Tire blowout in Louisiana (multiple threads merged)

[MilCop4523]

i run my tires at teh max cold pressure for both tow vehicle and the trailer. I also have the Truck Systems Technologies monitoring system that alerts to high and low pressures as wellas temps and rapid air pressure loss.

[B47]

After reviewing the video of yesterday plus the video on Fox News today,I mistakenly said the groove in the middle of the median prevented the MH from going into the Eastbound traffic. I now see that the cable barriers prevented that from happening as others here have noted.

However,there's Some Monday Morning Quarterbacking here regarding what actions the driver could of taken or not taken. Have taken several Human Factors courses I can tell you that all the training a person can take regarding what to do in the event of an accident sometimes is forgotten.

[MilCop4523]

also i would not run on the rubber valve stems sent with the travel trailers due to blow out.

I personally experienced a rubber stem coming off teh front wheel of my goldwing at 65 mph and was lucky enough to survive due to the type of tire installed.
I was attempting to overtake a transport truck at the time.

[CJnDD]

Originally Posted by wmtire

Also does anyone know if the driver was a member of FRF?

I read somewhere that this RV was a Thor...not sure if he is a member of FRF.
I also read that the driver was from Kilgore TX.

A few things on tires to remember is:

Before final purchase of any RV check the age of the tires. Tires can already be old at time of purchase. If they are old, negotiate new tires before purchase.

Always check age and condition of tires.

When traveling long distance, stop and let tires cool down and do routine tire check before getting back on the road.

Don't drive faster than speed limit...we drive between 62-65 mph.
Arrive safe than sorry!

Don't drive faster than your guardian angel can fly!

[GL1800Rider]

Here is the Louisiana State Police facebook page if you are not done reading on here there are something like 3 days of comments including one from the driver with the dash cam who stated he is governed at 65mph .......................https://www.facebook.com/LouisianaSt...7741173575805/

[ColoradoRick]

Pretty scary video for sure.

I, also, think the driver (who was an elderly man) was driving about 10-15 miles too fast, especially since he was towing a vehicle. Hey, slow down, speedy Gonzalez!!

My friends owns a new Class-A and has a Safe-T-Plus installed on his that's supposed to help prevent this from happening.

[Blaster 84]

Originally Posted by po 185

I had a safe-T- plus installed to help on something like this

What is a Safe-T-Plus?

[tyke8319]

I would also point that I-10 through Louisiana is one of the worst (paved) roads I've ever traveled on. We pulled out 37" 5th wheel from CA to Key West the year after Katrina and lost 3 of the 4 tires on the RV while traveling through Louisiana ; 1 just east of the LA boarder and 2 heading west through LA on the return trip. The speed was 65 and the tires were what was recommended for the RV by Forest River. We replaced the ST tires with with new ones each time. In Key West we parked next to a rig, same length and similar style but a current model. We noticed that Forest River had upgraded to a Goodyear 14 ply tire. When we hit El Paso on the return trip we changed out all 4 tires for new Goodyear, 14 ply at $345.00 each. Not a bit of trouble since and that's after two 7000 mile round trips to Dawson City.

[john1345]

Like I said before if you have TYRON installed on the front rims the coach will not do what happened at any speed. Even with Tire mon systems, not everybody is ready for it the same thing will happen as in the video. It cost us about $700 to have it installed Tyron Flat Tyre Protection - The original inventors of the "wheel safety band".. If the owner of that coach had it installed that would not have happened. The police and the military use it on their rims. The ref web site tells you what happens when you have a front tire blow out. Typically when you have the blow out the tire will fold up in the rim and the steel bead will pull you to the left or right. There is no stopping its going to do that no matter what you do, if you had a blow out and it didn't you are very very lucky. They Tyron unit keeps that from happening.

[ColoradoRick]

Safe-T-Plus is something that fits on the front steering that helps control steering from being jerked to the left or right, which is what happens with a front tire blow out.

If I ever buy a Class-A, I'll put one on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzl3dk8Jvo8

[Brother Les]

First off, I will say that the catch fence did what it was supposed to do, it kept the vehicle from going to the opposite side of the interstate where there could be a head on crash and with that fatalities.

In my view, the blown tire caught the MH driver off guard for a second and he ended up in the medium. It looked like he regained control and kept the MH straight for a while and was slowing down. To me, if he did not nudge up against the catch fence, I think he could have saved it and just had a flat in the middle of the grass area. imo, the catch fence caused the MH to flip.

