Hit a massive pothole and the tire instantly had a (smallish) bubble in it, how do you think I can drive on it? Will the bubble grow before it blows out? How much?
Hit a massive pothole and the tire instantly had a (smallish) bubble in it, how do you think I can drive on it? Will the bubble grow before it blows out? How much?
Maybe about 10 feet...
Hard to say how far. More important to realize you're now in danger. It won't get better. How much risk do you want to encounter?
To the nearest tire store.
I went 20~ miles home driving cautiously. I was at least a mile away from a place to safely change it. I think I lucked out without it getting any worse.
I got a surface bubble in a van tire once. About 1" in diameter and just under the first layer of rubber. Naturally I popped it with a knife. The tire never did leak and I ran it until it wore out. That said, I was a lot younger and poorer then. Now I would probably replace it.
Guaranteed to last until it fails.
It's probably safe to drive it onto the rollback tow truck. Any further than that and you're asking for trouble.
I drove from Pennsylvania to Southern CT with a bubble. I wasn't aware there was a bubble, but I still did it. They were Pirelli P-Zero tires.
Ive driven on a tire with a bubble longer than I wanted. I suggest you order a new tire (or 4), check the air pressure in your spare and all your jack and tools are there and throw a can of fix a flat in the trunk just in case until the tire(s) get here. They hold longer than you think but that doesn't mean don't replace it pronto!
The sidewall (structural) has been broken and air has leaked between it and the outer skin of the tire. Don't stress it further.
I drove from Birmingham AL to Fort Myers FL with one when I got the Insight, then I drove it to work for about 2 months before it popped. I was just lazy and putting off buying new tires as these where almost brand new but not the OEM for the car. But your mileage may vary.
I wish I had a picture handy of what the tire on my buddy's van looked like after it went from "bubble" to "blowout". Mercifully, it had been moved to the spare rack on the back by then. But it looked like a cartoon of an exploded tire.
Fix it before you hurt someone.
Hey, this is a random image off the Internet, but it looked a fair bit like this:
And again, it did this while not even being driven on; by that time sitting on the back of the van on a sunny day finished it... 
Hundreds if not thousands of miles if you're like some people I've known/met.
thestig99 wrote: Guaranteed to last until it fails.
This. How lucky are you feeling lately?
All the way to the crash site.
In reply to Mmadness:
How far can you drive on it? All the way to the accident.
I might limp it at 25-30mph max to the tire shop to throw a used on on it. I'd feel better running the donut spare though.
if you really had to limp it.. I would have moved it from front to back. It would cause less problems at the back of the car when it lets go
I will always replace a tires ASAP if I find a bubble. That said, when I took my wintersports off 2 seasons ago, I found a bubble on the inside of the sidewall. Thinking back to a pothole I hit at the beginning of the winter, it was probabl there all winter - and I drive the car hard.
So as has been said above. It could blow out 5 miles from happening. It could blow out 5000 miles from happening. The real question is whether you want to roll the dice or not. I would suggest "not" and get it taken care of as soon as you can.
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