So, How Was Your Day? … (aka: Tire Blowout on I-80)

[ATCguy]

First trip of the year… Day 2, and as the title alludes to, I had a blowout at speed.



Pull up a chair, grab a cold one, and kick back for a bit… it’s story time, boys & girls, while I watch the Mets-Phillies game on TV, and sip on a cold one myself.

The trip had already gotten off to a bad start. Began the RV prep 2 weeks prior, loading my stuff back in, etc. Everything was going well except… since the overnight temps kept dipping below freezing, the campground where I had the rig stored wasn’t able to turn on the water taps until 3 days prior to departure. So I couldn’t put water to the rig and test plumbing. Finally turned on, connected water… uh oh, gusher from the toiler pedal hose fitting. Quickly turned off the toilet supply hose valve I installed 4 years ago, and all seemed good. No other leaks.

However, when I went to the kitchen… very weak water flow from cold tap, and nothing from the hot side. After trying moving the bypass levers in a few different configurations with no joy… knowing I’m no plumber, I drive over to see my pal at the local RV shop, and begged him to get me in before Friday. He did… they replaced the toilet fitting, but said everything else appeared to be fine. Maybe a stuck valve, maybe an air pocket, who knows. Anyway, everything worked, and I was grateful.

Day 1 on the road was uneventful, and Day 2 began great. Sunny skies, mild temps, and I’m heading towards Nebraska for a planned 3-night rest before continuing on to my first destination in Michigan.

So I’m cruising along in the right-hand lane on I-80 east… cruise control set at 70mph (speed limit, 75)… good music from Pandora on the audio system… its just after lunch, about 2 ½ hours from Omaha… moderate traffic, but not a concern… BOOM!!

About the same time I turn my head to check the mirrors, I hear my TPMS alarm begin beeping. Looking out the passenger side mirror, I see all kinds of debris flying out from the back of the rig. Never having experienced one previously, but instantly knowing what has happened, I begin slowing & pulling to the shoulder.

Fortunately I’m only about a ¼ mile from an exit… so I continue down the ramp to get away from the highway. I’m in the middle of nowhere… noting but farmers’ fields everywhere (it is Nebraska, after all). At the bottom of the ramp, I find a small cutout and pull the rig in there to access the damage.



The right-rear is completely blown. The tread’s gone, nothing but remnants of the sidewalls left. It has also blown the skirting panel & wheel-flare partially off.

No warning at all from the TPMS, so I had to have either drove over something in the road, or just a complete tire-fatigue failure. The TST system monitor sits right on my dash, and I never saw any numbers on it that gave me concern (neither pressure nor temperature).

Decision time… call for roadside service help, or stop feeling sorry for myself & get at it? Not wanting to wait hours & hours, I begin the task myself.

The last time I did a roadside flat repair was about 15 years ago on my motorcycle. Inserted a few rope-plugs, shop a capsule of compressed air into the valve, and… while tedious, I was on my way. And the last time I changed a car or truck tire on the road, I was only 17.

This wasn’t going to be fun, but I knew I had the tools. The only question was me… and my lingering spinal injury issues. Ok, here we go…

First off… ok, where’s my lug wrench? Oh yeah, behind the back seat of my truck. Check…

Next step… get into my toolbox, get my tin-snips, and cut the mangled sheet metal out of the way so I can work.

With that out of the way, time to break-loose the lug nuts. For future reference… ¾” socket needed.

Now for this next part, I gotta say… having the hydraulic leveling system on the rig is a HUGE advantage in situations like this. Walk around to the control panel… put it in “manual mode”… and lower the rear jacks. Then raise the wheels off the ground by extending the right-side jacks further. Easy-peasy, nice & easy!

Find the cordless drill… my socket bit… ¾ socket… 20 seconds later, all the lugs are removed, and the wheel is off.

Now, the spare. Same ¾ socket on a long extension… find the lug under the rear-door steps… run the drill, lower the spare to the ground with lots of slack on the retainer… pull it to me, remove the retainer…. retract the retainer so it doesn’t dangle… Done.



At this point, I’m getting tired, and my back & neck are beginning to bark at me. But thankfully, I’m in the shade, it’s not raining (scattered pop-up showers in the area), I’ve got my folding chair to take a break in, and… I’m NOT on the side of the interstate having to do this, with traffic whizzing by.

Sometimes, it’s the little things!

