Inner Dual Wheel Going Flat

[Laidback1]

Never owned a dually much less one that weighs as much as an Interstate. Currently parked at House. Is it OK to drive at least 20 miles on just the outer wheel? Closest tire place....


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Laidback1

Never owned a dually much less one that weighs as much as an Interstate. Currently parked at House. Is it OK to drive at least 20 miles on just the outer wheel? Closest tire place....

No! The flat inner tire will shred itself and may do some damage to the wheel well. Not to mention that the outer wheel will be seriously overloaded— by almost two tons. It will blow out as well in very short order and then you'll have TWO flats.

Time to drag out the spare and use it.

[Ron_CA]

Can you pump it up with an air compressor and see if you can locate to cause of leak. Could be a screw or nail. Pull it and tempoarily plug and the drive to tire place.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Not to mention that the outer wheel will be seriously overloaded— by almost two tons.

Correction— the outside tire would be overloaded by almost one ton, not two tons. The tire would have a two-ton load on it instead of its usual one-ton load. But everything else about my response remains unchanged.

That's what happens when I start posting before my morning dose of caffeine.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Laidback1

Never owned a dually much less one that weighs as much as an Interstate. Currently parked at House. Is it OK to drive at least 20 miles on just the outer wheel? Closest tire place....


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

You need to update your profile so people know what you have. If it is a new Interstate, it should come with emergency roadside assistance. Call the number, and have somebody come to you and take care of the problem.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by overlander63

You need to update your profile so people know what you have. If it is a new Interstate, it should come with emergency roadside assistance. Call the number, and have somebody come to you and take care of the problem.

Yes do as overlander63 suggests! That's what I did when I discovered an inner dual flat at a rest stop on a trip through Arkansas. Coach-Net got someone to the rest stop in the middle of nowhere to change the tire for me. I drove about 100 mile that morning before discovering the flat. I was lucky - no damage to the van.

[Laidback1]

Oh dang, forgot about CoachNet. Good call Overlander! Also, thanks for the info on what not to do Protag!
Mark


Sent from my iPad using Airstream Forums

[Ron_CA]

Just for arguments sake, I do believe with a properly inflated outside rear tire, that you would make it 20 miles easy. Not sure what the condition of your inner tire would be afterwards, but it would probably be just fine too.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by Ron_CA

Just for arguments sake, I do believe with a properly inflated outside rear tire, that you would make it 20 miles easy. Not sure what the condition of your inner tire would be afterwards, but it would probably be just fine too.

I would agree if stuck on a roadside and you need to get to safe place. But OP said they were parked at home. In that case I'd use the provided Coach-Net assistance. Driving with one dual flat is just a risk you may need to take sometimes.
One company Advanced RV once recommended driving with a single dual on a Sprinter since they didn't include a spare. After one of their owners, who I know, had a flat on a front tire and the roadside assistance company would not move one of the rear duals to front. So he was stuck until he could get a new tire.


- - Mike
2013 Interstate Lounge EXT on 2012 Sprinter

[Denis4x4]

I'd be curious to know if the OP had aftermarket valve extenders on the inside wheels. Had the same problem with a MH and fixed it with quality metal extenders installed on the wheels

[Laidback1]

Originally Posted by Denis4x4

I'd be curious to know if the OP had aftermarket valve extenders on the inside wheels. Had the same problem with a MH and fixed it with quality metal extenders installed on the wheels

Dennis,
Nope still had the stupid (I can't believe Mercedes Benz put a white plastic valve extender on a $150k+ vehicle) one. My bad for not changing it out. Recommendations for a good one?
Mark


Sent from my iPad using Airstream Forums

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by Laidback1

Dennis,
Nope still had the stupid (I can't believe Mercedes Benz put a white plastic valve extender on a $150k+ vehicle) one. My bad for not changing it out. Recommendations for a good one?
Mark

Sent from my iPad using Airstream Forums

I went with the ones in this link about two years ago and have had no problems. They are designed for Alcoa outer and OEM steel wheels like we have on our Interstates.

http://yourtireshopsupply.com/produc...-valve-dl1spal


- - Mike
2013 Lounge EXT on 2012 Sprinter

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

Yes do as overlander63 suggests! That's what I did when I discovered an inner dual flat at a rest stop on a trip through Arkansas. Coach-Net got someone to the rest stop in the middle of nowhere to change the tire for me. I drove about 100 mile that morning before discovering the flat. I was lucky - no damage to the van.

