Flat as a flitter

[Tinstar]

I had an unusual flat yesterday. I was driving home and was in Denton, TX. My wife and I commented on how smooth the ride was as we were coming into town. I pulled up to a red light at IH35 and 380 and had to wait a minute or so for the green. As soon as I took off, I immediately knew I had a flat on the left front of my DP motorhome. I hobbled across the underpass and found a 7/11 type store at the corner on the other side. I pulled in behind it and after getting permission, changed it on the spot. I noticed two large gashes in the sidewall but those may have been from driving from the light to the 7/11. This was on a new tire (about 700 miles on it). Changing it took me the better part of an hour. Cranking down the spare from its underneath storage is a PITA.

[Tinstar]

Gjac, I'm reasonably sure it was punctured as I approached the light. The road was rough in the left lane and there was debris on the roadway. Could have been anything and there may be something inside the tire. I haven't gotten it replaced yet and I'll do that probably next week. I'll be curious to see if there is something lodged inside. Driving across the roadway could have dislodged whatever it was. The blowout I had last summer didn't leave anything inside and nothing stuck in it but the tire store said I hit something that penetrated the sidewall.

[Gjac]

Tinstar,I can understand how this kind of thing happens because something similar happened to me about 8 years ago when crossing from Canada back to the US. I was slowly going over railroad tracks and I thought I smelled propane,actually my wife smelled it. When I got out I heard a loud hissing leak which I thought was a propane leak. When I looked closer it was my tire with a large bolt sticking out of it and leaking fast. By the time I got the plug kit and inflater out it was almost flat. After plugging the hole and inflating it to about 40 psi with my HF air pump I slowly drove to a gas station to top it off. I never noticed the low tire or hissing noise from inside the MH. I am sure the tire would have been in shreds if my wife didn't smell something.

[FIRE_UP]

Tinstar,
Thanks very much for responding back to me on my inquiries. TWO spares huh? Wow, about 99.99% of us don't have room for one, much less two. And, yep, I've handled a few of the larger type 22.5s my self and, it's not a fun thing.

I most certainly applaud you for your quick, self help effort. Not many would even think about that. But, it sure is odd that it went that fast (the air escape) and you or your "non-dancing" wife didn't hear it. Surely kind of an amazing story.
Scott

[Tinstar]

FIRE UP wrote:

Tinstar,
Yeah, a TPMS most likely would have notified you that you had a problem. But, I'm wondering something here. You state you were rolling just fine, silk as could be, right up to the point you stopped at the light. But, the INSTANT you started to take off from the light, you KNEW you had a flat tire, correct?

Now, unless you had your music up to TEEN-AGER-LEVEL and your wife was disco-dancing on the dash, don't you think that you should have heard the 100 psi. instantaneous blow out, while sitting at the stop light, based on the fact that you said the ride was flawless up to that particular spot??? I'm certainly not chastising you here. Not at all.

Did you have any pulling of the front end, especially during braking, or any other even remote ill handling effects prior to the stop? If not, then the air escape had to be pretty near blowout speed AND NOISE VOLUME, in my opinion, at that stop light. This is all just surmising things here.

And, since we're on the subject of changing your own spare on a diesel pusher. About 99.99% of the lug nuts on those Diesels are on with usually around 450 ft. lbs. of torque, correct? May I ask, your procedure for breaking them loose and all that? This is really interesting to me. I carry a "Torque Multiplier" on board that allows me to break all 10, 450 ft. lb. lug nuts, with one arm, while sitting.

But, that really doesn't do me any good since I don't carry the spare. I would only use it if, we had a blow-out and, was anticipating Road Service sometime soon. That way I'd just speed up the tire changing process.
Scott

I felt the same way Scott. Yes, rolling up to the light was like silk, no pulling, nothing rough, no bumping absolutely nothing at all and I know I would have felt something if it had been flat. I too thought I should have heard the air escape. I had a blow-out last year on the inside rear. It sounded like a shotgun going off and I was at highway speed that time. Anyway, I sat at the light for probably 2 minutes in heavy traffic with an 18 wheeler's cab right beside my cab. The radio wasn't on and although my wife is a really good dancer, she wasn't. We were just conversing. The only thing I can think was the 18 wheeler drowned the sound out. It wasn't a blowout per se but it certainly has a fast air escape. I am hard of hearing but my wife isn't and she didn't hear anything either.

