Fiery Holocaust on I-40 East Jeff County TN

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by dalford

Yea they’re recaps for sure. .

Funny, I've seen more than a few new truck tires loose their tread and leave another "gator" on the highway.

Properly done a "recap" can last a long time. Improperly maintained both new and recap can come apart.

Yes, there was a time when retreads were falling apart right and left but DOT standards have changed as well as industry practices so it's no where the same problem as it was decades ago.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Flywithlloyd

If it was your RV burning to the ground, you might think differently. [emoji23]

If mine were burning to the ground I'd be watching while on the phone to my Insurance Agent.

[Flywithlloyd]

[emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23]

I've not yet mastered not being bothered when my stuff gets trashed. Maybe one day.

Originally Posted by TitanMike

If mine were burning to the ground I'd be watching while on the phone to my Insurance Agent.

[DieselDrax]

The only way this thread could be better is if the OP called it a “hall of cost.” [emoji1787]

[alexcomp]

Originally Posted by frank4711

I agree except ... "First, they are called road gators not alligators "... we have both here in Florida

Got bike tires called "gatorskins" but I can learn to say road gators. Don't know why but I think it may very well have averaged one per mile. One blowout = more than one skin plus maybe the roads I traveled (I81/I40/I24/I59) never pick them up?

As far as cost to us, I paid $52 to have the protective pan on wife's 328i beat back onto shape just two weeks ago. Multiply that by other damage to passenger cars not to mention possible injury. This thread has had some tongue in cheek humor on causation of the "holocaust" won't use that again either - how about this? Red hot retread tire on truck bursts into flames and morphs into "road gator" where it us run over by Class A towing pickup. The sizzling skin winds around the exposed propane tubes in the undercarriage of the Class A. Thin tube perforates and becomes a blow torch burning through the RV floor. You know the rest...

[DieselDrax]

Originally Posted by alexcomp

Got bike tires called "gatorskins" but I can learn to say road gators. Don't know why but I think it may very well have averaged one per mile. One blowout = more than one skin plus maybe the roads I traveled (I81/I40/I24/I59) never pick them up?



As far as cost to us, I paid $52 to have the protective pan on wife's 328i beat back onto shape just two weeks ago. Multiply that by other damage to passenger cars not to mention possible injury. This thread has had some tongue in cheek humor on causation of the "holocaust" won't use that again either - how about this? Red hot retread tire on truck bursts into flames and morphs into "road gator" where it us run over by Class A towing pickup. The sizzling skin winds around the exposed propane tubes in the undercarriage of the Class A. Thin tube perforates and becomes a blow torch burning through the RV floor. You know the rest...

Sounds like a great movie. Maybe a made for TV movie with all those things needing the planets to align to happen.

Red hot retread bursts into flames? What?

Definitely need to include a decent budget for the special effects that will be going into the movie.

[dward51]

We always knew them as "Asphalt Alligators".

One dark rainy night, a number of years ago, I was driving home from the office on the interstate and came up on a large one and was unable to swerve to miss it due to a truck next to me and the concrete divider to my left. Fortunately I was in a large full sized US vehicle and safely crossed over it with just some bumping. However in my rear view mirror I saw a smaller car behind me was not so lucky. I could tell from his headlight beams he tried to swerve and miss it, but clearly did not. He either cut too sharply in the rain or the Asphalt Alligator got him. Turned sideways and rolled into the concrete center divider. There was no way I could turn around as the next exit was a couple of miles, but I did call the police to report it and tell them it was a road hazard the poor guy struck or tried to avoid which caused the accident. About an hour later the officer working the wreck called me for info for his report. He said the other driver was badly hurt and in the hospital so they had not been able to talk to him about what happened as it was a one car accident, and thanked me for the info.

As to the hazards of retreads, there was an episode of Mythbusters back in 2007 where they took on the story of a retread coming off and breaking through the window of a car next to it to injure the passenger, or a rider on a motorcycle who were next to it when the retread let go. They could decapitate a passenger with their test rig. They confirmed that myth.

https://youtu.be/Vqw4ZooBzLw

[mjones12]

Originally Posted by dward51

We always knew them as "Asphalt Alligators".

One dark rainy night, a number of years ago, I was driving home from the office on the interstate and came up on a large one and was unable to swerve to miss it due to a truck next to me and the concrete divider to my left. Fortunately I was in a large full sized US vehicle and safely crossed over it with just some bumping. However in my rear view mirror I saw a smaller car behind me was not so lucky. I could tell from his headlight beams he tried to swerve and miss it, but clearly did not. He either cut too sharply in the rain or the Asphalt Alligator got him. Turned sideways and rolled into the concrete center divider. There was no way I could turn around as the next exit was a couple of miles, but I did call the police to report it and tell them it was a road hazard the poor guy struck or tried to avoid which caused the accident. About an hour later the officer working the wreck called me for info for his report. He said the other driver was badly hurt and in the hospital so they had not been able to talk to him about what happened as it was a one car accident, and thanked me for the info.

As to the hazards of retreads, there was an episode of Mythbusters back in 2007 where they took on the story of a retread coming off and breaking through the window of a car next to it to injure the passenger, or a rider on a motorcycle who were next to it when the retread let go. They could decapitate a passenger with their test rig. They confirmed that myth.

https://youtu.be/Vqw4ZooBzLw

A friend was forced to run over a recap on the highway due to traffic. It blew out one of his Goodyear trailer tires, which tire shop guy said was caused by steel belting components in the recap he ran over. Had never heard of that.