For several years, MO. had only a cable barrier on I-70. This was set up in the very center of the medium. The cable barrier seemed to have very few strikes in the area that I drive on. For the last ten years the Mo. dept. of Transportation has been installing these catch fences on almost every rural 4 lane road. They are installed on one side about 3-4 feet from the left driving lane. This has turned into a major jobs program of reinstalling these fences and a higher single car accident rate. There is literally no time or room to react if something goes wrong, be it rain, ice, snow or blow out, before 'you' are 'in the fence' because it is so close to the interstate driving lane. Hitting a fence so close at 70mph with no time to react it not preferred by me. I want the catch fence in the middle of the medium, with more space to react and grass to slow you down.

Drive safe and have both hands on the wheel at all times.

[asquared]

Originally Posted by wmtire

Excellent observation. So far, the site team has merged 6 threads into one about this accident. It is generating a lot of interest. We all hope that the person(s) involved in the rollover is not injured. Also does anyone know if the driver was a member of FRF?

That was an Itasca by Winnebago.

[kbrown1075]

Originally Posted by Sigmili1973

Ok as a "newb" that scared me , but my thoughts are I have TPM installed, I watch my speed im not in a hurry, and Check tires before after, and Check the tires check the tires.... I should be ok right??? I know its not a guarentee but it would be statistically lowered if i eliminate any chance for errors???

You're on the right path. There are no guarantees, as you know. Prevention is the key. I installed a TPMS on our 5er and within 6 months it paid for itself twice in the same trip! I had a flat on the way there, that I was alerted to by the TPMS and had time to safely slow down and find a safe spot to change the tire. The next day I replaced the flat tire and put it back on the 5er.

The TPMS saved us again when, on the way home from the same trip, we had a BLOWOUT. The TPMS alerted us, to be honest I heard it, and we were able to get safely to a location to change the tire.

The TPMS cost about 275.00 (sensors inside the wheels not on stems) and $79 for the tire shop to install them. Worth every penny. Many times you don't know you have a flat and that tire can tear up a rig, or worse, set it on fire.

[kbrown1075]

Originally Posted by wildwoodtraveler

As a newbie, relatively speaking, should I be running the trailer tires at their max and the truck tires at their max when traveling? Trailer is 50psi; I ran 45psi last Fall on long road trip (dual axel). Truck is 65psi max. I kind of figured with hot weather I should drop the pressure a bit from the max.

This has been a hot topic for years on this forum. I have spent a great deal of time doing research and a good amount of money in prevention, and I'll share what I've learned:

RV manufacturers put the minimum rated tires on the RV for their GVW. So, if you are heading out on a weeks vacation, chances are your tires are at the max weight rating or over, your tires may be overloaded. Get tires with the next higher rating if needed.

Weigh your rig, fully loaded. Know how much is on your tires and have plenty of buffer room.

There is a code on your tire that will tell you the month and year that your tire was manufactured. Don't be surprised that you have a 3 year old tire on a brand new rig. Replace your tires every 4 to 5 years. DON"T WORRY ABOUT HOW MUCH TREAD IS LEFT, it's what you can't see that's going to get you.

Run your tires at max cold pressure inflation (measured at 65 degrees). I found that adjust 2% for every 10 degrees difference in ambient temp (if it's 75 deg out when you check your tires, account for 2% higher pressure in them). This is ONLY for when the tires are cold, you haven't moved in 6 hours. As you drive, tires create heat, tire pressure increases, this is factored into the max cold tire inflation pressure by the tire manufacturer. The closer you run to the max weight of your tires, the more heat is created, the more pressure builds up, the more chance you have for tire failure. If you run your tires lower than the max inflation pressure, you don't get the max weight rating of those tires. The side walls will be flexing, creating more heat, and excessive wear to the plays of the tire. Under inflation can be one of your worst enemies.

My Tow vehicle runs at max tire inflation all the time, 80 PSI. Same thing applies to you vehicle. The vehicle manufacturer is looking for the median of weight and comfort. I can't be comfortable towing, if my tires aren't right and I confident that I have prepared for a safe trip. Look at the actual tire of your vehicle and make sure that the tire are the right rating for what you are towing (again, when you weigh your rig). Many people are surprised what they find out.

I hope this may help some of y'all out. I like to share what I've learned. The internet has all the info to back up what I suggested.