Tire Blowout

[10forty2]

WARNING...WARNING..WARNING Will Robinson........ Old Tires can and WILL blowout and cause lots of problems and cost lots of money.

I know this topic has been discussed at length, but for anybody new to RV'ing like me, I figured it won't hurt and may help someone else make a decision that could save a lot of heartache down the road.

First and foremost, nobody got hurt. That's whats important to me in this situation. BUT... my wife and I were on the way home from a fantastic first REAL trip/vacation on our coach. 4 days in Myrtle Beach, SC, camping and enjoying meeting new friends, and riding motorcycles at the Fall Harley Rally. Just a great vacation and can't wait to go again.

Then...on the way home, about 4 hours away from home, running about 65mph towing my motorcycle trailer on I-40 westbound......out of nowhere....BAM! The inside rear dual blows and absolutely shreds, slinging rubber all on the road and finally punctured the outside rear dual. I was able to get to the side of the road and then sit while I called Good Sam, only to find out that the membership I had bought two days earlier at Camping World in Myrtle Beach did not include Road Side Assistance., even though we were under the impression that that's what we were buying. Thankfully, the people we talked with at Good Sam were willing to help us anyway and located a mobile tire service to come out and help. The tire technician from Black's Tires in Castle Hayne, NC was top of the line! They were really busy, especially for a Sunday, but made it out OT help us within 2 hours of our initial call to Good Sam. He brought 2 new tires, replaced them and had us on our way within an hour of arriving. I will be dealing with Black's Tires again because of my experience with them on the side of the road.

Now the bad part.....all total, we are into the blowout for about $1,500. INCLUDING the $195 charge for Good Sam to locate and contact the tire service, since we didn't have roadside assistance. Plus, without roadside assistance, we were on the hook for the service charge for Sunday afternoon service. Not sure on tire pricing, since I hadn't priced tires before so I don't know if I got screwed or not, but 2 Goodyear G670 tires were billed at $450 each plus $250 roadside labor and the $195 non-member Good Sam charge, and some $10 and $15 valve stem and disposal charges.......well you get the picture.

Today, I'll be shopping for 4 more tires from a Black's Tire Service nearer to home. The date codes on the existing tires show that they were made in 2004. The people we bought the coach from had just replaced the tires 2 year ago, so apparently the tire place screwed them and put on old tires. Overall, I'm just very thankful it wasn't a front tire that blew, and that we were able to make it home with only a story to tell and our bank account much lighter. We could have been laying in a hospital or worse, in a box......

Moral of the story...CHECK YOUR TIRE DATE CODES!!! REPLACE OLD TIRES!!! Don't think that you can go another trip on old tires, even though they still LOOK good. Too dangerous to risk playing Russian Roulette with old tires.

[okgc]

Norm & Deb wrote:
Google Goodyear Florida Lawsuit and then ask yourself why anyone would EVER want to spend a dime with Goodyear!!

Probably for the same reason people still buy a Toyota. EVERY company has had their problems in recent years.



Regarding TPMS the TST 507 is a great system. Batteries are quite easy to replace. Easier than I expected. I also buy TST replacement batteries from Amazon.

[bshpilot]

10forty2 wrote:
Thanks, I'll check out the TST system. I've seen that recommended in other posts as well. It'll definitely be one on board before my next trip!

Update on collateral damages following the blowout.... the shower drain took a hit through the floor (it sits directly over the tire that blewout). The plastic flange that connects the floor drain to the shower floor broke and along with the rubber gasket were laying in the shower floor. Now I gotta figure out how to access underneath the shower to find out if it cracked the drain pipe/trap. Any ideas how to access that? There's a removable panel in the bedroom behind the shower knobs to access that plumbing, but I doubt that there's enough room to get underneath the shower floor. Would there be another panel that I haven't seen yet or is it only accessible from underneath the coach?

i think you're gonna have to pull the floor shower surround (if there is one)...accessing it from under neath probably won't give you enough access to see all of the plumbing.

i would expect that the floor under the shower will prevent you from seeing or gaining access to the drain/plumbing.

[xctraveler]

Norm & Deb wrote:
Google Goodyear Florida Lawsuit and then ask yourself why anyone would EVER want to spend a dime with Goodyear!!

or any other brand that has caused someone a bad problem in the past 5 years. People love/hate Michelin, Goodyear, Hankook etc. So many tires and so many reasons for them to fail, most of the reasons are NOT manufacturing flaws. Think of how many tires Goodyear has made and then how many have failed, it is a very small proportion and we only ever hear on these forums about those who are unhappy.

