rim crunching...@#$@!!!

[change]

Does anyone else have this nasty habit??? You know the one...where the curbs just jump out and get in your way when you're pulling out of a parking spot or when you're making a tight turn, etc. I got a new car for X-MAS 2006. It's an '07 so I've had it about a year and a half. I didn't even know I had that habit until my husband said "Please watch out for your rims on this car." I said, "What are you talking about?" and he took me outside and showed me the rims on the old car I used to drive. I tried hard to stop my habit and only crunched one within the first couple of months. Later on I crunched another. About a year went by, and in the last week I crunched the other two. Really bad too. He witnessed the incident yesterday. I blamed it on stress. Today, when I left for a meeting, I told him, "Don't worry about my rims anymore...I have the matching (scratched-up) set now!" He didn't laugh.

 

[flutterbee]

I think it's funny. It's always best to have a matching set.

I have issues with curbs, too. They do jump out in front of you. There's probably some guy hiding behind the bushes with a remote control working that curb. Yeah...that's what it is. It's not my fault.

 

[Shari]

Least its curbs and rim crunching instead of trees or deer or light poles and, you know, like, front end crunching....
Tell husband to look at the bright side. lol

 

[Lothlorien]

Maybe you can ask your husband to get you those old fashioned curb feelers? The other thing you can do to help that is putting those little round mirrors that you see on trucks sometimes (I have them on my mirrors) some are rectangular too. You put them in the lower inside corner of your mirrors and they give you a better view, especially where your tires are.

Or, park only in head on spaces.

You can pop a tire doing that so do be careful.

 

[hearts and roses]

You can pop a tire doing that so do be careful.

I ran over a boulder on the side of the road one time. It was winter and I guess when the plow went by, it knocked some big rocks into the road. I thought I'd clear it. Well, I didn't.

I ended up having to buy a new rim. The tire didn't pop, but the rim was so badly bent and crunched that it made the car drive shaky. Be careful!

 

[Star*]

I love the female logic of making them all look alike - very quick on your feet! lol

Are you driving a car that you feel is too large for you? I have a friend that does driver training classes for points reduction and teens. He told me it is amazing how many women are given or buy these HUGE cars and SUV's and have NEVER driven one before and 'over' compensate or 'under' compensate depending on their ability or sense of "I'm too close" or "I'm not close enough."

He suggests taking a drivers ed course it's around 100 and get with someone that will literally help you and say with windows down - YOU ARE TOO CLOSE you are TOO FAR AWAY until you are comfortable with your vehicle. It makes a difference and it can pop your tires. If you can afford it - pop away but think about in 3 years when you get the Jag and can't curb it.

I still am chuckling at your logic - gotta LOVE a smart woman!

Hugs
Star
ps I drove a super dump Volvo on a construction site. The tires were 5' high. I had NEVER driven anything that large. So I took a Saturday and had someone stand on the ground, I climbed the ladder, and got in the cab and drove it all over the place until I could literally park it between 2 pickup trucks and back it up as good as I could drive it fwd. But it took help. And in a truck that big? I thought - gosh IF I run over him I'll never know. BUT - DF has a van - and it has curtians and blinds and I can't manuver that thing for squat - but there is NO way I'm asking HIM to tell ME how to drive it - I'd rather run over my own foot.

 

[Marcie Mac]

I have the same problem - the truck is so far off the ground I can't see the curb very well/at all. SO is always complaining that I am messing up the tires (which are so big the rims themselves are a few inches above the curb).

Marcie

 

[KTMom91]

It's not just us, ladies...without even relying on terrier radar, I can tell when Hubby's home. He's just squealed the tires along the curb pulling in, then squealed them again backing up. The curb is black where he parks.

 

[flutterbee]

Yes, I popped a tire hitting the curb dropping difficult child off at school, the school year before this one that just ended (that's confusing). It didn't help that the exact spot I hit had one of the old storm sewers with sharp corners instead of rounded.

And easy child (with me in the car) hit a pothole that opened up with freezing and thawing at a whopping 25 mph and popped both tires on the passenger side.

Might be just my car. It's 6 1/2 years old and I believe I've put 4 1/2 sets of tires on it total. I've only replaced tires on a car once before.

 

[change]

Y'all are funny!

Yeah...I know. I REALLY NEED to find a way to change this habit before it gets worse. I think that my last vehicle really was too big for me (Ford Explorer) and I never learned how to manuever it properly. It was so high off the ground and could really take a beating because it was more like a truck so I didn't notice all of the rim crunching going on all of the time. I noticed when I would bump things at first but when I didn't see any scratches on the body (didn't think to look at the tires or rims) I said "Whew!...This SUV is tough!" After that, I didn't worry about it...thus the habit forming. (My car before that one was a tiny sport sedan from college days so it was a huge change.) This is a Lexus 400h (a much smaller and lower SUV than the Explorer) which is why my husband is peeved about my rims. Luckily he loves me dearly and like I told him when he got it for me..."I don't deserve a luxury car...you know I'm not anal nor the most careful driver!" So...he can't say I didn't warn him!

 

[Jungleland]

Yep, another curb hugger here!!! I even did it in my teeny tiny PT Cruiser! Parallel (sp?) parking and I just do not get along!

When I was driving my huge Ford F150, husband was constantly on me for scraping the rims. Begged me to be careful with the Cruiser. Well...let's just say my rims now match the Ford's! UGH!!!!

Admitted curb hugger,
Vickie

 

[DammitJanet]

I rarely have this problem though once in a while I will misjudge a curb where you park and run over it. My problem is I cannot back up worth a diddly. My neck is so bad that turning around is difficult so I do everything in my power NOT to have to back up. I dont back into parking spaces, I drive all around the parking lot so I can pull forward, I just do everything!

I also drive a Focus. I have always driven pretty small cars except when my Dad gave us the Buick. Now Tony? He drives a big old work van...the biggest is a 12 or 15 passenger van and he can park that thing on a dime...lol. He makes me sick. I had to borrow it one time when our car was in the shop and I literally had to park it out at the end of the parking lot because there was no way I could park it in a parking space!