| Author | Message | ||
| Greg Roberts (Gregeagle20)
Rating: N/A |
I was cruising along on Friday afternoon between Montgomery and Mobile Alabama when the left front steer decided to cut loose. The whole event lasted maybe 15 seconds from blow to stopped on the shoulder. The steering wheel did not pull at all and drove, in fact, just like normal. We were not able to tell which tire had blown. The Eagle handled incredibly well and I was shocked at what a none event this was for us. For about the last 30 feet as I rolled to a stop we could hear the wheel rolling directly on the road surface. I called Good Sam road side service and they located a service in Atmore Alabama and they were there in about 1 hour with the tire that I wanted. The service fellow did a great job getting the bus up and installed the tire without even taking the wheel off of the bus and with traffic zooming by 6 feet away. What a dangerous job. After replacing the tire I followed the fellow to his shop and replaced the right steer tire with a new tire and we were off to Houston again. I highly recommend the Good Sam service as they seem to be well connected with services that want to please folks like us so they can keep getting the business. Less than three hours later and just over $900 plus tip and we were back on the road. Now for the drive and bogie tire replacements.... | ||
| James Smith (Tomcat)
Rating: N/A |
Hey Greg, I'm glad to hear you're OK. Being born and raised in Mobile, I have covered every inch of that stretch of I65 many, many times when I owned a towing service down there. What brand/model of tire let you down? Jay 87 SaftLiner | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
"Less than three hours later and just over $900 plus tip and we were back on the road. " $900?? Was that a typo? | ||
| Brian Elfert
Rating: N/A |
I have Camping World Roadcare (Same as Good Sam under different name) and I had a totally different experience on a flat tire. I was at home and had a flat that I wanted changed having no tools yet to change a tire. Roadcare claimed they couldn't find anyone to come out during the evening. I had to wait until morning, which was not a big deal. They said they would have sent out a tow truck instead if I was on the side of the road. (Couldn't the tow truck driver change the tire?) They sent someone out from a regular auto service station and not a truck/bus tire guy. The guy didn't really have the right tools to work on a bus so I just had him air up the tire so I could take it to get fixed. The guy didn't even have a tire gauge and had to use mine. His truck also leaked oil pretty bad on my driveway. I realized after he left that I could have just aired up the tire using the bus air and the air fitting provided on the bus for this. I'm new at this and still learning. I did call Camping World Roadcare to tell them about my experience. Brian Elfert | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
"His truck also leaked oil pretty bad on my driveway. " (Ok... next time, I'm gonna' go to the bathroom -before- I read your posts) | ||
| Greg Roberts (Gregeagle20)
Rating: N/A |
John, Two new Firestones installed and taxes, yep. James, It was a Firestone 11R 24.5 16PR model F5507 radial. The two steer tires may have aged out on me but I have not looked up the codes yet. I installed a newer version of the same tire. | ||
| Brian Elfert
Rating: N/A |
$900 for two new tires plus the road call doesn't seem that bad. Good Sam says they only covers changing a flat tire with an inflated spare. They may have not covered the cost of the road call. Brian Elfert | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Two new tires, road service, etc...! That's a bit different. It read as if it was for one new tire, road service and install. Still a tidy sum, tho... | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A |
I have had several steer tire blowouts, one on a loaded Kenworth even. ALL of them were just non-events about the same as you describe. Glad you had a safe one and got back on the road OK. | ||
| Greg Roberts (Gregeagle20)
Rating: N/A |
Thanks Don. We are headed down to McAllen/Edinburg way around 2AM tonight in a car (I had better get some sleep). I have to meet the cable (cable modem too) guy between 8-12 tomorrow. That usually means 2PM but I don't want to miss the opportunity in case the guy actually shows up on time. We are at the Lakeview RV Resort Park south downtown and this is a really nice park that so far I would recommend. Good to hear more real world experience on blowouts. | ||
| Marc Bourget Rating: N/A |
Gosh, these reports have me wondering what really happened with my father's Prevost. He claims he was driving through Santa Barbara, at about 30 mph, when the RF Michlen let go - said he couldn't stop the swerve to the shoulder. He made the swerve sound sudden and uncontrollable. My step-mom confrimed the swerve, any idea (short of hitting a curb or something) what would cause a bus to act like this? | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Hitting the brakes, instead of driving it out. | ||
