Blowout concerns! How scared should I be?

[Mrt2607]

If you are towing a trailer and are scared, I hope I don't meet you coming toward me down the road. As a Boy Scout and a Pilot, I was always trained to "Be Prepared". You have to always be thinking of what can happen while you are moving. You are not "Site Seeing" you are responsible for those you have with you and your equipment.

I have had three "Blow Outs" in my years of towing and had them all under control. As for the damage, it is what it is. You just fix it and plan another trip

[aceinspp]

I had two blow outs on my V-Light several years ago and brand new. We have found out most folks that had the tires on FR call them China bombs as they are about as close to being under rated for your TT.(C rated an most trailers need D) I bought my new camper and had them replace the tires with the ones off my old trailer as they where Good Year Marthon Rated D tires and low mileage. The tires that are inflated with nitrogen is a joke and just another gimmick. Later RJD

[Handydc]

One of the best purchases I have made is a tire pressure monitoring system. Definitely peace of mind. Real time pressure monitoring for all tires. Shows pressure and temperature. Will set off alarm if pressure starts to go down so you can make a timely stop and repair before structural damage results from a blowout. The best RV $250 I've ever spent.

[ColoradoRick]

Originally Posted by JeffLynn

I had 2 in the last two trips.. but the GoodYear Marathon tires have ALL (5) been replaced.

1st blow out in April 2015 was on a friday 4:30 PM traffic on HWY I4 just west of Orlando doing about 65 MPH, I was in the middle lane and it was not bad getting over and off the shoulder. Most drivers will get out of your way.

2nd blow out was on HWY 1 about 96 miles out of Key West.. doing 45 MPH @ 1PM on a Sunday in the slow lane and it was easy to get of the road and take care of business... as long as you have double axles or more you should be able to get off the road. Now for damage that depends how the tire blows as to damage to your rig.

Glad everything went okay. I've, also, never had a flat on my TT's (thank-You, Lord) but I do have a fish-eye mirror on the bottom of my tow mirrors and that let's me see down the side of the trailer when I'm towing. (And I never drive faster than 60-65)

So when you got a flat did you feel it? Did you hear anything? Did the steering wheel want to go left or right?

[Blackhat6mike]

This was on one 450 mile trip last year. All inflated to max and using TPMS. BOOM, BOOM and BOOM! Tow Master Tires. OEM from FR. Did I mention over $2,000 damage to unit?

[conceptumator]

With the one blowout I had on the car hauler, I didn't have TPMS on the trailer, just the RV. A passing car flagged me down and let me know the tire blew. Tandem wheels, so it kept going on the one good tire. I have TPMS on the toad now (no more car hauler).

Question for JeffLynn: I've read that if one tire blows in a tandem setup, you should replace both tires as the remaining good one could have been damaged by the increased load. Seems like overkill to me but your opinion would be appreciated for future knowledge. Thanks.

[Handydc]

Oem tires suck, suck, suck. Replaced them all with Carlisle tires.

[schrederman]

First..... Underinflated tires flex more and flexing rubber builds heat. Underinflated tires build heat faster than the air passing over them can dissipate, so they get hotter and hotter, and sometimes blow. Inflate them to the max pressure marked on the sidewall, when cold. What does "when cold" mean? If it's 90 out, and you haven't been driving, that's "when cold". If it's 30 out, same thing... but if you haven't checked them since it was 90, they'll need air. Colder weather will drop the pressure. Check them every day before leaving, while on a trip. If they're more than 3 psi low, add air... again while cold, before driving very far at all. They will show more pressure when you've been driving on them for a while. This is normal and that pressure should not be let out of the tire.


Second..... Nitrogen is a sales gimmick. The air all around us in over 78% nitrogen. Don't worry about nitrogen, it won't help underinflated, or correctly inflated tires.


If you do these things and avoid road hazards and curbs, you'll be fine, unless you have a bad tire to begin with. Not much anyone can do about that. And, unfortunately, all tire makers make a bad one now and then... some more than others, it seems. I know your rig is new and you don't want anything to damage it. Just keep it under 65 and keep the tires checked... You'll do fine...


Quit worrying... and... go camping!!!

