Tire Blowout Questions

PawPaw_n_Gram wrote:
I've never had problems with Maxxis tires, or known anyone who kept them properly inflated and loaded who had a problem. Including one friend who put 15,000 miles a year on his.

And I've never known anyone who kept other brands of tire properly inflated and loaded to have blowout problems with their tires.

In my experience there are three types of 'blowouts' and it is sometimes hard to tell which of the causes is responsible.

1) Road hazards are road hazards - no brand of tire is going to survive a strip of metal falling off a truck and cutting a tire. Some may be more resistant to puncture - but it can happen to any tire.

2) Tire defects do occur - but most can be found before a blowout with proper pre-tow checks and a TMPS. I once had a tread separation on a small car at 70 mph. Now I know what to look for - and look for it on my TT before every trip and on my personal vehicles weekly. I've found three tires on personal vehicles / TV over the past 28 years with problem - and never had a blowout because I check.

3) Improper inflation and loading cause the vast majority of RV/5er/TT blowouts in my opinion/ experience.

This is almost certainly the issue when the same tire on a trailer blows a second time. Quit blaming the tire - and find out what YOU are doing wrong.

I'm sure it is mentioned above or on other threads.

Nothing can substitute for checking the pressure before pulling out with a quality manual gauge. And a visual/ touch inspection of the tires.

Another 'must have' in my opinion is a temperature gauge to check the tires at every stop.

A TPMS will usually give you enough warning of a tire problem before it fails catastrophically. Avoiding one blowout due to a failing tire more than pays for the cost of a TPMS.

How many folks know the weight on each tire of their rig? I do, and I have it checked at least once per year. And I have to shift around some stuff in the rig every year to bring the tires back into near equal weights.

I see rigs every day with enough weight on one side to create a list while being towed down the road. Rigs without a level tow attitude - putting too much weight on one axle.

When I go to rallys, it seems every year the same people are complaining about bad tires - having blowouts on the same axle/ side as the year before. Yet a TPMS or a weight check it 'too expensive'.

I know one guy who decided to solve his blowout damage problem by adding almost 400 lbs of sheet steel to 'protect' his rig from 'bad tires'. He runs Carlisle tires on his over loaded toy hauler. Goes through about six tires a year.

Neither Maxxis, Carlisle or any other tire is blowout proof. Yet I see people get those tires and think they can run them with no checks. They think having a Carlisle or Maxxis means they can run 75-80 down the Texas interstate in 110 degree weather. That they can run the tires 10 lbs low on air pressure to avoid shaking up stuff inside the rig.

If you have two blowouts on the same location - you need to start looking at your loading, the alignment, etc - not the brand of tire.