Tire Burst Incident on Cipali Toll Road: Here's the Tire Manufacturer's Explanation

KatadataOTO – Some time ago, there was a case of a car tire bursting on the Cipali Toll Road (Cikopo-Palimanan). In fact, a number of road users complained about the many large potholes suspected to be the main cause.

Moreover, many vehicles were traveling at high speeds and did not have time to anticipate or avoid the potholes on the road.

In response to this, tire manufacturer Bridgestone revealed that car tires in the Indonesian market have actually been specially designed to face the country's road conditions and their structure has been reinforced.

“Indonesia is a unique market. The infrastructure is not yet entirely adequate, so the tires are indeed designed to accommodate the roads here,” said Fisa Rizqiano, Deputy Head of OE Sales for Bridgestone Tire Indonesia, when met in Karawang some time ago.

Photo : Courtesy

Besides road conditions, he revealed that it is important for vehicle owners to maintain tire pressure and ensure the vehicle's load weight is in accordance with the capacity specified by the manufacturer.

According to Fisa, Bridgestone itself has conducted tests to see how durable car tires are. From that, it was proven that tires are actually quite difficult to burst even when hitting a pothole.

“The picture is like this, if you just drive straight at any speed, it won't (burst immediately). But if there is an indication of swerving and the sidewall and rim hit the road, it can cause the tire to burst,” he explained.

Looking at the incident that occurred on the Cipali toll road, he revealed that it is possible the rim hit the tire wall, causing the tire to burst on the spot.

“We have proven it before (a tire hitting a pothole on the road), it didn't burst. It's difficult, other brands have also conducted similar tests and they also didn't burst immediately,” he said.

Nevertheless, drivers still need to be careful and not just hit potholes on the road. Because it will still result in damage to the tires or car rims.

Astra Infra Will Compensate Drivers for Losses

Photo : KatadataOTO

The operator of the Cipali toll road, Astra Infra Toll Road, has issued an apology for the potholes at several points along the toll road.

Patching and signs have since been placed at the related locations to ensure repair work can proceed properly.

For road users who experience damage, especially between KM 72-KM 188 of the Trans-Java Toll Road, they can file a claim with the Astra Infra Toll Road Cipali call center at (0260) 7600 600 or via a WhatsApp short message to 0853 1629 2905.