Tire failure

[Dam Worker]

Well I got to experience a tire blowout while traveling west on I 90. We had just finished climbing Ryegrass hill. Ten steep miles up from the Columbia River at Vantage to the top of this little hill. Three lanes going up to provide enough room for fast, medium fast and slow moving vehicles. Truck did pretty good as I never dropped below sixty five MPH. Crested the top and dropped back into OD and resumed nice relaxing trip to Leavenworth Wa. Going down I-90 when slowing overtaking a over the road truck. I was doing 72 MPH on cruise control when it happened. One little wiggle/shake and kaboom. Both the trucker and I were slowing down after the tire blowout. I knew it was my truck and I wanted him out of the way so I could safely get over to the shoulder of the road. I waved to him to speed up and out of the way. After that he knew that it was my problem and he quickly sped up to give me room to get back to the right shoulder. Truck and trailer never wanted to get out of shape while all of this was happening. Worst thing was I could hear and feel the tire disintegrating as I was moving over and stopping. Lost driver side rear tire. Tore up the truck bed and left black rubber marks on the front of the fifth-wheel. Could have been a lot worse. After my wife recovered she wanted to know if she should call AAA or not. I decided to change tire myself as I did not want to wait alongside the road. The most dangerous part of this whole issue was the uneducated/stupid drivers that would not move out of the right lane when passing us. I completely understand when the other lane is occupied you can't move over. Probably 80% of drivers stayed in right lane even with left lane unoccupied. Not much fun being about three feet from rigs still going 70/75 MPH. I was able to successfully change the tire and resume our trip to the RV Park without further incident. Tires were Michelin's and had lots of good tread left. They were getting older but looked fine. I had weighed the rig earlier that morning and all the weights were fine. No axle or tire was overloaded and we still had a blowout. Just trying to let people know that it can and does happen at any time. Basically waited unit Saturday and had Costco put new Michelin's back on the truck. Was only in the low 90's and none of the other tires were excessively hot. I had also checked temps on last two trips with laser thermometer. All were approximately the same temp with the sunny side tires being marginally warmer than the shady side.

[1retired06]

One of the reasons I do not pull our Montana 70+ MPH. Beating the Montana takes over the road is another. Stopping at those speeds is another.

[sambam]

Maybe you just ran over something, and it worked its way through. I agree with Mike, 70+ is pushing it with the Montana attached. Not that you're the only one that does it, though.

[Dam Worker]

Mike I can understand what you are saying but I normally like to flow with traffic around the posted speed limit (70MPH freeway 55/65 MPH other roads). This keeps me safer as I don't have people piling up behind me or passing in unsafe situations for the most part. When driving after your tire has blown the last thing on my mind was bitty my brakes hard to quickly slow down, as I lightly applied the brakes and let my speed drop. I did not want to lose control of the truck and trailer. What speed do you pull you fifth-wheel when speed limits are 70/75MPH? Most over the road trucks pretty much do five over and on a busy highway I would rather be flowing with traffic instead of creating a bottleneck. I am curious what you think a safe speed is? My main thing is that if you have good tires you can still have a blowout. Put your emergency flashers on and if possible pull off the road as far as you can. Then put out your orange safety triangles before starting to change the tire.
Oh yeah I did not have the safety triangles, I do have a nice set now. All of this was within four or five miles from a major State Patrol Office. I would of loved to see one come over and get behind me with his lights on to move traffic over. That is why I also believe in having a gun as when you need a police officer he will still be twenty/thirty minutes away from where you need their help. ;)

[1retired06]

In answer to your question, I have been pulling RV trailers since 1970. I go 55 on state roads, 65 on the interstate. Have had one blowout in 45 years and no accidents. You can go as fast as you want, your rig, your truck, your life. And since my rig, my truck, my life, I will go with what I consider a safe and reasonable speed.