| jlvickers Rating: N/A |
Last year on my P8M4905A I had a Firestone right front tire fail (Belt slipped)and it suffered a blowout. Got the coach stopped in the break down lane with no problem thanks to Sheppard steering. Two oil field workers stopped and gave me a hand in changing the tire. The bus god's were looking out for us that day. I had the proper tire tools-1" drive torque multiplier Budd nut socket and a 4 way lug wrench and a 20 ton jack. But the only problem was the Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service could not find a tire service company that could change a bus tire in the area that we were in. Perhaps Good Sam will perform as advertised when and if might need them again.jlv | ||
| Larry & Lynne Dixon (Larry_d)
Rating: N/A |
I had a friend blow left front tire on I84 near The Dalles OR. about 2 yrs ago, 1989 BBird Wonderlodge 40'. The coach went onto guard rail on left for 200' dropped off then went onto left guard rail again finally coming down going to rite shoulder. Not much visual damage did not turn over but sprung the frame totaling the coach. Very bad fright for the man, wife and dogs. So be careful all it is not always a piece of cake. 4905 larry | ||
| Jim Stewart (H3jim)
Rating: N/A |
I had a firestone loose the entire tread while travelling at 75 in my 2001 F-250 - left front. I never touched the brakes, but in a split second I was half a lane over to the left. Fortunately there was no one in the lane. It also took out my ABS brake system and the 4 WD controls. I coasted to a stop, changed the tire and drove to the tire store and had all new Michelins put on. 28,000 miles, but 5 years of age. Lots of tread left. The Ford dealer I bought the truck from said not to worry, those firestones were different than the ones that the Explorers were having all that trouble with. Right! I will never have another Firestone tire on a vehicle I own. | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A |
I have had enough non eventful blowouts to believe that the only time one gets into trouble is as John says, locking up all the brakes, or some other panic mode in steering. I have even had two blowouts on motorcycles, plus one on my aircraft when landing, merely not convenient is all. My control method is to simply let it roll to a stop, steering gently to keep it on a right track. I suspect many horror stories are simply coverups for having hit something to blow the tire FIRST, then continuing with more panic, or going into a lock the brakes and fight the wheel activity when the noise scares them. As Mr Vickers and Greg will attest, there is no violent swapping ends or turning over when a tire blows as many would lead you to believe. If one was going down a steep curving slope at high speed, that might be another handful, but when you got all that weight on 7 tires that want to roll straight ahead, just let it do that, the remains of a tire flopping on one wheel won't make much of a difference. | ||
| JW Smythe (Jwsmythe)
Rating: N/A |
Yup, brakeing in an unstable situation is the worst thing you can do. You end up with a very uneven braking, that will throw you one way or another. You can feel the same thing if you put a little spare tire on a car, and hit the brakes hard. When I was a kid, I had the tread rip free on the right front tire of my Firebird, doing just over 100mph. Don't ask why I was going that fast. It tore a pretty decent hole in the fender, and made a whole lot of noise, and violently shaking the car. I let off the gas, hit the cluch, and rolled to a stop. Other than a torn up fender, and all the tread missing, it was a non-event. I went back later, and collected the pieces of my tire. They were scattered for over 1/2 mile. BTW, *NEVER* change the rotation direction of a steel belted radial after it's been used. We had accidently swapped the left and right front tires when we were doing work. They weren't directional tires, and it still made a mess. The other tire had indications that it wasn't far from ripping apart too. | ||
| niles steckbauer (Niles500)
Rating: N/A |
JW - just my experience - in a past post I offered that I was counseled similarly - My buddy who's been a manager with Firestone for almost 20 years says that radial belted tires (similar to bias ply's) have a rotational memory and should not be rotated contra-rotational from original installation - the original direction (for non directional tires) is not germaine - only the continuity of rotation - This is not a "factory authorized" opinion - but is anectdotally recommended by many tire "experts" that I have known - Never let me down - No uneven wear - No premature failure - No cross threaded studs - No hassle - FWIW | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
