Anyone who has owned an RV for some time, or has perused this (or any) RV forum for any amount of time has learned of the trials and tribulations associated with flat tires and blow-outs, more specifically the damage they can cause to the coach once the flat occurs. With that, I thought of a solution that I have not seen identified here yet. Would installing steel fenders directly above your tires be beneficial to mitigating the damage from a flat or blow-out? These fenders, available in tandem configurations, could be welded or bolted to the frame directly above the tires. This would take some ingenuity to make work, and there could be further implications such as interference with the slides, but it could be doable. With the often-times catastrophic damage from blow-outs (let alone safety concerns), I'm just curious why I haven't seen that yet. What other factors make this non-feasible? I'm certain a recommendation would be to simply buy Brand (fill in the blank) tire, but it's fair to say that there is no bullet-proof tire out there, let alone a consensus on what that tire would be. I'm not looking for a tire discussion, just some feedback on the plausibility of installing steel fenders in order to mitigate the damage in the event of a blow-out or flat. Could be cheap insurance.Let me know what you think. Thanks!

Had a blow out on my truck right rear last year. Destroyed the fender and exhaust system. Would take some really strong steel and probably reinforced under side of slide and inside of fender skirt area to prevent damage. But all that would probably interfere with slide operation. And probably be expensive also. High quality tires, not too old, well taken care of, and a TPMS is the best option. Although a high quality tire can also blow, it seems the majority reported on RV sites tend to most often be from brands previously noted for that problem. IMHO of course.

Open Range aka Highland Ridge has these mounted above their tires on the majority of their product lines, I would believe there are a few other manufacturers that do the same. Hard to say if it will mitigate 100 percent of the possible damage that occurs from a catastrophic tire blowout, it should at least help minimize overall destruction when such an event occurs. You would think this is a no brainer for RV manufacturers, unfortunately many of the designers, engineers, and assemblers on the factory floor do not partake in the RVing lifestyle.

I think the first priority should be for the RV trailer industry to demand better quality tires and to stop using crappy tires from China. I've never had any tire issues because I use truck tires on my trailers but not everyone can do that. Many upgrade to a higher load rating and that seems to also work. Putting steel in the wheel wells might work on some trailers. I had a Chinese tire blow on my boat trailer (before I knew those tires were a problem) and it mangled the steel fender but saved the boat from damage.

Would be extremely tough to mitigate damage caused by a steel belted tire whipping around at the speed of (don't know but very fast) and with a tremendous force. I kind of thing the tire, especially a steel belted, one would win.

We had a rear tire blowout on a previous motorhome that nearly destroyed a 14 gauge steel storage bin. It was easier to repair the torn up wiring and generator fuel line than it was to pound out and reweld the steel bin.

Solution for damage from flat tires - thoughts?

28 Replies

DrewE
Explorer III
Aug 09, 2016
My class C has metal liners above the rear wheels (well, mostly covering the space above them). I'm not sure they'd do much in case of a blowout at speed, but undoubtedly the do provide some protection against rocks thrown up by the tires and similar lesser hazards.

In short: it's a fine idea, and at least sometimes done by some makers, but not a panacea.
PawPaw_n_Gram
Explorer
Aug 09, 2016
The steel fender liners are kind of a cost/ benefit decision.

Basically, less than 0.001% of TT & 5th wheel trailers ever suffer a blowout and damage from that shredded tire. For every blowout/ damage you hear about ten thousand people have no issues.

But the cost of adding steel fender liners would likely add $1,000 to the cost of rig new, and likely cost you a couple hundred pounds of carry/cargo weight capacity.

Sandia Man wrote:
Open Range aka Highland Ridge has these mounted above their tires on the majority of their product lines, I would believe there are a few other manufacturers that do the same.

Hard to say if it will mitigate 100 percent of the possible damage that occurs from a catastrophic tire blowout, it should at least help minimize overall destruction when such an event occurs.

Friend had a tread separation on his Open Range Mesa Ridge 316. $3,200 damage from the tread flapping and tearing completely off the fender liner, damage to some of the exterior fiberglass and some wiring for the slide. But the alligator did not penetrate the underbelly or the cabin.

Since the tire never lost pressure, the TPMS did not alert. They did hear something strange and got stopped and off the road when it was safe.

Important thing they did - when the heard the strange noise, they were on a two land road with no shoulders - so they had to drive about 2 miles at 15-20 mph to get to a safe area to check the rig.

That might have caused more damage, but the alligator was found back near where they first heard the noise. Either way, it was a lot less damage than having another vehicle plow into the back of a stopped 5er.
kalynzoo
Explorer
Aug 09, 2016
In the early 2000's I had a blowout on a rear tandem, later in that trip the paired tire blew, probably due to damage/stress when the first one threw rubber. The damage was significant but repairable. Fender, fiberglass, wires, etc. My thought is that even with steel cage guards on the fender the force of the thrown rubber at 65mph would rip the steel from the mounting which could do even more damage. I replace my tires every 6 to 7 years, even with lots of tread. Yes, it is expensive, but like insurance, it is the cost of travel. JMHO
Dutch_12078
Explorer III
Aug 09, 2016
We had a rear tire blowout on a previous motorhome that nearly destroyed a 14 gauge steel storage bin. It was easier to repair the torn up wiring and generator fuel line than it was to pound out and reweld the steel bin.
imgoin4it
Explorer
Aug 09, 2016
Would be extremely tough to mitigate damage caused by a steel belted tire whipping around at the speed of (don't know but very fast) and with a tremendous force. I kind of thing the tire, especially a steel belted, one would win.
azdryheat
Explorer
Aug 09, 2016
I think the first priority should be for the RV trailer industry to demand better quality tires and to stop using crappy tires from China. I've never had any tire issues because I use truck tires on my trailers but not everyone can do that. Many upgrade to a higher load rating and that seems to also work.

Putting steel in the wheel wells might work on some trailers. I had a Chinese tire blow on my boat trailer (before I knew those tires were a problem) and it mangled the steel fender but saved the boat from damage.
Sandia_Man
Explorer II
Aug 09, 2016
Open Range aka Highland Ridge has these mounted above their tires on the majority of their product lines, I would believe there are a few other manufacturers that do the same.

Hard to say if it will mitigate 100 percent of the possible damage that occurs from a catastrophic tire blowout, it should at least help minimize overall destruction when such an event occurs.

You would think this is a no brainer for RV manufacturers, unfortunately many of the designers, engineers, and assemblers on the factory floor do not partake in the RVing lifestyle.
BB_TX
Nomad
Aug 09, 2016
Had a blow out on my truck right rear last year. Destroyed the fender and exhaust system. Would take some really strong steel and probably reinforced under side of slide and inside of fender skirt area to prevent damage. But all that would probably interfere with slide operation. And probably be expensive also. High quality tires, not too old, well taken care of, and a TPMS is the best option. Although a high quality tire can also blow, it seems the majority reported on RV sites tend to most often be from brands previously noted for that problem. IMHO of course.

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Solution for damage from flat tires - thoughts?

28 Replies

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