[steelpony5555]

As a retired cable splicer for Verizon we worked on shoulders of hwys a lot....if you never had to work there it will give you an appreciation of people who will slow down or move over. It's a scary place to be especially when trucks don't slow down and zoom by just a foot or two away....... That being said I normally run 70mph if the speed limit allows...but then I have one of the lighter Monty's and it is set up to run...can't plan for all problems so just have to deal with it when it happens...It's no different then a big rig ...all vehicles have their stopping distances... But we have had to do 2 panic stops and she performed quite well and stopped very well...

[Art-n-Marge]

Some time ago I posted about 3 of a 5 set of Michelin have failed on my truck, but the failure was tread separation. Other than experiencing what felt like a tire was severely out of balance, they never did blow. I was able to replace each tire under warranty but I now have concerned feeling about Michelin. I still have two of those tires on my truck, one is on a corner and the last one (the one with the most mileage) is my spare. I attributed my problems to manufacture defect and the fact I inflate my tires to 75/65 when towing, then deflated to 60/55 when not loaded. I have not had any new problems with any of the newer Michelin warranty replacements.

In your case, it does sound like your truck's tire went through some kind of hazard at one time then finally blew up under load. Tire failures do happen, but we've become gunshy since trailers and towing seem to aggravate things.

And since you've posted about it, I never exceed 65mph when towing because that is the maximum speed rating for the STs on my rig. LTs on the trailer or G614 (70mph max) may allow higher speeds, but with the trailer axles not having a differential, I'd be nervous about dragging any tire at anything higher than 65mph.

[DQDick]

I run Goodyear 614's and have read the sidewall. I tow at about 62mph which is within the tires speed rating. If you have LT tires you have a higher speed rating. If you have cheap ST tires you have a lower speed rating.

[rohrmann]

According to the Goodyear specs, the G614's are rated 75 MPH, still not a good idea to push them over 70 or so. The axles on these rigs don't need a differential, as there isn't an axle shaft connecting the two wheels together. The wheels turn independently on their spindles, so they aren't locked together. I was just curious as to the age of the Michelin tire that failed. There should be no difference between trailer tires and truck/car tires as far as tire age, maybe 7 years old and time for new ones.

[Dam Worker]

I appreciate the honest answers on tire issues and also on speed. Mike please take no offense as it is a reasonable question and I agree that people should drive at what they feel is a reasonably safe speed. As for towing RV's for forty five years I think that is great. I doubt that I will make it that long as I only started with RV's in 94 at 34 and would be around 80 after forty five years. I will not be able to leave work and full time for another give years but I do enjoy the weekends. ;) I guess seeing you did have a blow out that it emphasizes my point that at any given time we can have a blow out no matter what speed. I did not see any road hazard as I was driving but anything is possible. I had only been on the road for a little under an hour. After this happening to me my best suggestion to all drivers is to have one or two sets of the triangle reflectors to try and make changing a flat a bit safer. The other option is to wait for AAA or equivalent, but I would still be nervous about getting slammed into by a distracted driver.

Tom Marty

[Dam Worker]

Ron at 72 verse 65 I doubt that you are really going to stop a whole lot sooner. Either way could become a wreck. I would think that truck setup and trailer setup and weight would have as much or more influence on an emergency stop. Also quick reflexes would probably gain you more safety in that event than seven MPH speed. I wish everyone safe travels and happy times.

Tom Marty

[Dam Worker]

Bob thanks for the reply and I agree with you about the spindles and no axles locking the tires together. Usually more scrubbing in low speed tight turning than anything else. As for tire age I think that is probably the thing that makes the most sense. They have been on the truck around eight years. Costco told me they were older than that and had probably been sitting on a shelf some where for awhile before they installed them. I have been using a inferred thermometer and like I said before all tires, brand new trailer tires and the Michelin's were all the same temp after towing up to three hours on previous trips. I was going to replace them at the end of last year but my tire guys said they were in good shape and had lots of tread left. Then I thought about changing them a while back and got busy. My fault on that and I am not blaming Michelin. There is usually a built in safety factor on almost all mechanical products. I deal with rigging a lot and the factor there is any where from two to one up to six to one. Same as axle weight rating etc. not usually a failure if you are 5 or ten percent over the rating. By the way when I weighed at scale the same morning I was under twenty K weight and rear end was 6220 lbs.