I remember hearing (since I was a kid) that steel belted radials should never be used in the opposite direction of rotation... Another myth? All the major transportation companies, both trucking and passenger, swap tires as needed, never taking heed of the "direction of rotation".... and yet, rarely suffer a problem. Recaps are used and re-used and recapped over and over, never being marked for "proper rotational direction". I would think it would serve Bandag well, to note such a major concern, if it really was of concern... (just some food for thought) | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A |
I think it is not a myth John, just an outdated caution. If I recall correctly, some years ago in my youth it was a major concern, but as I understand it now, it is not an issue, due to making radial tires differently. OK, in my youth they had not yet invented radial tires, but lets say in my younger years to be more correct. | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Re: "OK, in my youth they had not yet invented radial tires, but lets say..." So, immediately I'm thinkin': "did they have the wheel invented?" HAR Youse type good for an ooooold guy! | ||
| Kyle Brandt (Kyle4501)
Rating: N/A |
I have to ask the question - How can rotation direction matter when the forces caused by acceleration / braking load the tire are much more severe & in opposing directions. I think the "you changed rotation directions" is smoke to avoid the real issue of a tire that failed for another reason (early production radials had lots of mfg issues). I agree that a blow out causes the handling to go from stable to unstable instantly, & a small sudden action of the driver can cause BIG unexpected results that render the driver a passanger untill gravity & friction win the battle with inertia & momentum. While I'm sure firestone makes good tires, I've never had the pleasure of owning a good one. I had a (right front) firestone self destruct inbound to Atlanta in evening rush-hour wall to wall & bumper to bumper traffic. It was a non-event. I just firmed up my grip on the steering wheel a little (Hey, it was Atlanta rush-hour traffic, a little is all I had left  !) Then I negotiated my way across a lane to the shoulder. The handling was loose & I used gradual applications of the gas & brake pedal & had no unexpected results. We were fastidous about tire pressures on that vehicle since we had so many problems with the firestones. All the other failures were on the rear, at highway speeds, pulling a trailer, & always a non-event. Re: the firebird tire failure - How long were you running that speed? Were the tires rated for that speed & properly inflated? Had they ever been run low on pressure? How old were they? In my opinion, other things will have a bigger influence tire failure than rotation direction. All things equal, I'd rather not ever have another blow-out. kyle4501 (Message edited by kyle4501 on May 03, 2006) | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A |
I guess the arguement is not over. Run a google on "Radial Tire Direction of Rotation" search, and you will find Michelin recommending that you DO change the direction of rotation on radials, with others cautioning against ever doing it. | ||
| JW Smythe (Jwsmythe)
Rating: N/A |
Good morning all. On mine, it was in the mid 1990's, so we're not talking about really old design tires. They probably had under 10k miles on them, if I remember right. I was upset because they weren't badly worn. I was always very careful to have the tires properly inflated, as I drove hard, and the car would handle funny with underinflated tires. I was well within the speed rating of the tires, and hadn't been outside of it. I haven't had another blowout like that ever, and I drive a lot. I've lost quite a few to road damange, but not from the tread seperating. I guess I should have mentioned in the first post, the tread blew off, flipping around to damage the rear part of the wheel well, but the steel belts stayed intact. I didn't want to detract from the story. Niles has it right, my mechanic, and several others have told me it was "rotational memory". I couldn't remember the term. I just know that I'm *VERY* careful about which side tires go back onto. I was told by a few different tire shops that they've seen performance direction tires put on the wrong side. They work ok, but not as well as they could being on the correct side. They usually mention that they have also see the tread rip off because the owner will realize after a few months (or when a friend laughs that they're on backwards), and swap sides to get the rotation going in the indicatd direction. Very frequently, they'll be in because the tread blows off. Most people in the real world never see it. Consider your average Joe. He gets tires put on, and they