Wrecked My Truck

I was looking into getting those Firestone LE2 tires for my truck cause they have good reviews and are not expensive, but the first thing I saw on them is a lack of deep sipes to channel water, although the experts say that the tread design on them supposedly does channel the water and are a good design for wet weather conditions.

 

06 4runner.. Guy backed out of his driveway.. Hitch tore down the side of it.. This was in 2011 so the vehicle was 5 years old.. Done over 13k in damages.. Not totaled

 

Liquid resists compression. When you drive over it at speed you hydroplane meaning the tires are ontop of the water skating along the surface.

Tread and tires do not substantially decrease hydroplaning risk.

If you are skating on water you are skating on water. Period. You have ZERO control of the vehicle.
Same with ice. It doesn’t matter whether you got M/T or bald ass racing tires. When you are on an ice rink with zero traction all bets are off.

 

Hydroplaning has more to do with tire speed, inflation, and road conditions vs tread wear... dynamic hydroplaning occurs at about 8.6 times the square root of your tire pressure (32 PSI = 49 MPH); reverted rubber hydroplaning happens when your tires lock up, the rubber begins to melt, and trapped water under the tire turns into steam; and viscous hydroplaning occurs when oil or accumulated rubber combines with water on the road surface, it can form an impenetrable layer of liquid your tires can't break through.

Standard warning issued by the “experts”... ”Hydroplaning can occur on any wet road surface, however, the first 10 minutes of a light rain can be the most dangerous. When light rain mixes with oil residue on the road surface, it creates slippery conditions that can cause vehicles, especially those traveling speeds in excess of 35 mph, to hydroplane.”

 

These sound like the experts, shows how much I know haha

 

Never really understand the “I’m fine but should’ve my airbags gone off?” Now if your head cracked open on the steering wheel then you’d raise some suspicion. You’d probably be hurting a lot more right now if a bag of chemicals exploded in your face.

 

I didn't think they were bad but if you are constantly driving in monsoons, yeah I would look in a different direction.

 

Not totaled,they can fix that.

 

be glad the bags didn't go off. that would of been a new headliner and curtain bags to add to the estimate lol

 

You sound like you want out from under the truck.

 

1.). No chance
2.) side curtain should not have deployed.
3.) slow down in the rain. You could have killed someone.

 

Californians

 

nitro terra grapplers are notoriously bad in the rain and snow. ive ran them before on my 1st gen tundra and couldn't wait till they were worn out to install some KO2s. be careful with those things, ive hydroplaned a few times in rainy weather, luckily i kept in my lane

 

Haha not necessary but funny. Had to be said.

I'm just joshing glad the OP is ok, hate to see a Tacoma down on its luck!

 

I actually was driving much slower than normal due to the rain. I think it was karma for all of the times I've complained about California drivers in the rain.
Not looking to get out from under the truck, I'm just concerned that if they don't total it the repairs won't be up to my standards and I'll be stuck with a truck I'm not happy with anymore. If they do total it I would be at a Toyota dealership the next day to get another one.

 

You have the right to have them repair them to your expectations honestly they should exceed them. I also believe you are entitled to OEM parts due to the age of your truck.

 

Less than zero chance it is anywhere close to being totaled.

You should read about how airbags work and you will understand that little pole is by no means enough to cause them to deploy.

I hope you have good rental car coverage on your insurance because it is going to be a LONG time before you will get a body shop to fix it. Rainy season in Cali for body shops is like Christmas season for Best Buy.

 

Looks totally fixable. Might be worth it to get a dent puller and pop those out yourself, if you're interested in doing your own body work.
Edit: I know I'm a 1st Gen, not a 3rd. But we're all Tacoma people here right?