Driving with one rear tire flat

[Barryengleman]

I recently checked the tire pressures on my 40' Dutch Star before leaving a campground in Tucson, AZ. The inside rear driver side tire had no air in it. I noted the valve extension was loose when I tried to remove the pressure monitor sensor cap to check the pressure. I had not checked tire pressures since being in Las Vegas a few weeks before. I also found out the monitor sensor cap was not being recognized by the monitor so I didn't get any low pressure alarm. The outside tire looked fine and the inside tire looked fine as best I could see it. I blew the tire back up and it held pressure all the way to Utah from Tucson. I don't know if I lost pressure in the tire while traveling or while it was parked in the Tucson campground. Would anyone know if it is possible to travel several hundred miles with one flat inside rear tire on a 40,000 lb. motorhome without knowing it and without creating a problem or ruining a tire? Would it be a good idea to have someone take those two tires off and check them from the inside? They are Michelin XRV tires about 1.5 years old and 15,000 miles on them. The treads look perfectly fine.

[rumrunnerxx]

I would think you lost the air pressure just before Utah. I once changed the outside tire on my old class C and left the MH sitting on one rear tire. The tire held but looked half flat. Your tire might be a lot tougher on your 40 ft but I doubt you could drive it that far without it overheating and letting go. I'm glad you made it though. There's a good lesson in here somewhere.

[RVThere]

Before I had a pressure monitoring system, I drove from St. Louis to NJ with a flat inside dually on my Tour.

My sidewall blew out so I replaced the tire.

[sdennislee]

I think its possible to travel with a near flat without knowing it. I put a couple hundred miles on a inside dual with roughly 20 psi in it.

I would suggest you have the tire inspected since you drove on it in a near flat condition, sidewalls may be damaged now.

I now have the TST TPMS

[ralphie]

Had the same experience with an inside dual on a Class A several years ago. I don't know how long it had been flat or how long it was driven like that. It did have a tax axle that presumably helped carry the weight. I just re-aired it and drove it without problem for a couple of years. Then the outside dual on the same side blew out. Perhaps it had been over-stressed, but it was also six years old at the time.