stay there until they're worn out. They don't rotate, much less accidently switch sides. I only did it, because I had both front tires off, doing something (probably brakes). The tires were rolled to the front of the car because they were in the way, and then moved again. When I went to put them back on, I just grabbed the closest tire, assuming it was the one which belonged on that side. One of the guys in the shop pointed out the wear on the tire that didn't blow, and showed that it had previously been rotating in the other direction. Most people who have this kind of failure don't have it happen at over 100mph, so it doesn't to a lot of damage to the car. Everything happens faster at high speed, including parts failures. | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A |
I don't know when it changed JW, but Michelin clearly RECOMENDS changing the rotation direction on tires currently. Click on this link and you can see what they say about it. I would bet if there is ANY degree of danger of failure in changing rotation direction, they would prohibit it. http://www.michelinman.com/care/tip2.html | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A |
Here is what Goodyear says, might shed some light on it: "Regular and proper tire rotation promotes more uniform wear for all of the tires on a vehicle. All season tires should be rotated in a "modified X" pattern, meaning only the tires being moved to the drive axle are crossed to the opposite side of the vehicle. The remaining two tires are moved from the drive axle to the free rolling axle, remaining on the same side of the vehicle. This method of rotation helps promote a more even and uniform treadwear pattern for all four tires. The only exception to this would be the use of "directional" tread design tires such as our Aquatred II or some of our Eagle line high performance tires. These tires would remain on the same side of the vehicle and be rotated straight forward and straight back." | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Yupper! "The only exception to this would be the use of "directional" tread design tires " Steel radial tires are not singled out at all, just "directional tread design tires". (I've heard some serious swearing about those "Aquatred" ones at the local tire place - lousy wear, noise...) | ||
| Bob Boyce Posted From: 66.44.207.68 Rating: N/A |
I moved from S FL to TN, so I bought a 1983 Chevy/Bluebird school bus and stripped out the seats. I bought a complete set of new Firestone tires and a new spare in S FL, in preparation for the trip. I had to drive back for another load of personal belongings. I crossed the scales at nearly 26,000 lbs at the last truck stop I had fueled up at. I had checked the tires when I fueled up, and everything seemed ok. I was heading west on I-10 towards I-75 in N FL at 55 MPH when the left steering tire blew out. It made one heck of a loud bang as it blew. When the tire came apart, it took out the air brake line and bent/pulled the inner fender into the wheel well opening. I was in the center lane when it happened, and there was a car to my left rear. I eased off of the gas and did not touch the brakes, although it did not matter much at that point. The air brakes had lost air pressure, the bus pulled hard to the left as the springs applied the brakes. I wrestled with all my might on the steering wheel and could not stop my leftward drift. Thank goodness the driver of that car on my left rear saw what happened, and braked hard to avoid me. I was heading for the inside median, which was sloped downhill and appeared to be soft and sandy. I just knew if I hit that median she would roll due to the slope. After what seemed like an eternity, though it was just a few seconds, the air brake control unit apparently isolated that line, and braking control was restored to the rest of the wheels. I had response to my steering again, so I recovered control right before I was about to leave the pavement. I eased her over to the right shoulder, then quickly surveyed the damage. All that was left of the tire was the sidewalls. I had the new spare on board, but lacked a jack to lift the beast. I was only a few hundred feet from the next exit, so I drove in the emergency lane to the exit, and pulled into a gas station/convenience store. It was christmas eve, and it took a while to find a service truck that could come out. The service truck driver had to use a sawsall to cut the inner fender out of the way so the spare tire would go on, and he had to call around to find an all-night truck parts supplier that was open to get an air brake hose. $450 and 4 hours later I was back on the road with my new spare on, and a used spare I bought from him. I learned to carry a big jack and lots of heavy wood blocks from that experience. Despite that experience and the repairs, I still made it home in time for christmas morning ;-) Bob |