As far as changing the tire, I carry a 20 ton bottle jack so I raised it with my levelers, slipped the jack under and raised it a bit further after breaking the lug loose. I carry a double end lug wrench with a 6 foot cheater bar. Breaking them loose is a breeze and I can break anything up to about 1400 - 1600 lbs of torque. Mine torque to 450 lbs so I just measure out 4.5 foot on the cheater and put 100 lbs of pressure at that point. I also put a center support at the lug wrench to keep from torquing the lug as I loosen/tighten it. I have a 1 inch impact at home but don't carry it with me on trips although if this keeps happening, I might start.

I actually carry two spares. One mounted and the other unmounted. I have roadside service with Coach-Net. I just didn't want to wait for them to get there and since it was on the front, it's not a big deal. IF it had been on one of the inside rear, I would have waited and let someone else do it. That's where my blowout was last summer but service was at least 3 hours away as I was in the middle of a desert miles from any town. I went ahead and changed that one but I wouldn't want to do it again unless I didn't have a choice. Since I was in Denton this time, service could have gotten to me in about an hour or a little over but I just wanted to get home asap.

[RayChez]

rgatijnet1 wrote:

mike brez wrote:
I used my coach air and pumped it up and could hear a small leak at the stem. I noticed a Michelin tire sign a mile or so away when we pulled in. Drove over to the shop,a hour later and $47.00 all was good.
Funny the short time I was there at the Michelin store I saw two sets of 22.5 Hankooks being installed.

You should have bought the foreign tires because they never leak at the valve stems. :B

Michelins were originally made in France. So that is about as foreign as you can get. LOL

[mike_brez]

tropical36 wrote:

Funny the short time I was there at the Michelin store I saw two sets of 22.5 Hankooks being installed.

That's cuz a genuine Korean and Chinese made Hankook is as good as any Michelin, with the only real difference being in the price.
Yep, even the Koreans are subbing out to China, as every other company on the planet will and if they haven't already.

rgatijnet1 wrote:

mike brez wrote:
I used my coach air and pumped it up and could hear a small leak at the stem. I noticed a Michelin tire sign a mile or so away when we pulled in. Drove over to the shop,a hour later and $47.00 all was good.
Funny the short time I was there at the Michelin store I saw two sets of 22.5 Hankooks being installed.

You should have bought the foreign tires because they never leak at the valve stems. :B

Well I never said I had Michelin tires and to tell you the truth I have never owned one. I put Hankooks on my old gasser and have been running 22inch Hankooks on my Suburban for over 10 years. I'm actually running tires on my rv that I'm sure not many are using. I just thought it was great that they had a huge 25'x10' lighted Michelin sign and less than a hour of me being there 8 Hankooks going out the door. Hankook is actually my personal tire of choice.

[tropical36]

bluwtr49 wrote:
Spare???? No way on earth could I change one of my tires plus trying to find bay storage for a tire and wheel of this size and that does even account for buying and storing a jack....just not practical. I'll bet the tire and wheel must push 200 lbs. Just to make matter worse the rims are different between front and rear...not sure of the tag.

Yep, don't know why one wouldn't have road hazard insurance and especially when it's not just about flat tires.
Having said that, I have an more than once, removed a wheel from my coach for doing some work in the driveway. Nothing to it, actually, with using the leveling jacks and maybe a shovel or other to rock it off and on the hub. Wouldn't even think of trying to lift a 19.5 at my age and let alone a 22.5.

