Bambi blow out

[AstroBruce]

1970 Really? Fred Flintstone had a tire blow on his car. Can't remember the make of tire. Somethingstone.

Bruce

[drboyd]

Firestone had five chances to kill me.

That's enough.

[rmkrum]

Hm. I see a pattern here...

I only gave them two chances, then tossed all five of them for Michelin on my old van. Changing out a rear tire in 110 degree heat in the Mojave desert will convince you there has to be a better tire.


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[dkottum]

Spend the second rate tire and TPMS money on a set of Michelins and this type of event is very, very unlikely to happen again.

[c177tx]

Sorry for the brief discription of events, but I have been busy. Here are the facts
Tires Carlisle Trail RH
Purchased July 2012 after my GYM had a seperation and sudden deflation no damage that time, about 5000 miles the Carlisle's
Pressure when I checked before leaving Port Aransas 65 psi
Cruise set at 68mp
Just a loud explosion when it blew no sway in trailer or TV a 2015 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel no WD hitch or anti sway bars,
OAT was 97 at the time of blowout unknown tire temp
I have full coverage thru USAA just have to meet my deductible. Taking it to Airstream dealer this week for estimate.

[TG Twinkie]

Anyone read the article in Trailer Life magazine on Maxxis tires? Lot of good info.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by c177tx

Had a blow out on the Bambi, tire did some damage. Ripped out the black and grey water drain valves, and an outrigger off the frame. This is going to cost some change

I will reply with the same analysis of "WHY" your tire failed as I did in THIS post.

You did not have a "blowout" you had a tread sep.
You need to post the tire DOT serial so we can ID the tire plant
You need to file a complaint with NHTSA

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

I'll lose the nickel.

I'm still going to Michelin as soon as I can get the $ together. They have never done me wrong, even when totally sun rotted they held together and got me to the tire store for replacements. Unlike certain other brands that simply blew with only a few thousand miles on the ground, endangering my entire family. Good thing I had slowed down for heavy traffic after being at 70 mph most of the way....I do not like Firestone, to put it mildly.


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Trust you are not running ST type tires that have 65 mph max rating.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by Tn Traveler

I have never had a truly round Firestone or Continental tire. I haven't tried Bridgestones because they are all in the same family.

Continental is not the same company as Bridgestone / Firestone.

Curious. What were your out of round measurements on the Firestones and Continental passenger tires?

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by Wingeezer

A TPMS "Might" have prevented this - or maybe you had a TPMS and it didn't help?

Certainly they are no guarantee and an instantaneous blow out could still happen and cause costly damage before you have any chance to react.

However, I have read that many blow-outs happen only after a tire has run very overheated for quite some time. A tire that has developed a slow leak and running much under rated pressure will cause overheating and a TPMS will warn you well in advance of such a developing situation.

Even in the event of an instantaneous blow not caused by gradual heat build up, a TPMS will let you know immediately it happens, and again you "might" be able to stop before the tire destroys itself and along with it, parts of your trailer.

Of course on a single axle trailer I would imagine you would know as soon as a tire blows - but not necessarily so on a two or three axle trailer.


A few years ago I got talking with an old gent with an equally old fifth wheel and truck when we had spent the night at a Flying J.

He was just doing a walk-around of his trailer and found one wheel missing!!!

All that was left was a circular piece of the wheel still bolted to the axle - the rest of the wheel and tire were gone.

When he pulled in to the FJ to sleep the night before he was totally unaware of this!

Anyway despite TPMS no being able to avoid damage with certainty, I feel they are worth the $.

If you have one, plus running at correct tire pressures and speeds, and checking tires every time you stop, then I think you are doing all you can - beyond that, just luck is all you can do!

Brian.

TPMS are designed to warn of air leaks that result in "Run Low Flex Failure" not tread separations which is what happened with the subject tire.

[Northerngirl]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

Anyone read the article in Trailer Life magazine on Maxxis tires? Lot of good info.

I switch this spring from GYM to Maxxis on the recommendation of a local tire dealer and after having read several very positive reviews.

Only have about 2000 miles on them so far and no negatives to report. A little bit pricer in these parts than the GYM's, time will tell if it was a good investment or not.

[VaTravelers]

Before I spend money on yet another gadget, are TPMS really worth the investment? Would regularly checking tire pressure work just as well? I understand even a TPMS isn't going to do you any good in a catastrophic failure situation.