Maybe no damage to the coach but what about the damage to the outer dual when you ran it at 100% overload?
It probably should be replaced.

This is a great example of why TPMS are good insurance and learning you have a tire loosing air can allow you to stop before you destroy one tire and damage its mate.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by Tireman9

Maybe no damage to the coach but what about the damage to the outer dual when you ran it at 100% overload?
It probably should be replaced.

This is a great example of why TPMS are good insurance and learning you have a tire loosing air can allow you to stop before you destroy one tire and damage its mate.

Yes - I considered the outer dual tire damaged and replaced it. Also added a TPMS which I consider a must have safety system.

[Laidback1]

Forgot to post follow up. Here's 2 pics of the tire. 2015 AI w/6500 miles. Tire was inner duel on driver side. The Coach Net tech said it was a recapped tire. What? Recap on a brand new AI that had 39 miles when we picked it up? Hoping that's not correct but going to take it to tire store and if that's true both Mercedes, Airstream and the dealer will be hearing from me.....

I check tire pressure everyday on the road prior to starting the day.


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

[Boxster1971]

That Coach-net tech is wrong. The tire sidewall split right where the thread starts, just like a recap might separate. My Continentals did the same thing when I ran the inner dual flat for about 100 miles. Its a damaged tire - not a recap.

[mdf]

So a 2015 AI doesn't have factory installed TPMS? I rented a 2016 Pleasure way Ascent (MB Sprinter 144 WB) recently, and it had what looked like factory TPMS on the center display in the dash. And for what it's worth, so do most cars that cost more than $30k. That is a huge miss by MB/AS.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by mdf

So a 2015 AI doesn't have factory installed TPMS? I rented a 2016 Pleasure way Ascent (MB Sprinter 144 WB) recently, and it had what looked like factory TPMS on the center display in the dash. And for what it's worth, so do most cars that cost more than $30k. That is a huge miss by MB/AS.

Because the Sprinter 3500 vans have a GVWR over 10,000 pounds, they are exempt from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard #138 that requires TPMS on all vehicles under 10k GVWR.

All Sprinters have a TPMS-capable dashboard display, because they all use the same dashboard. That doesn't mean they actually have TPMS installed. Your owner's manual also refers to TPMS because all Sprinters use the same manual, but it's not there on your van.

Besides, the Airstream Interstate Alcoa aluminum wheels aren't factory-standard, and so an Interstate couldn't have factory-standard TPMS either. Mercedes OEM inside-the-tire TPMS sensors wouldn't fit. All they could ever have is aftermarket sensors, which probably wouldn't work with the Mercedes dashboard display to begin with.

[mdf]

I am seriously considering flying protag out to California to do my inspection with me when I pick up my 2016 4x4 in a few weeks...... just saying'.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by mdf

I am seriously considering flying protag out to California to do my inspection with me when I pick up my 2016 4x4 in a few weeks...... just saying'.

Not going to happen. I don't fly, after a disagreement with airport security back in 2004. They tell you to not leave your bags unattended, over and over. I was pulled out of line for a more invasive screening, and when I went to fetch my laptop case carry-on off the conveyor, they wouldn't let me. While I was being searched, my laptop was stolen. I raised holy Hell over that, and for my trouble I was escorted off the airport property by armed National Guardsmen. When I filed a written complaint, the official response from the airport management was, "You are mistaken. That did not happen."

I doubt that I'm on a no-fly list or anything, because they never even took my name when they booted me out of the airport. I'm merely boycotting the aviation industry, for the rest of my natural— or unnatural— life.