:h

[Norm___Deb]

Google Goodyear Florida Lawsuit and then ask yourself why anyone would EVER want to spend a dime with Goodyear!!

[xctraveler]

Interesting statistic, I no longer have the source, the most common tire to blow out (rapid deflation) is the inner dual on the curb side. We are inclined to drive close to the right edge of the road and the curbside outer dual may be over the line onto the shoulder dropoff leaving the entire weight of the curbside rear axle on the inner dual. If the tire is impaired in any way, such as age, this is a failure waiting to happen.

All the rest is collateral damage.

[Hjudge49]

A tire pressure monitoring system is well worth the money. I never had a problem with the pressure on the coach tires, but was warned of a leaking front tire on the toad in time to prevent damage to the tire. As to your blowout(s), 10 years is way too old for those tires to be safe. I would bet that the rest of them were showing signs of dry rot when replaced. Glad you weren't hurt.

[10forty2]

Thanks, I'll check out the TST system. I've seen that recommended in other posts as well. It'll definitely be one on board before my next trip!

Update on collateral damages following the blowout.... the shower drain took a hit through the floor (it sits directly over the tire that blewout). The plastic flange that connects the floor drain to the shower floor broke and along with the rubber gasket were laying in the shower floor. Now I gotta figure out how to access underneath the shower to find out if it cracked the drain pipe/trap. Any ideas how to access that? There's a removable panel in the bedroom behind the shower knobs to access that plumbing, but I doubt that there's enough room to get underneath the shower floor. Would there be another panel that I haven't seen yet or is it only accessible from underneath the coach?

[bshpilot]

+1 for the TST TPMS / Temperature Monitoring system.

I use the TST (507) user replaceable battery type sensors - regardless of the sensors you install it really is a huge time saver.

I think you'll discover that with a TPMS (and temperature) monitor that you're checking and futzing w/ the tires (and compressor hose / tire gauge) a LOT less...and checking the tires (by turning on the monitor) a LOT more....as such i don't see the advantage of the flow-thru sensors....im lucky if i have to add pressure to my tires twice a year...usually once.

regarding the TST user replaceable battery sensor - they require new batteries about every 12-15 months (in my experience) and I've found batteries for 38 cents each via Amazon

TST makes a system (510) that has a 5-7 yr battery life but they are factory replaceable batteries only & must be returned to TST for service (iirc the fee was 20 bucks per sensor)....for $3.90 a year ill replace the batteries.

[xctraveler]

As near as I can tell there is very little difference. The key is self replaceable batteries in the sensors and a rechargeable monitor. In my experience getting them programmed and installed so they do not cause a problem are the only issues and most of the early problems seem to have been licked.

I would not worry about a flow through sensor, one more thing to go wrong and with my installation removal to air up the tire is as simple as removing a cap.

[ferndaleflyer]

10forty2 I to have been rescued by Blacks Tire service in NC---I was between Rockingham and Wadesboro, RT 74 I think, blew inside dual on my DP Sunday at 5pm. Called Good Sam they sent Blacks with a tire. It took him 30min to fix it and was gone---did I say it was pouring rain? All I had to pay for was the tire but Blacks service was fantastic......

[offthewall]

turbojimmy wrote:
I've seen a lot of good feedback on the TST monitor. I haven't tried it, but it seems to be highly recommended.

I've used the TST system on my last two MH's. I highly recommend the system. The newer flow through sensors allow airing up without removing them.

The system can be setup to handle any number of sensors including your toad. I just ordered another pair of sensors for my newly ordered TAG axle MH.

Not discounting the age factor but I'd bet that the OP's blowout was due to low air pressure not age. Many RVers don't properly monitor tire pressure, especially the inside duals due to access issues.

In addition to the TST system, I also always add the Borg Dually valve stems. They replace, not extend, the valve stems with ones that allow easy airing of both inner and outer tires.

[Pirate1]

tommykelly wrote:
no one has mentioned on the 19.5 tire going from the original F rated
to G rated tire...the side walls are thicker..

the downside would be a rougher ride..

still don't exceed the age factor...

I think I will put up with a rougher ride ...we always blow the sidewall on the F rated 19.5

If I am not mistaken, I have H on mine with Michelin XZE 19.5.

[wa8yxm]

$195 to locate the tire servic.. Dang.. I used to do that for stranded RVers for Free when I was a police dispatcher.

(Yes there is a hint buried in this post)

[wallynm]

And you need a TPMS as it may have given you advanced warning that the tire was about to go.