[IronCobra]

Originally Posted by schrederman

First..... Underinflated tires flex more and flexing rubber builds heat. Underinflated tires build heat faster than the air passing over them can dissipate, so they get hotter and hotter, and sometimes blow. Inflate them to the max pressure marked on the sidewall, when cold. What does "when cold" mean? If it's 90 out, and you haven't been driving, that's "when cold". If it's 30 out, same thing... but if you haven't checked them since it was 90, they'll need air. Colder weather will drop the pressure. Check them every day before leaving, while on a trip. If they're more than 3 psi low, add air... again while cold, before driving very far at all. They will show more pressure when you've been driving on them for a while. This is normal and that pressure should not be let out of the tire.


Second..... Nitrogen is a sales gimmick. The air all around us in over 78% nitrogen. Don't worry about nitrogen, it won't help underinflated, or correctly inflated tires.


If you do these things and avoid road hazards and curbs, you'll be fine, unless you have a bad tire to begin with. Not much anyone can do about that. And, unfortunately, all tire makers make a bad one now and then... some more than others, it seems. I know your rig is new and you don't want anything to damage it. Just keep it under 65 and keep the tires checked... You'll do fine...


Quit worrying... and... go camping!!!

Great words of encouragement. You mean, wait for your camper, then go camping.. Still have about 12 more days before I take delivery

[Bluepill]

I have a healthy respect for the bad possibilities of a tire or bearing failure on any vehicle or trailer.

I grew up in the era of tubed tires (yes, I've had my AARP card for 20+ years), and had my share of running flats and a few blow-outs.

My current practice is to check cold pressure before leaving in the morning, then stopping as close to 1/2 hour into the trip as I can to do a complete check-over of connections, safety chains, visual on the tires and a heat check of all tires with an IR thermometer. Temperatures should be fairly even, but when driving with the sun on one side all tires on that side will be higher.


I use the thermometer every time I stop for any normal reason (Food, fuel, etc.)

[larryo]

How far is your dealer from Goshen Indiana? Your trailer already has that many miles on it. I pull lots of rvs. For the past 9 years I do it for a living. I've had flats, blowouts and completely lost a wheel.. I never had a control issue and only once damaged a fender flair. If you have a blowout the odds are you wouldn't even know it. You may consider getting a cheap cb radio and monitoring channel 19. Some trucker will usually tell you if you have a flat. Keep your tires inflated properly, keep your speed at 65 or less, regularly inspect the tires and go have fun! For the number of trailers that are on the road there are very few problems. PS. Always make sure your wheel bearings are greased.

[Gee Whiz]

My first 5th wheel trailer blow out on Fathers day 2015,left rear. I heard the pop and was able to pull off the road immediately. Will need to replace my fender skirt and recover exposed wood above tire. Tire was a Goodyear Marathon and came on the trailer new 3 years ago

[seigell]

Funny, but for all the advice on your TT Tires, only one "generic" Be Prepared.

When it comes to a New TT, that will also mean:
Get a usable Bottle or Scissor Jack (depends on your Axle setup).
Get a Lug Wrench that is Tested to Fit your TT Wheels (Alum Wheels often have SMALLER/DEEPER than Normal Lug Nut Holes).
Get a small Tire Pump AND enough Power Cord to use it on your TT Tires.
Get whatever Safety Gear (Reflector Triangle, Flashlight, maybe Reflector Vest) you feel necessary to keep you Safe if you do have a Blowout on the Side of a Freeway - or along a Winding 2-Lane without a full Shoulder.
Ensure that you are as happy with your Spare as with your Original Tires (and that it is Properly Inflated - and Holds Air).

[IronCobra]

Originally Posted by seigell

Funny, but for all the advice on your TT Tires, only one "generic" Be Prepared.

When it comes to a New TT, that will also mean:
Get a usable Bottle or Scissor Jack (depends on your Axle setup).
Get a Lug Wrench that is Tested to Fit your TT Wheels (Alum Wheels often have SMALLER/DEEPER than Normal Lug Nut Holes).
Get a small Tire Pump AND enough Power Cord to use it on your TT Tires.
Get whatever Safety Gear (Reflector Triangle, Flashlight, maybe Reflector Vest) you feel necessary to keep you Safe if you do have a Blowout on the Side of a Freeway - or along a Winding 2-Lane without a full Shoulder.
Ensure that you are as happy with your Spare as with your Original Tires (and that it is Properly Inflated - and Holds Air).