Tom Marty

[twindman]

I run Michelins on both vehicles. I got my truck in 2012, and it has tire measurement system on it. Last fall near Goshen, I was driving without trailer, and it warned me of low right front tire pressure. I knew it showed pressure, but didn't know it would warn you. Glad it did.
I went from 60 lb. down to 20 in about 10 minutes. Just made it to a tire shop and didn't have to change it myself. Put on the spare and bought a used one to replace the spare.
Oh, I also got tpms on the Monty now!!

[1retired06]

quote:Originally posted by Dam Worker

I appreciate the honest answers on tire issues and also on speed. Mike please take no offense as it is a reasonable question and I agree that people should drive at what they feel is a reasonably safe speed. As for towing RV's for forty five years I think that is great. I doubt that I will make it that long as I only started with RV's in 94 at 34 and would be around 80 after forty five years. I will not be able to leave work and full time for another give years but I do enjoy the weekends. ;) I guess seeing you did have a blow out that it emphasizes my point that at any given time we can have a blow out no matter what speed. I did not see any road hazard as I was driving but anything is possible. I had only been on the road for a little under an hour. After this happening to me my best suggestion to all drivers is to have one or two sets of the triangle reflectors to try and make changing a flat a bit safer. The other option is to wait for AAA or equivalent, but I would still be nervous about getting slammed into by a distracted driver.

Tom Marty


Tom, no offense taken, hope you did not mean my posts to indicate that. Just an interesting conversation about towing speed, and as you saw in the post, multiple opinions.

[mlh]

I think there are 2 schools of thought on towing speeds. One is set a maximum speed usually 62 or close to that and the other is go with the flow. Either way a lot of new cars can stop from 60 at a little over a 100 feet and some can so it under a 100 feet. If you are following a car traveling at 62 from a distance of 5 or 6 car length and that car's driver decades to lock it down, you just bought a car. I try to maintain a safe stoping distance between me and what is in front of me. I might be running 50, 55 in an urban area or 70, 75 or even 80 on I 90 in Montana. As far as blow outs go, yes I could have one and a airplane might fall out of the sky on my truck but I don't worry about that much either.
Lynwood

[ranch560]

Tom, a similar story from yesterday the 9th. Left Spokane and we are heading west to Leavenworth on US 2. About 5 miles east of Coulee City I had a blowout on the right front of my Chevy truck . Trouble is there is no shoulder. By the time I find a piece of pavement wide enough to change out a tire and get the trailer off to the side without tipping it over, I shred my tire. Safety is way more important than the price of a tire. And those same idiots that passed you came by us also. Wow, pretty scary at times and my tire was on the passenger side. Tried 2 road service clubs (Good Sam and GM road care), but neither worked very well. We had one bar of cell service and both were an hour or two away. Did it myself.

I don't know why a fairly new tire blew. My chevy is a 2015 with 17k miles and I was traveling at 62 mph. I had just crossed a railroad crossing before the noise started, so I suspect that had something to do with it. I checked for a replacement this morning and forgot how expensive those tires can be. It could have been worse being the front tire pulling the Monte.

We are staying at Icicle River Campground, where are you?

[1retired06]

What was the problem with Good Sam emergency road service? We have but have never needed.

[Dam Worker]

Ranch560 we were staying at Blu-Shasten RV park on highway 97 Blewit Pass. It is probably 4-5 miles from where highway 2 and highway 97 come together. I am glad that you just ended up with a blown tire and nothing more serious. Front tire blowouts are worse in my opinion, on possibly causing a wreck. The good thing about the front end is it usually has 25/40% less weight and the bad tire might stay together a bit longer but it could also come off the bead while steering towards the shoulder. I hope there was no damage to your vehicle? My truck bed sustained quite a bit of damage.
We are looking at staying at Icicle Creek next year as the other gamp ground seems to be slipping in maintenance and amenities. Where are you home based out of?

