Aww, crap! Another blown Freestar. This time...

[sreigle]

quote:Originally posted by adelmoll

Thanks Steve... That confirms my faith in National Interstate.

I know it is a real pain in the butt to go thru what you are having to do but what the heck, you have nothing better to do anyway.. LOL I agree that having the option up front would sure be nice but I also understand the problem Keystone would have if they had to keep several brands of tires on hand to please the thousands of buyers. I would sooner see them put on the best right from the start and charge a few $$ more for the unit.

Helen

Helen, it's all over now and I'm pleased with National Interstate. They put checks to me in the mail the day the work was done and I got them a few days later. I used the plural because they sent one check to cover cost less my normal deductible. And the envelope included a second check, reimbursing me for the $500 deductible. We have the "disappearing deductible" option where the deductible is reduced by a percentage (25%?) for each consecutive year of no claims. We'd had the insurance for seven years without a claim so ended up having zero deductible on this claim.

As for the Chinese tires, this is just a theory but I'm wondering whether the sidewalls are the weak point and an abrasion weakens it just enough to cause it to blow out eventually. I remember seeing a light abrasion on the sidewall of that tire from a very slight brush with the side of a curb. That's just a theory but now I'm wondering.

[rames14]

A couple of things. First, glad you and Vicki are alright. I just went through an issue with our new TPMS. Tire on right rear dropped from 94 to 83. Then it dropped to 76. I pulled off as the alarm came on at 74 psi. I had a 9 inch gash in the sidewall. Without my TPMS it may have blown and seemed like a sudden blowout. This was a Kumho LT and it held together without catastrophic failure. I can't say that I would have had the same type failure, but my pressure was good up to the final minutes before I pulled off. I also can't say for sure the stiffer sidewall of the LT helped. I am a believer in my new system, however. Glad to hear the repairs are going well. By the way, we also had to pay upfront for our tire and submit for reimbursement.

[KathyandDave]

Steve, what was your nominal tire pressure and how much weight was on the axles?

[sreigle]

Dave, those tires were load range E and had 80 psi (cold) in them when we left that morning. When we stopped for lunch 157 miles later I did not check the pressure but eyeballed them and they looked fine. At 199 miles for the day we blew the tire. It was the left front tire. That axle, when last weighed, was carrying 6,225 pounds (7,000 lb axles). That tire was carrying 3,275 lbs. The tire was rated for 3,520 lbs at 80 psi. Note that the Freestar tire is heavier with a higher rating than the Missions they replaced but were still load range E.