Great list. Ive already purchased tpms sensor kit, ramp jacks, Viair 400 RV compressor kit, 1700peak amp jumper/powr pack, DeWalt 20v Max 1/2" impact driver with 5amp batteries. I carry a tool box full of tools, flares, reflecyor triangles, patcg kit and will be outlining the rear wall of my coach with reflective tape and installing 4 whelen strobes to the rear in the event of an emergency.

[IronCobra]

Originally Posted by larryo

How far is your dealer from Goshen Indiana? Your trailer already has that many miles on it. I pull lots of rvs. For the past 9 years I do it for a living. I've had flats, blowouts and completely lost a wheel.. I never had a control issue and only once damaged a fender flair. If you have a blowout the odds are you wouldn't even know it. You may consider getting a cheap cb radio and monitoring channel 19. Some trucker will usually tell you if you have a flat. Keep your tires inflated properly, keep your speed at 65 or less, regularly inspect the tires and go have fun! For the number of trailers that are on the road there are very few problems. PS. Always make sure your wheel bearings are greased.

You should arrange to deliver mine. You sound honet and respectable.

[Crockett]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

OK...here's a question for class A's loaded to a little less than rated capacity.
My tires say 105 psi max on the sidewall...but the sticker inside the cap says inflate all to 82lbs which is what I have done for the last year. Drives well at that inflation and inspection reveals no undo wear patterns at 5k miles.
I guess I'm concerned from this thread that closer to max inflation is where I need to be. But why would they have me 20lbs. less on the cab sticker for the tires that are on the rig?? Or is the discussion above strictly related to trailer tires?

EDIT...BTW...they are Goodyear 245/70R 19.5" tires.
178" wheelbase/29ft coach/18k GVWR Same size as all non XL G'Town tires but I'm thinking our lower weight chassis (requires less inflation than a 351 or such)?

I've always understood that maximum pressure was for maximum load. If your only running say 80% of maximum load then proper inflation will be less than maximum pressure. That is probably the case here. If you run maximum pressure in this scenario, you'll have a rougher ride, uneven tire wear, and handling will be affected as well. Of course if the tire is not OEM then other variables come into play as well. This is probably why the pressure is listed as a maximum pressure on the tire. Now what...we all go out and get pyrometers??

[kandl]

Originally Posted by IronCobra

How concerned should I be that I will have a blowout in the first 5000 miles of pulling it, so long as I keep the tires maintained (covered and pressured properly)?

Be concerned that you might have a blowout and prepare accordingly. Be more concerned with maintaining the tires and having fun. We have 13K+ miles in four years on our OEM radials and there will be more to follow.

[Ray and Ann]

Some of the posts here have mentioned load ratings. After losing two tires on the road, with consequent $1000+ damage each time, I looked closely at the load ratings for the tires on our travel trailer. I was appalled to find that the max loads on the tires totaled less than the weight of the trailer! Plus, at the time of the second failure the tires were 5 years old--and even the State Trooper who stopped to check on us mentioned that these tires only last about 5 years max. So I have replaced all of the tires, and I went to a slightly larger size with E load ratings; also invested in a TPMS for truck and trailer. With the new tires, the pressure is considerably higher (80 lbs. vs. 50), so the pressures don't match what the placard on the trailer says. The max loads on our tires now total higher than the weight of the trailer. AND, it's interesting to note that most of the similar, newer rigs on our dealer's lot have the same size tires I put on our unit. Hmmm....
We just made a 3000 mile trip with no tire problems.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Crockett

I've always understood that maximum pressure was for maximum load. If your only running say 80% of maximum load then proper inflation will be less than maximum pressure. That is probably the case here. If you run maximum pressure in this scenario, you'll have a rougher ride, uneven tire wear, and handling will be affected as well. Of course if the tire is not OEM then other variables come into play as well. This is probably why the pressure is listed as a maximum pressure on the tire. Now what...we all go out and get pyrometers??

Pyrometers don't check pressure, get a TST TPMS and monitor both. Inflate tires to MCP and avoid curbs & road hazards if possible is the best you can do after you get rid of the OEM tires. Forget the max pressure on the trailer. Use the pyrometer on the hubs.

[tande]

Hey guys......with all the discussion about replacing with higher load rated tires, probably best to remember we are still limited to our axel load rating.....FWIW...