Goodyear G159 Tire issue

Just read about this tire from an unrelated legal case. Tires are not designed for RV use and the speed rating was fudged up by 10 mph. Attorneys are having a field day.

Its unreal now many people will buy the wrong tire because its lower priced then the right one for the job. Same as most that are always blowing tires on trailers. They buy a tire that is speed rated lower then there intended speed of travel. Then blow the tire and complain that the tire is at fault.
I feel for the family driving the RV that was in the wreck. But they did not say how old the tires were? If the pressure had been checked? And why in the world did he hit the brakes with a blowout? I have had 3 steer tires blow and all three was Michelin's in 1986. Our company with a fleet of 100 trucks, has 19 steer tires blow in 3 weeks. The last one for me was pulling into the parking lot. I had to get 2 new tires put on coming home from PA to Tn. The other tires when the blowouts happened. I was running 55 MPH yes the days when even interstates were 55. Pushed the go peddle down and eased down the road while slowing down. Truck never moved but if I had hit the brakes man what a wreck it would have been. Company had made us watch a video at a drivers meeting 6 weeks before on what to do if we had a blowout. And it saved my life and lots by me. AS the second one a bus was passing me. And being it was the left steer tire. I would have hit the bus at 55 MPH.
Pete

P.S. Wish everyone would watch this video before driving .
What to do when you have a blowout.

Having retired from the tire industry after 40 years, I can mentally track a lot of successes and failures of many major world-wide brands of tires, primarily radials.

I recall when Michelin introduced the 'X' radial truck tire and the 40,000 mile pass. tire, all US manufacturers went into a frenzy to try to produce a tire that would compete with these new developments. In pass. tires, G/Y produced a 'bias-ply' tire, which could be built on the same equipment as the 20,000 mile bias tires they sold then. The PolyGlass and PolySteel were disasters.

G/Y's policy, IMHO has been for many, many years "yes, we have some problems with that particular tire, but we have a new one just on the market that takes care of those problem." In truck tires it was first Unisteel, then the supposedly improved Unisteel I, then Unisteel II, and I don't know how many other versions of the Unisteel.
A radial tire is simple in design, but quite hard to produce a high percentage of top quality tires. A radial tire producer cannot afford to lower their final inspection standards and let tires out that are less than perfect. In a radial tire, if you get a less-than-perfect tire, you have problems. Possibly as simple as a vibration that never completely goes away, all the way to sudden separations and blowouts.

True dedication to quality of any product is a culture, a passion that has to be displayed from top management all the way down. Some companies have it, many do not.
Keep in mind, all I have written here are my opinions based on experience.

The tire in question

The Goodyear tire subjected to litigation in motorhome accidents is known as the G159 275/70 22.5.

Model and size numbers are found on the sidewalls.

I would post this in the motor home forum as some of those folks use a 22.5" tire.

darsben wrote:
You need to get your news elsewhere. This was a decision in JULY of this year which is being reported today by your source

Sorry, hadn't seen anything about it before today. I'm =ass=uming that the GY appeal for an en banc review by the 9th Court just came out, though. Still, I would not have wanted to be an attorney for GY, to be hit with what appears to be an historic sanction fine, like that!

Lyle

You need to get your news elsewhere. This was a decision in JULY of this year which is being reported today by your source