Michelin LT failure

[SeniorGNC]

Well, I never expected to be writing this but I had a blowout on my second set of Michelin 16” LT load range E tires. They were only a year old.

We were on our way back to Houston Tx a week ago from a long summer vacation loop through the southwest desert. (About a 3000 mile pull.) On the last day just a couple of hundred miles north of home on US 84 we lost a tire to what the tire store manager called a catastrophic blowout. (There were just some inner casing pieces between the beads.) This was during the heat wave, I think the outside air temperature was about 103 degF. I pull at 60 mph, checked my tire pressure in the morning as I started and thought I was good. All that came to an end when a car pulled up next to me and held up a sign saying “blowout”. Bummer.

I could not even tell I was down a tire. There was no indication based on handling. Last time I scaled I was about 8600 lbs total on the two 5200 lb trailer axles.

Now I don’t feel so invincible tire wise. It cold have been due to a bad tire, a leaky valve stem, road hazard, who knows?

Maybe it is time for RIBs on the trailer and a tire pressure monitoring system.

Good thing I carry a tire changing ramp and DOT triangles.

Oh well, time to go fix the damage to the trailer…

[full_mosey]

If the scale weight is 8600lbs, that is 2150/wheel.

What are the load/psi specs for the tire?

IOW, per the tables, at what psi are your tires overloaded?

IMHO, I would shoot for 9600lbs, that is only +250lbs/wheel, for a 2400lb tire.

HTH;
John

[Allworth]

ENOUGH, children!

(14 pages! God, please give us a break.)

[Tireman9]

powderman426 wrote:

SeniorGNC wrote:
Tireman9,
At this time I am investigating TPMS brands and models.
Kevin

I think your on the right track. Knowing when a tire is developing a problem such as losing pressure or heating up will go a long way toward keeping out of trouble no matter what type of tire you have.

There is no such thing as a "Fail Proof" tire. Any brand, any size, any type, no matter where it is made, can have a puncture or valve leak.

TPMS are not 100% guaranteed to give you advance warning for every possibility but for the normal reasons for people to suffer "Run-Low Flex Failure" they are as good as any current technology can deliver to providing warning that should be sufficient for you to slow down and pull off the road before the tire is completely without air.
If you start slowing down as soon as you get the warning you should be able to stop before generating the heat needed to melt the body cord or fatigue the steel in TBR size Class-A unit.

I know from experience after conducting a number of tests, that a heavy truck suffering a "C" shaped 2" dia cut through the tread can easily come to a controlled stop and not shred the tire.

A 30ga deer slug through the sidewall doesn't result in the tire exploding, just hissing air. (see my blog of June 11, 2013)

The bottom line is that if you take immediate action you should have no damage to the RV and in some cases of slow leaks you might even be able to save the tire that had the puncture or valve leak. The key is...You must take action. This means you need to know there is air loss occurring. Without TPMS you will almost never know soon enough to avoid expensive problems.

[FastEagle]

Me Again wrote:

FastEagle wrote:

rv7plt wrote:
Is a TOWMAX trailer tire another "China Bomb" brand of tire?

John in Fl

Check it out.

Look Here!

FE

FE that is a link to the manufacturers site. Do you think they will reveal their failure rate???

Chris

Not long ago you posted pictures and links to Bridgestone tires. Are we now to believe that post was just hogwash?

FE

[larry_barnhart]

I agree this story is starting to suck big time.
chevman

[kedanie]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Me Again wrote:

FastEagle wrote:

rv7plt wrote:
Is a TOWMAX trailer tire another "China Bomb" brand of tire?

John in Fl

Check it out.

Look Here!

FE

FE that is a link to the manufacturers site. Do you think they will reveal their failure rate???

Chris

Personally I am tired of the "Look Here!" posts.

Yea, most of us are!

But, facts are that FE is an "Internet Shill" and he has to market his ST tires any way he can. He will never quit until someone stops paying him. He was going to change to 17.5 tires and wheels because even he was getting worn out but mysteriously changed his mind at the last minute.

HMMMMMMM, I wonder why?

Keith

[Cummins12V98]

Me Again wrote:

FastEagle wrote:

rv7plt wrote:
Is a TOWMAX trailer tire another "China Bomb" brand of tire?

John in Fl

Check it out.

Look Here!

FE

FE that is a link to the manufacturers site. Do you think they will reveal their failure rate???

Chris

Personally I am tired of the "Look Here!" posts.

[Me_Again]

FastEagle wrote:

rv7plt wrote:
Is a TOWMAX trailer tire another "China Bomb" brand of tire?

John in Fl

Check it out.

Look Here!

FE

FE that is a link to the manufacturers site. Do you think they will reveal their failure rate???

Chris

[JIMNLIN]

rv7plt wrote:
Is a TOWMAX trailer tire another "China Bomb" brand of tire?

John in Fl

Google around the different webs that uses some type of trailers (RV and non RV) and they have a poor reliability record overall. Thats doesn't mean you may have issues with them.

[FastEagle]

rv7plt wrote:
Is a TOWMAX trailer tire another "China Bomb" brand of tire?

John in Fl

Check it out.

Look Here!

FE

[rv7plt]

Is a TOWMAX trailer tire another "China Bomb" brand of tire?

John in Fl

[CapriRacer]

Me Again wrote:
I found that back in the mid 2000's the rule was changed on MHT tires, requiring DOT tires........

I think you need to investigate this further. Get back to us if you find anything.

Get back to us if you don't find anything.

[powderman426]

SeniorGNC wrote:
Tireman9,



At this time I am investigating TPMS brands and models.

Kevin

I think your on the right track. Knowing when a tire is developing a problem such as losing pressure or heating up will go a long way toward keeping out of trouble no matter what type of tire you have.

[Ric_Flair]

Me Again wrote:
..."Deestone Tires offer some of the most affordable specialty tires on the market, all with a standard of quality that is comparable to many more-costly brands. If you’re looking for a replacement tire for your golf cart or lawnmower that won’t break the bank, Deestone is right for you."

I seem to recall them making music way back. Had no idea they were into tires now?