Time to hang the spare on the hub… Damn, these big Goodyear G614’s are heavy! I grab a piece if 2x6 I have in the truck, and use it to assist me. Spare hung, lug nuts on… grab the drill & socket, spin ‘em snug. Walk back to the control panel, raise the hydraulic jacks to put the wheel back on the ground… grab the lug wrench, and tighten the nuts. Done



Next step, check the air in the spare… grab the gauge… only 80psi. Needs to be 110psi. Fire up the onboard generator, turn on the air compressor I keep in the front storage bay… unwind my 30’ air hose while the tank fills… and then air up the tire. Done.

Time to put everything away, and… the reason why I always ensure I carry at least 20-gal or so of fresh water in the tank… a quick shower to clean up & cool off! Change my clothes, back outside, and time for a final walk-around & check. Back in the truck, and back on the road.

Elapsed time: 1 hour, 42 minutes… and again, I took my time with short breaks along the way.

Made it to Omaha a few hours late, but the reminder of the day was uneventful. As I said previously, I’d planned a 3-night stay to rest & visit a friend… and now, I really need it. Gotta shop for a replacement tire tomorrow, and hope my rim is still usable after riding on it about a ½ mile overall. It looks ok, but I’m not an expert, and I won’t be surprised if it isn’t.



I do feel fortunate in that, it was the rear-axle tire that blew, and not the forward one. Had it been, I’m not sure the water-heater would have escaped damage. As it is… other than the tire, the only other damage is cosmetic: the sheet metal skirt, and wheel flare… which may be salvageable. It’s bent, but not broke. For the most part, the “explosion” went to the side, and back… not up. Photos & video from my iPhone show no breech of the flooring, or compromise of the water heater area.

So that’s it, at least for now. I hope your day was better than mine, but figured this might be a good reminder to recheck your tool inventory to make sure you have what you need in case the worse happens along your journey.

[lcv800]

You're a better man than I am Tom for changing that tire. Glad it worked out. Feel bad about that body damage though. Glad you're okay and it wasn't any worse. Keep us posted on repairs.
Rusty

[Ovalvw]

You sure seemed to keep positive and move forward attitude writing about the event very glad your OK thanks for sharing, all our best from Central Florida

[franktafl]

Originally Posted by Ovalvw

You sure seemed to keep positive and move forward attitude writing about the event very glad your OK thanks for sharing, all our best from Central Florida

lol, HE vented here!

https://www.dutchmenowners.org/forum...html#post77684

[ATCguy]

Originally Posted by franktafl

lol, HE vented here!

https://www.dutchmenowners.org/forum...html#post77684

Saw through that, did ya?

[donzinger]

Where in Michigan are you headed?

[ATCguy]

Originally Posted by donzinger

Where in Michigan are you headed?

My youngest son is getting his PhD from MSU this weekend, so heading that way to celebrate his accomplishment with him & other family members coming up to do the same… then heading north towards Mackinac for a few days before heading across the UP into Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas, etc…

[donzinger]

Originally Posted by ATCguy

My youngest son is getting his PhD from MSU this weekend, so heading that way to celebrate his accomplishment with him & family… then heading north towards Mackinac for a few days before heading across the UP into Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas, etc…

Congratulations to you both. You will see some beautiful scenery up the Straits and across the UP

[lcv800]

Damn, 8 hours after reading your post Tom, towing my boat to Chicago from down south for the season, and I get a blowout on my tandem boat trailer. Ripped off the fender, damaged guides, and put two quarter sized gouges in the gel coat, of course below the water line. Good news, like you, I was back on the road with only an hour or so delay with boat at marina and trailer at repair site. Hello Progressive!.
Rusty

[ATCguy]

Originally Posted by lcv800

Damn, 8 hours after reading your post Tom, towing my boat to Chicago from down south for the season, and I get a blowout on my tandem boat trailer…

Sheesh! Sorry to hear that you joined the unfortunate mishap club. Hopefully since it’s early in the season, they’ll get you patched up quickly, and back in the water soon.

[ATCguy]

Follow-up to the event:

Monday morning, I got on the phone and began calling around to find a replacement Goodyear G614 tire. Walmart used to stock them at many of their auto centers, and was the first place I called… but I guess that practice has changed. Out of the 14 stores in the Omaha metro area, none of them had one. Same story for the local Goodyear tire dealer, and the first 3 RV shops I called. However, the 3rd one did give me a good referral to one of the commercial truck-tire businesses… so I figured “why not?”, and rang em up.

