspeed run, I noticed a slight increase in road noise, and a stutter consistent with tire rotation. I pulled over to inspect my tires and found nothing out of the ordinary. It still concerned me, but I just assumed it was perhaps a wheel going out of balance or something of the sort. It did not get progressively worse, nor was it vibrating the steering wheel or chassis. It was just audible. I continued the drive home and figured I would have my tires balanced when I got back to LA.
I took my car into the tire shop and was expecting to find the tires out of alignment. What I found, was a 3 inch gash in my rear tire, stretching from the edge of the sidewall, to the middle of the tire. You could see about 3mm in the gash and see that the tire was beginning to bubble. My other rear tire had a nail in between the treads. I didn't feel like risking a rim by patching the nail hole due to its particular location on that tire. The fronts were fine. $700 for 2 tires later, my car is driving normal and I feel safe again. I consider myself very lucky that I made it home from Vegas alive and safe. At the least, I could have ruined my 22" wheels and been stranded in horrible weather hungover from Vegas.
Be wise and Inspect your low profile tires often. This is the second time I have found nails in my 22"s. These lower profile soft compound tires tend to attract them it seems.
I would hate to see someone get in an accident due a 22" tire blowout. The least that will happen is a damaged wheel. Inspect your tires every once in a while at a gas station visually for nails or defects. It could safe your life, and your wheels.
My quote at the tire shop? I guess you have to pay to play. It sucks but its true. Oh well, I had 14k miles on the tires anyway. You would be lucky to get 20k out of them...