[rgatijnet1]

mike brez wrote:
I used my coach air and pumped it up and could hear a small leak at the stem. I noticed a Michelin tire sign a mile or so away when we pulled in. Drove over to the shop,a hour later and $47.00 all was good.
Funny the short time I was there at the Michelin store I saw two sets of 22.5 Hankooks being installed.

You should have bought the foreign tires because they never leak at the valve stems. :B

[tropical36]

Funny the short time I was there at the Michelin store I saw two sets of 22.5 Hankooks being installed.

That's cuz a genuine Korean and Chinese made Hankook is as good as any Michelin, with the only real difference being in the price.
Yep, even the Koreans are subbing out to China, as every other company on the planet will and if they haven't already.

[bluwtr49]

Spare???? No way on earth could I change one of my tires plus trying to find bay storage for a tire and wheel of this size and that does even account for buying and storing a jack....just not practical. I'll bet the tire and wheel must push 200 lbs. Just to make matter worse the rims are different between front and rear...not sure of the tag.

[JimM68]

Scott's a lil rough.... but I woulda liked to watch that tire go down on the screen of my TPMS....

[RayChez]

mike brez wrote:

newman fulltimer wrote:
Willing to bet a bad valve, stem

I woke up to one of those two days ago while on the road. While I was waiting for my wife to get ready for our morning excursion, I went outside and was sipping my coffee doing a walk around the rv when I noticed my rear outside tire looked low. I whipped out my tire gauge and it was fine. Checked the inside and read zero. I used my coach air and pumped it up and could hear a small leak at the stem. I noticed a Michelin tire sign a mile or so away when we pulled in. Drove over to the shop,a hour later and $47.00 all was good.
Funny the short time I was there at the Michelin store I saw two sets of 22.5 Hankooks being installed.

Man that is a big impact you carry around on your coach, looks like a one inch drive. I had not seen one of those since I retired from the railroad.:B

[RayChez]

gbopp wrote:
Thanks for sharing.
This is why I think carrying a spare is a good idea. JMO

Yes, and where are you going to carry a 22.5 size tire that weigh's a lot.

[FIRE_UP]

Tinstar wrote:
A TPMS could have helped but I doubt it. I'm reasonably sure it was fully inflated when I pulled up to the light. I had to slowly roll forward as I approached the light and it was as smooth as silk. When I pulled away at the green, the tire had not made one rotation before I knew for sure it was flat. I would bet there was something in the roadway at the light and I got it, loosing air while I waited for the green.

There won't be any warranty reimbursement I'm sure. Driving on it for 150 yards to get out of one of the busiest intersections in Denton didn't do it any good. I'll see when I replace it if the tire guy can determine what it was.

Tinstar,
Yeah, a TPMS most likely would have notified you that you had a problem. But, I'm wondering something here. You state you were rolling just fine, silk as could be, right up to the point you stopped at the light. But, the INSTANT you started to take off from the light, you KNEW you had a flat tire, correct?

Now, unless you had your music up to TEEN-AGER-LEVEL and your wife was disco-dancing on the dash, don't you think that you should have heard the 100 psi. instantaneous blow out, while sitting at the stop light, based on the fact that you said the ride was flawless up to that particular spot??? I'm certainly not chastising you here. Not at all.

Did you have any pulling of the front end, especially during braking, or any other even remote ill handling effects prior to the stop? If not, then the air escape had to be pretty near blowout speed AND NOISE VOLUME, in my opinion, at that stop light. This is all just surmising things here.

And, since we're on the subject of changing your own spare on a diesel pusher. About 99.99% of the lug nuts on those Diesels are on with usually around 450 ft. lbs. of torque, correct? May I ask, your procedure for breaking them loose and all that? This is really interesting to me. I carry a "Torque Multiplier" on board that allows me to break all 10, 450 ft. lb. lug nuts, with one arm, while sitting.

But, that really doesn't do me any good since I don't carry the spare. I would only use it if, we had a blow-out and, was anticipating Road Service sometime soon. That way I'd just speed up the tire changing process.
Scott