Tom Marty

[ranch560]

quote:Originally posted by 1retired06

What was the problem with Good Sam emergency road service? We have but have never needed.


When I called GS road service i waited 22 minutes before I was able to talk to a person. Then they spent another 15 minutes trying to establish our location even though we gave them our exact location using our GPS. From there we were put on hold while they tried to provide a carrier to come rescue us. After finding one, they said they would text us with his info (this took another 30 minutes) and now we had to call the carrier direct and talk to his answering service. Finally we talked to him and he was at least an hour away. By this time I had already started to change the tire myself and was nearing completion. We called the carrier and cancelled the service.

In summary with Good Sam, we waited well over an hour before we even had a carrier that was at least an hour away. I'm not sure this is normal in rural locations, but I was not pleased.

Half way through this process we also called General Motors Roadside Assistance, something provided by GM when you buy a new vehicle for several years. They weren't doing much better before we cancelled them as I had completed the tire change. So, I really can't give any yeahs or nays there.

Jim

[sambam]

Good Sam failed me also several years ago. I had a flat in a construction zone where the breakdown lane was being used as a travel lane. The edge of road sloped downhill, so getting off the breakdown lane was not an option for us. Good Sam said there would be someone there in 1.5-2 hours. I said this wasn't acceptable as I was in a travel lane during rushhour, cars going by blowing horns, drivers yelling profanities. It wasn't a circumstance I wanted to endure for a couple more hours. I ended up changing the tire myself (door-side luckily). When I got home, I cancelled everything I had that was Good Sam related. This is the one and only time I needed them after years of having the "service".

[1retired06]

Hmm, not good.

[jchw]

A few years ago we were headed west out of San Antonio on I-10. We were in the right lane at rush hour, going up a slight grade, when I noticed we seemed to be slowing down more than what I thought was appropriate, and I was gradually turning the steering wheel more and more to the right. I realized that I was about at 90 degrees to the right on the wheel when the left front tire finally blew out. It took some elbow grease to get the rig over on to the shoulder. Although there was an exit "right there", I resisted the urge to crank the steering wheel "a little bit more". We both resumed breathing and I opted too to go ahead and change the tire myself. Lower the front struts so that the passing cars and rigs that were putting out a "bow wave" of air wouldn't shake the truck off the jack. Got it changed, picked up the wheel well liner, and got back on the road. Noted the ABS brake light was on, but fortunately there was a Dodge dealer at the next exit. Verdict: wire harness in above wheel well liner was damaged. Drove carefully to Kerrville, then back to San Antonio on Sunday. Dodge dealer did their thing, but missed something important as I found out next weekend... In passing through Austin I had to do a quick stop with a light that changed "quickly". Left front brake locked up and flat-spotted tire!! Back to the dealer Monday morning (AGAIN), with my words to the effect that the ABS computer had probably had a short circuit from the previous weekend blowout. CHECK IT OUT!! Guess what... the computer was toast. Bottom line: If you have a tire that blows and does body damage - look for more damage then just the tire.

[Dam Worker]

Jchw I am glad everything turned out alright for you. I also used the front landing gear to take the extra weight off the rear of our TV. Did not really think about using it to keep the buffeting wind from passing traffic from shaking the rig. That was a good idea especially as you had front tire issue and really did not need to move extra weight from rear axle.

Tom Marty

[Annaoinga]

Sorry that happened but glad no one was hurt and no major damage!

[Dam Worker]

Jim and Anna thanks for the kind reply. I just got back from a body shop and it appears to be going to cost just under four grand to get the truck back into the shape it was in before the blowout. Thousand dollar deductible and I will probably be put on the insurance bad list or least pay higher premiums. I guess I have to look at the bright side. No handling problems when the tire blew out and I was not killed while putting on the spare. I will née to check out the 3160 and make sure I don't have more than big black marks all over the off door front side of the trailer. Lot of big chunks of rubber flew into the front of our trailer and then went under it.

Tom Marty