[Wayne&Sam]

I haven't had a flat or blowout on my trailer, but I did have a rapid flat on my tow vehicle (not towing at the time) from a road hazard. The TPMS warned me before I felt anything and it gave me extra time to react and pull off the road. So yes, I think TPMS is worth it. I have it on my trailer too.


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[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by c177tx

Sorry for the brief discription of events, but I have been busy. Here are the facts
Tires Carlisle Trail RH
Purchased July 2012 after my GYM had a seperation and sudden deflation no damage that time, about 5000 miles the Carlisle's
Pressure when I checked before leaving Port Aransas 65 psi
Cruise set at 68mp
Just a loud explosion when it blew no sway in trailer or TV a 2015 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel no WD hitch or anti sway bars,
OAT was 97 at the time of blowout unknown tire temp
I have full coverage thru USAA just have to meet my deductible. Taking it to Airstream dealer this week for estimate.

And the MAX speed rating of those GYM was 65mph. Not an average but MAX. Tire speed rating is like engine "red line".

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by VaTravelers

Before I spend money on yet another gadget, are TPMS really worth the investment? Would regularly checking tire pressure work just as well? I understand even a TPMS isn't going to do you any good in a catastrophic failure situation.

Here is an analysis of a AS owner who "checked" his air 50 miles before the run low flex failure.

You will very seldom develop a leak while standing still.

If you don't think monitoring pressure why do you have oil pressure or water temperature gauges on your TV? After all you could check oil and water level each morning.

A 4 position TPMS is less than $300. Look at the posts where a run low flex failure cost a tire + wheel + side of the RV damage and in some cases holding tank damage + 3 hours parked on side of Interstate with trucks passing you at 70 mph. Safety does have a value.

[Tn Traveler]

Originally Posted by Tireman9

Continental is not the same company as Bridgestone / Firestone.

Curious. What were your out of round measurements on the Firestones and Continental passenger tires?

The M-B dealer was Madison Smith in Nashville. I don't know what he meant when he said that Continentals were the European equivalent of Firestones. They like the others spun the wheels on the car with a fixed metal pointer close. They didn't say the exact measurements, but I could see the tire coming closer then moving away. I am no tire man, but have driven millions of miles.

Before I had the AS to tow, I had a set of cheap Lt 245 75 load range E put on my Suburban. Since towing the trailer I have been concerned about the tires. I just today had my truck in for a power steering pump replacement at my local Michelin dealer. I asked them to check those tires over to see if they could detect any defects. I told him if they could find any signs of weakness or tread separating to put on a set of Michelins. I trust the guy, or never would have said that. He phoned me, and said there was no reason to change those tires.

I don't know who made the tires sold under the Atlas brand, but in the '60s I was travelling. I bought several sets from my local Chevron dealer, and they proved to be some of the smoothest running tires at that time. My dealer recommended them when we took a set of Firestones off.

[VaTravelers]

Tireman, that's why I asked the question!

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by Tn Traveler

The M-B dealer was Madison Smith in Nashville. I don't know what he meant when he said that Continentals were the European equivalent of Firestones. They like the others spun the wheels on the car with a fixed metal pointer close. They didn't say the exact measurements, but I could see the tire coming closer then moving away. I am no tire man, but have driven millions of miles.

Before I had the AS to tow, I had a set of cheap Lt 245 75 load range E put on my Suburban. Since towing the trailer I have been concerned about the tires. I just today had my truck in for a power steering pump replacement at my local Michelin dealer. I asked them to check those tires over to see if they could detect any defects. I told him if they could find any signs of weakness or tread separating to put on a set of Michelins. I trust the guy, or never would have said that. He phoned me, and said there was no reason to change those tires.

I don't know who made the tires sold under the Atlas brand, but in the '60s I was travelling. I bought several sets from my local Chevron dealer, and they proved to be some of the smoothest running tires at that time. My dealer recommended them when we took a set of Firestones off.

RE Atlas Some info on company history HERE.
Basically just a name now. Tires could be made by anyone, anywhere. If you have an Atlas tire and can provide the DOT serial I can tell you who and where that tire was made but there is no guarantee that someone else might make the next batch.

[turk123]

My Goodyears are in my barn deflated. They have 170 miles on them.

My new Maxxis tires (5) are on the trailer along with a TPMS and new metal valve stems. I have the torque wrench in the hold and I'm ready to go down the road. Trailer Life did have a good article on the Maxxis tires. Sounds like a very good company.