Flat Rear Tire

Jim Shoe wrote:
I added a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) to my 'C' after driving the last leg home from a trip. I checked all the tires before pulling out of the CG, but when I got home, the left rear inside dual had no air pressure. It did, however have a 10 penny nail in it. Somewhere in that last 300 miles, I picked it up. It could have happened pulling out of the CG or pulling into my garage. No damage to the MH or to the tires, although I replaced both tires. I didn't notice any difference in the way it handled, which is a scary thought.

Jim,
Most likely, the tire beside the flat tire, that carried all that extra weight that the flat tire was not carrying is now junk. Good thing you replaced it because it would have soon blown out!

I added a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) to my 'C' after driving the last leg home from a trip. I checked all the tires before pulling out of the CG, but when I got home, the left rear inside dual had no air pressure. It did, however have a 10 penny nail in it. Somewhere in that last 300 miles, I picked it up. It could have happened pulling out of the CG or pulling into my garage. No damage to the MH or to the tires, although I replaced both tires. I didn't notice any difference in the way it handled, which is a scary thought.

This is not as important on a trailer as a motor home but it is still important.

Two pressures which are all but guaranteed to be WRONG for your rig are the ones written on a sticker somewhere inside the rig (mine is a kitchen cubbord) and the one molded in the side of the tire... Here is why.

If the tire is under-inflated (Generally the sticker is low,, NOT ALWAYS) then there is excessive flexing of the sidewalls.. This leads to overheating of the tire and sidewall blow out... (Remember the ford Explorers of a few years back.. YUP, ford said to run 'em 5PSI low, This in my not very humble opinion was a major contributor PEOPLE DIED).. Also the tire wears more at the outer edges while the center remains like new,, Also control is reduced as the rig can "Dance" a bit on the tire,,, I've lost control of a trailer because of this (minor loss quickly regained).

If you overinflate, you get the tire wearing more in the center, and if the tire overheats (Rare but it happened to me once, on a car) the blow out happens again,, Plus it is a much harder ride and again, control may be reduced under many conditions.

At the proper inflation for the load the tire is carrying: The entire tread lies flat on the road,,, The tire is working AS DESIGNED, control is at maximum and the ride is .. Well,,, Proper.

How to find out what the proper pressure is two ways.

1: Contact www.rvsafety.com if I have typed it properly, Find the Weigh or weight link, make an appointment,,, They will call and interview, set it up and arrive with charts for YOUR tires in hand.. NOTE: when they call you need to know the make and model of your tires.

2: Do the research on the tire maker's web page to find the chart, Find a FLAT scale, segmented is best, and park on it so that each axle is on a segment. Get total weight... Now pull around and park so only one side is on the scale, the other is on the ground (This is why it has to be a flat scale, not a bridge scale) and get the one-side weight.. Total - one side = other side.

Look up proper inflation on the charts.

This will give maximum tire life and maximum control epically under less than ideal conditions (Example raining)

RV Safety (Aweigh we go) will cost about 2x the scale at least the ones I've checked out. Truly not a bad deal.

The op put quotes around "kicking the tires". I'm sure he meant checking the tire pressure correctly. Of course he didn't check pressure by just kicking the tire. Give the guy a break.

As others have said investigating a tire pressure monitoring system should be on your list of things to do. I use the HereAlso I would suggest finding a scale where you could weigh each axle, better yet would be getting each tire position weighed and setting the correct tire pressure to the tires using the tire inflation guide for your tires. Should improve the ride quality and maybe the handling too.

Audioa_fan wrote:
As I was checking the passenger side outside rear tire I realized it was completely flat and loose on the wheel. I had momentary panic not knowing what in the world I was going to do.
............ They took it off and there wasn't anything in the tire. He inflated it up to 120 pounds and put it back on and lowered it back down and it stayed up. He inflated all the tires up to 120 pounds, most of them were between 85 and 90 pounds due to the drop in temperature.

If it was that flat and loose on the wheel, you have overloaded the tire beside it, and need to get it checked by a reputable tire shop. Having been overloaded like that, it is likely you ruined it by driving on it. And get the flat tire checked also.

And this is why many RVers have a emergency road service like CoachNet or Good Sam. They will come and fix your tire for you so that you don't have to drive on it and ruin it!!!

My father was an OTR bus driver. He kept a ball peen hammer in his grip that always went with him. He never got into a bus to drive it without using it to hit every tire. You can tell a 10 pound difference in tire pressure by the sound/rebound of the hammer. Precise? No. Good enough for his purposes? Yes. Would it have found your flat tire? Definitely.

Kicking tires is an excellent way to check for problems,(well not kicking but bouncing a bar off them)
No you are not going to notice 107 vs 110, but with a bit of experience 85 vs 110 sure will stick out.
Buy all means check your pressure first thing in the day, but unless you have been having problems a good thump will suffice for a quick pitstop check.

Kicking tires is a very poor way to check tire pressures.
It does not reveal the real tire pressure. Or, any tire pressure.
Use a tire pressure gauge.
Better yet, get a tire pressure monitor system.

Some mistakes can cost you a lot of money. Many here have discussed their problems in the past. Read the forums often to learn about many items to save your money.

Welcome to the forum!!

Hope this is helpful!!!
Pat