Unsafe at any speed....
Here's some background. Bought the RV new in 2006. It's a 294RLS Cougar tow behind 30'. The factory tires were TOWMAX ST, 225/75R15. The factory tires lasted for three years, then I changed out the ...
Forum Discussion
Bull Rider,
First, thanks for the photos. That really helps a guy like me sort all this stuff out. As a tire engineer, I struggle with reports of tires failing when not in service - especially when they are off the ground. It just doesn't make sense without some additional info.
I note the second photo where the finger is pointing to a cut. Yes, that is a cut. A crack would follow the ply cords and be more or less straight and radial. Plus, am I seeing cords in the cut? If so, this is confirmation that this is a cut caused by external forces.
One additional bit of info to help explain what is being seen is that rubber has a peculiar property. If pulled slowly, it will stretch quite a ways before it fails. Pulled quickly and it will fail at lower stretch levels (the engineering term is "strain" - as opposed to "stress".)
What this means is that is possible to damage a tire, but not have it fail immediately. The inflation pressure will continue to stretch the damaged area, and it will fail at a later time. That appears to be what I am looking in the photos.
So when I put this in context, my conclusion is that this particular failure is road hazard related.
First, thanks for the photos. That really helps a guy like me sort all this stuff out. As a tire engineer, I struggle with reports of tires failing when not in service - especially when they are off the ground. It just doesn't make sense without some additional info.
I note the second photo where the finger is pointing to a cut. Yes, that is a cut. A crack would follow the ply cords and be more or less straight and radial. Plus, am I seeing cords in the cut? If so, this is confirmation that this is a cut caused by external forces.
One additional bit of info to help explain what is being seen is that rubber has a peculiar property. If pulled slowly, it will stretch quite a ways before it fails. Pulled quickly and it will fail at lower stretch levels (the engineering term is "strain" - as opposed to "stress".)
What this means is that is possible to damage a tire, but not have it fail immediately. The inflation pressure will continue to stretch the damaged area, and it will fail at a later time. That appears to be what I am looking in the photos.
So when I put this in context, my conclusion is that this particular failure is road hazard related.