After searching his computer for a minute or two, the guy on the phone said he found ONE single tire at the warehouse, and could have it either late in the day, or Tuesday morning. Told him that one was all I needed, and asked when might be a good time to bring him my wheel… as my next issue might be whether it was still serviceable. Drove over there that afternoon, handed over the wheel. He looked it over and said it looked fine to him… and if there was any issue detected when mounting the new tire, he’d give me a call.

Checking in with him on Tuesday morning, he said the new tire was mounted & ready… then surprised me when he asked when I’d be bringing to RV over to swap it with the spare? I told him I wasn’t expecting for them to do that, but he said…”won’t be any trouble, bring it over.”

So, since I would be leaving today (Wednesday), we scheduled it first thing when they opened. I packed up, hitched up, and drove in their shop at 7:30 AM, and pulled out of the service bay at 8:05. Great service, no issues, and saved me from having to do the swap at the campground. Got on the road, pulled into a rest area about an hour or so later to verify the lugs were still tight… and into tonight’s campground in Illinois around 3:30PM.

I couldn’t ask for much better service & results… thanks to the guys at Pomp’s Tire Service in Omaha. Next task: address the cosmetic repair to the fender at some point when I get time.

[lcv800]

Glad you worked it out (so far).
Rusty

[dsol]

I think Covid supply chain issues everywhere right now. I replaced my truck tires a few months back and couldn’t find 285 BF Goodrich K02’s anywhere so had to go with 275’s. Since this isn’t a race truck where lateral G’s and contact patch is critical I figure I am safe.

[Local150]

Pomp's are good all over, I have used them in Illinois before. Where did you stay in Illinois

[swixelann]

Tom,
Flat tires are quite the adventure. My last flat tore out some of the RV electrical system.
Is 110 PSI your true inflation level? Seems high.
BTW, replace the Chinese tire with made in America at your next chance.
Travel safe.

[franktafl]

He’s one of the smart ones that had Goodyear’s on his vehicle.

[ATCguy]

Originally Posted by swixelann

…Is 110 PSI your true inflation level? Seems high...

I run the Goodyear G614 RST tires on my rig… always have. I don’t care to enter the “best tire” debate, but if you ever in horse country, and walk around to check out the trailer tires that ranchers trust to haul their expensive stock around… you’ll find most of them using the G614.

As for pressure, the chart below shows Goodyear’s recommended numbers for given loads. The G614 has a max inflation of 110 psi, and only comes in one size (LT235/85R16)… which makes reading it real easy.



My rig’s GVWR is 16,500… and the last time I rolled across the scales with my motorcycle in the garage, my axle weight was a bit over 13,000.

Per the chart, In a dual-axle configuration… max load per tire at 110psi is 3,415 lbs… x 4 tires = 13,660 lbs.

As such, I figure 105-110 is exactly what I should be running.

[ATCguy]

Originally Posted by franktafl

He’s one of the smart ones that had Goodyear’s on his vehicle.

I don’t know about “smart”… smart-ass might be more accurate.

That said, I can’t really complain. By my truck’s trailer readout, I’m nearing 50,000 miles on the rig over the last 8 years of damn-near full-time use… and this was the first tire issue I’ve ever had. I’m convinced that, in NASCAR parlance, I must have “cut a tire” by running over something… as there was no prior warning at all from the TST TPMS display on my dash. Both pressure & temperature readings were normal & in line with the other 3 tires before it let go.

[dsol]

I can’t recall if the factory rims on my Voltage could support the 110 psi. I know the valve stems won’t but that is an easy fix to swap to metal when replacing the tires.

Either way I went with the Goodyear Endurance for a few reasons: they are not made in China, they have a speed rating of like 80mph which is really high for a trailer tire and they had adequate load capacity for my trailer at 80 psi.

I figured that if I can tow safely at 80 psi that the trailer wouldn’t get bounced around as much as it would if my tires were at 110psi. I know in a passenger car or truck even 10 psi results it a much harsher ride so I can imagine 30 psi more would be pretty significant.

Obviously, ATC’s tires are a great option too assuming you have adequate rims and the metal valve stems.

[franktafl]

I ran endurance tires on my Denali and never had one bit of trouble with them. I got lucky with the China bombs I had on there before I changed the tires. I had a blowout, changed to the spare, ordered the endurance tires. On the way out of Tampa near Gainesville, evacuating for one of the hurricanes, I had another blowout. I had the tires in the back of the truck that had just been delivered. I went to the nearest tire station and had them all changed (I had the valve stems with me to support the extra pressure required for the new tires). By the way, even though the Goodyear tires were the same numbers, they were about an inch or two taller than the China bombs.

As for being smart, this forum is full of intelligent folks, even grammar coaches.