[alexcomp]

Originally Posted by DieselDrax

Sounds like a great movie. Maybe a made for TV movie with all those things needing the planets to align to happen.

Red hot retread bursts into flames? What?

Definitely need to include a decent budget for the special effects that will be going into the movie.

You know this was hyperbole meant to be humorous right? Previous entries in the thread made similar jests...

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by dward51

As to the hazards of retreads, there was an episode of Mythbusters back in 2007 where they took on the story of a retread coming off and breaking through the window of a car next to it to injure the passenger, or a rider on a motorcycle who were next to it when the retread let go. They could decapitate a passenger with their test rig. They confirmed that myth.

https://youtu.be/Vqw4ZooBzLw

I used to own an 1956 MGA Roadster and of course I drove it with the top down as much as possible. One day I was on the newly opened I-5 N of Seattle when a large liquid gas trailer tire blew. The entire tread ripped off a good portion of the metal fender and then flew back over my head. Closer call than I cared to ever repeat.

Considering the weight of a truck tire's actual tread it might not necessarily decapitate anyone but it would definitely do some serious damage.


FWIW, the Mythbusters definitely lived up to their name. Watched them bust the myth of "a breaking cable under tension can cut a person in half". Lots of real life events that cause great damage or injury are for some reason exaggerated even more as they are told and re-told. Just human nature.

[alexcomp]

Confirm it was a myth or confirmed it did happen?

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by alexcomp

Confirm it was a myth or confirmed it did happen?

The cable myth? They tried for most of an episode to cut a pig carcass in two and at worst it broke a bone or two and left some marks.

[alexcomp]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

The cable myth? They tried for most of an episode to cut a pig carcass in two and at worst it broke a bone or two and left some marks.

Can definitely cause injury or financial damage. See other posts in this thread. Recall a member of my motorcycle club riding next to a semi that blew out within five feet. Shrapnel and almost knocked off the bike at 60+

[DieselDrax]

Originally Posted by alexcomp

You know this was hyperbole meant to be humorous right? Previous entries in the thread made similar jests...

Hard to tell with your posts, you’re coming across as more serious than joking. [emoji106]

[itat]

Originally Posted by Beachbourbon

Calling a single RV fire a “holocaust” has to be the biggest misnomer I’ve seen in a long time.

A tragedy? Yes. A holocaust? Not even close.

[nic7320]

Originally Posted by babock

We had friends whose brand new motorhome went up in flames just a few miles from their house. Fire started in the toad and spread to the MH. Unless you were there when it started, you will not know.

All it takes is a electrical failure on the TOAD braking system for things to go very wrong. Someone i knew towing a TT w/ electric brakes went flying over a narrow bridge at over 80 MPH after a fuse blew. He asked if a resettable circuit breaker could be installed on his dash, which is a good idea.

When a TOAD brake actuator fails to operate, you can burn up a lot of your RV brake pads to get stopped. Similarly, if a braking system is misadjusted, it can burn up your brakes. Years ago, I had a g/f smoke my parking brakes when she drove several miles in my camper simply because she didn't realize the parking brake was on.

So maybe we need to have brake temp sensors along with our TPMS systems.

[Tbuc40]

I past this fire before it got to this point. The fire started in the truck being pulled in the engine compartment. Have no clue how that happened?

[A2pfunk]

There was no shoulder or place to stop and go back to check on the poor guy?

Originally Posted by dward51

We always knew them as "Asphalt Alligators".

One dark rainy night, a number of years ago, I was driving home from the office on the interstate and came up on a large one and was unable to swerve to miss it due to a truck next to me and the concrete divider to my left. Fortunately I was in a large full sized US vehicle and safely crossed over it with just some bumping. However in my rear view mirror I saw a smaller car behind me was not so lucky. I could tell from his headlight beams he tried to swerve and miss it, but clearly did not. He either cut too sharply in the rain or the Asphalt Alligator got him. Turned sideways and rolled into the concrete center divider. There was no way I could turn around as the next exit was a couple of miles, but I did call the police to report it and tell them it was a road hazard the poor guy struck or tried to avoid which caused the accident. About an hour later the officer working the wreck called me for info for his report. He said the other driver was badly hurt and in the hospital so they had not been able to talk to him about what happened as it was a one car accident, and thanked me for the info.

As to the hazards of retreads, there was an episode of Mythbusters back in 2007 where they took on the story of a retread coming off and breaking through the window of a car next to it to injure the passenger, or a rider on a motorcycle who were next to it when the retread let go. They could decapitate a passenger with their test rig. They confirmed that myth.

https://youtu.be/Vqw4ZooBzLw

[Nogrey]

Your posting privileges should be revoked.

[dward51]

Originally Posted by A2pfunk

There was no shoulder or place to stop and go back to check on the poor guy?

Not on I-285 in Atlanta. Unless you want to get run over in the process. I did call to report it (remember I was boxed in the left lane by trucks and it's like 5 or 6 lanes wide). By the time I could have pulled over safely, I would have been 3/4 of a mile away at least.