Tire Blowout while sleeping

[rvcycleguy]

Pulled the TM to the Texas Hill Country from Houston yesterday for the holiday weekend. First time out since we purchased the unit. PO indicated the tires we about 4 years old with very little use. After set up was completed, we visited with family and then went to bed. Just about to doze off completely, we heard and felt a loud bang. Startled us out of bed thinking the possibilities of hot water tank, furnace, even the water hose from the well source we were using was suspect... I noticed the fender skirt was damaged. Was not that way when we left our home. Tire was still holding pressure but the side wall was partially blown out. We felt lucky that it did not happen on the highway. Before returning home on Sunday, we will replace both tires. Recommendations are being taken if you please.

That had to be scary. Thank God that you were parked when it blew. As you now know, you cannot tell a tire's real wear by looks. They die from the inside out! Hope you can find replacements within the budget and get on home safe and sound. Enjoy your family!!!

[rvcycleguy]

Found a Discount Tire Center in Kerrville, Texas. Not open today, but their online inventory shows only the Goodyear ST 225, 75 R15 (trailer tire) in stock. Anything else, like Carlisle, etc. show to be 24-48 hour order. Not sure what that means for a holiday weekend. Will have to figure out whether I can take both wheels off and leave the TM on bottle jacks or just leveling jacks. Any suggestions in that regard would be appreciated.

Take one wheel off and use spare. Much safer.

[rvcycleguy]

but if one tire blew last night, its assumed the other one is just as bad for my trip home. your saying, use the spare to prop up the trailer while both tires are off?

rv

I don't remember and others can correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think the stabilizers on your model are designed to support the entire weight of the TM. So, I think I would put the spare on one side, then use the stabilizers to support the rest of the TM while you remove the other wheel. If you have a bottle jack (Is there a Harbor Freight around? It is a good idea to always carry one anyhow.) it can be used to provide additional support. Assuming you had 14" wheels, it seems the best you can do is to upgrade to 15", which you are apparently doing. Reports of blow-outs are diminishing (not disappearing) after TM has gone to the larger wheel. Just be sure you have adequate clearance for the larger wheels, as you may need to install a kit to raise your TM.

Originally Posted by rvcycleguy

but if one tire blew last night, its assumed the other one is just as bad for my trip home. your saying, use the spare to prop up the trailer while both tires are off?

rv

Sorry I wasn't very clear. Take the blown and the spare to the tire store to get 2 new tires. This way you only need one bottle jack and leaving TM jacked is safer. When you return with 2 new tires, Put one on the missing ( blown tire) wheel and switch the other one with the spare which now has a new tire. When you get home get a new tire on the spare.

[T and C]

Originally Posted by rvcycleguy

Pulled the TM to the Texas Hill Country from Houston yesterday for the holiday weekend. First time out since we purchased the unit. PO indicated the tires we about 4 years old with very little use. After set up was completed, we visited with family and then went to bed. Just about to doze off completely, we heard and felt a loud bang. Startled us out of bed thinking the possibilities of hot water tank, furnace, even the water hose from the well source we were using was suspect... I noticed the fender skirt was damaged. Was not that way when we left our home. Tire was still holding pressure but the side wall was partially blown out. We felt lucky that it did not happen on the highway. Before returning home on Sunday, we will replace both tires. Recommendations are being taken if you please.

rvcycleguy,

Remember, a major factor in trailer tire failure is sun damage...which is not evident when you just look at the tire. Search around for wmtire's posts. He has educated most of us about this over the past couple of years.

IMHO, 3 years is the max for age on trailer tires.

Tom

[Barb&Tim]

Couple of questions for wmtire.

Bobby,

if i go from my load range D tires(That TM recommends keeping at the max 65psi cold pressure) to a load range E tire, should I again go with the max pressure(80psi old pressure)?

I seem to remember seeing somewhere that all of the rubber pop-in valve stems sold in the USA have a max pressure rating of 65psi. Is this true?

Thanks, Tim

Originally Posted by Barb&Tim

Couple of questions for wmtire.

Bobby,

if i go from my load range D tires(That TM recommends keeping at the max 65psi cold pressure) to a load range E tire, should I again go with the max pressure(80psi old pressure)?

I seem to remember seeing somewhere that all of the rubber pop-in valve stems sold in the USA have a max pressure rating of 65psi. Is this true?

Thanks, Tim

On the air pressure question, it depends. You should go with the max pressure for the specific load range of each tire, if you want to carry the tires maximum load. If you run less than maximum psi, then the tire cannot carry the maximum weight it is designed for. There are charts that will show how much weight you can carry at what air pressures.

Several of our members who are running 10 ply rated tires (myself included), run less than maximum pressure for that load range (80 psi) to help soften the ride somewhat.........but always remember that you cannot carry the maximum load for what the tire is rated for, by running less than maximum psi. You have to account for this .

Another thing, is some tire manufacturers recommend that you ALWAYS run the maximum pressure for whatever the trailer tire is rated for. Carlisle 'emphatically' states they won't warranty any trailer tire that has been run on less than max air pressure..............even though they have tire load/inflation tables that show the carrying capabilities when running less than max. I bet there is lawsuit or two somewhere behind that. You can read this on page 7 of the following pdf link from Carlisle.

http://www.carlisletire.com/product_...are_safety.pdf


On the valve stems, yes, the standard TR413 snap in rubber valve stem is rated for 60-65 psi maximum. You can get a TR600 High Pressure snap in stem that is rated for 100 psi.

Many members who are running the high ply tires (especially those rated above 65 psi) are opting for the metal clamp-in stem........for the fact it lasts longer, takes higher pressures, and will accept the screw-on-type tire pressure monitoring transmitters without bending over during driving (due to centrifugal forces).

We touched a little on all of this in the thread link below.

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=11366

Hope this helps.