Yesterday I was driving on the highway. There was lots of traffic. A large rock appeared very quickly from under the car in front of me and I hit it with the passenger side tire. At least, I think the tire hit it - the whole car lifted up and made a terrible sound.

I don't notice anything after the incident - no wobble, no shaking, nothing. I took the car in to the dealer and they put it on the rack and took a quick look - though from my vantage point inside the service area (not in the shop) not a very detailed look.

Question - given that there is no apparant damage and I can't see any damage on the tire either, should I worry about it? Is it possible there is hidden damage somewhere that will come back to bite me?

Thanks

 

Looks like the tire was a Dunlop RF. If so, I would not worry about the tire if the side wall looks OK. If the dealer did a wheel spin during the inspection, I wouldn't worry about the wheel either, assuming there is no apparent visible damage.

 

Yes, they are the Dunlop RF's. The dealer did not do a wheel spin, but I don't notice any difference in the drive. I guess I should just consider myself lucky.

I'm surprised there was no damage.

 

apart from the obvious visual inspection (entire thread pattern, rim scratches, underside and wheel well), there are two more things.
i assume this is your front wheel in question.

any obvious vibration on the steering wheel while driving especially in high speed?
alignment of the vehicle is it off? on a straight/ flat roadway let the car cruise on neutral, set straight/center steering wheel-hands off, put foot firmly on brake padel, does the car go straight ? absolutely no bias?

i will also suggest to monitor the tire pressure twice a day (when leaving and returning home) for the next few days.
if all is normal, it is normal.

 

This is good advice. I will try the alignment test. I need to find the right road. Many of them out here are not flat (they are either slanted or one lane is deeper than the other). In those cases, the car does not stop straight.

There are no vibrations in the wheel, even at 80 MPH, so I'm hopeful nothing was affected.

Thanks

 

Those E60's are extremely good.
I drove over a bump one day and heard that terrible sound we never want to hear. Anyways, I drove to the dealer and took a look under my car. I searched for about 15 minutes and found nothing. Not even a scratch!
Beewang was in the car at the time it happened, so he knows what I am talking about. It's unbelievable there is no damage at all...

 

maybe you all missed that BIG hole in the under carriage! :'(

just kidding....