People,
This is not about "blown tires". This is not about Tire Pressure Monitoring systems or, noticing or not noticing that you "still have a toad back there". It's about DRAG, and a SERIOUS AMOUNT OF IT! How many of you have ever tried to push a vehicle/pickup truck/anything that had THE EMERGENCY BRAKE STILL ON or, IT'S STILL IN PARK, or, IT'S STILL IN GEAR????????? The simple and incredibly obvious answer is, YOU CAN'T!
Now, hook a car to a car that is still in park, what do you get, NOTHING! It's still won't move unless you more than likely start spinning the tires on the one doing the towing. Yes, it's been stated that more than likely this Phaeton coach has a pretty big motor and, yes, it APPARENTLY has enough guts to pull this toad, locked up tires and all without too much strain. But, you can't get around the fact that he/she was DRAGGING this toad, not PULLING it.
I'd have to personally drive that coach, without any toads, and then with a toad (that rolls perfectly) and then put it(the toad) in park, and pull(drag) it, to see and feel the difference. Now, as I stated in my earlier post, I COULD TELL THE DIFFERENCE, in a very, very short distance, and that WAS IN DIRT, not pavement which, would present even more drag.
If you hook up your toad or, for those of you that have trucks and are pulling either bumper tows or, fifth wheels, and for some odd reason you didn't notice one or again, some mysterious Rod Serling Twilight Zone reason, you have TWO blown tires, there would be SOME added strain in pulling BUT, it would STILL PULL and the wheels would at least ROLL, and quite possibly would present an almost normal throttle position to move things along.
You'd have to know your rig pretty well, to be able to tell, the difference between the amount of throttle needed for an "all conditions normal" take off, and the amount of throttle needed for one or, like stated, possibly two blown tires, because THEY STILL WOULD ROLL FREELY.
But, the amount of throttle needed for a COMPLETLY LOCKED UP VEHCILE, is CONSIDERABLY MORE. Not to mention, like I did earlier, the micro-second you let off the throttle, it's like you've got the exhaust brake or, Jake brake on.
Every single one of you has seen skid marks and "Burn out marks" (Ricky racer days) for hundreds and hundreds of feet and yet, the tires are still going fine. Now, in the case of tire spinning from too much throttle, that's taking tread and mileage off, all the way around. But, in the case of skidding, that's removing tread and mileage from only the bottom/contact point of the tire. Anti-lock brakes don't work when it's being towed.
Based on the fact that, in that picture, that toad is being towed by a "Phaeton" motor home, of which, I'm pretty sure that a coach in that price category, came with a REAR VIEW CAMERA. Now, logic and, it stands to reason that, even though he/she (whomever was driving this coach) was completely oblivious to the fact that they needed more throttle than normal for take off, but also the fact that, even after driving for whatever distance it took, for enough friction on those tire bottoms, TO START SMOKING and, they apparently either saw nothing or, chose to ignore it.
Now, as a following or passing driver, I surely would think that any smoking from those front tires, BOTH OF THEM, would be noticed and, some form of COMMUICATIONS between a parallel driver and the driver of that coach, would and or should have taken place.
Folks, we can talk about tire pressure monitoring systems, camera systems, and check lists all day long but, the fact is, this person was clueless for MILES, that he/she had a phenomenal amount of extra drag, RIGHT FROM THE START OF TAKE OFF. Now, I'm assuming that, the toad in question could not put itself back into park, after things got rolling, without anyone in side the car doing it. I haven't seen an automatic transmission equipped car in decades that you didn't have to have your foot on the brake, in order to move that shift lever in an out of certain gears and park. So, for it to do it itself, pretty much out of the question.
Scott
