Catastrophic steering axle tire failure

[TerryO]

Originally Posted by Finally

Wow, glad to hear you are well. What a scary experience.

Its also good to hear your account of how the coach responded during the crisis.

Do y ou know what air pressure you had before you left on your trip? Did it blow due to tire failure or from something in the road?

115 on the fronts. Checked and adjusted before we left Midland 225ish miles. EZETire TPM System with no warning until about 10 seconds after the blow out. I can't prove it, of course, but I can't remember hitting anything. My opinion is tire failure.

[TerryO]

Originally Posted by brobox

Do you notice any difference in the steering with the Michelin's?

Before the blowout or after ... Just joking... It's pretty subjective but the Michelins feel better but that's comparing brand new tires to ones that had 33k on them. New tires usually always feel better so it's really hard to say.

[Bill in FL]

Glad you were OK through that event. Thanks for the follow-up post on your reaction and handling.

[brobox]

Originally Posted by TerryO

Before the blowout or after ... Just joking... It's pretty subjective but the Michelins feel better but that's comparing brand new tires to ones that had 33k on them. New tires usually always feel better so it's really hard to say.

I was wondering if you felt any difference on the Entegra. I had GY on a previous MH and could really tell the steering difference with the change over to Michelin's. Apparently not much with the Entegra, which is good.

[Diesel Diva]

Holy Moly! Thanks for sharing what happened. I am going to search for the video that Wa8yxm mentioned. Glad you are okay.

[jestal]

Good job! Kudos for no panic, staying off the brakes and assessing control before pulling over.

So far no experience with tires on our coach but have had serious tire failures at high speed with cars and light trucks and most situations are anticlimactic if you simply stay off the brakes, don't panic and maneuver after you can assess what is going on.

Wise move on the Michelins. Enough anecdotal stories that I would switch to them if the coach did not have them originally.

[hogdriver]

Originally Posted by TerryO

Before the blowout or after ... Just joking... It's pretty subjective but the Michelins feel better but that's comparing brand new tires to ones that had 33k on them. New tires usually always feel better so it's really hard to say.

I traded my 13 Aspire for a 14 Anthem and the first thing I noticed was the ride was better and it handled bumps better. I know the Anthem has IFS but the Michleins just felt better. Ironically my Anthem weighs 3000 lbs more than the Aspire (42ft vs 44ft) yet the mileage is about .5 mpg better. IMHO the Michleins are the better tire. In 10 years when these tires age out I'll look at Toyos, Continentals, and Michleins but probably skip the Goodyears.

[Big-Foot]

Glad that you are okay after that ordeal!!!
I had the same thing happen to me back in 1999 on the left front of my 1992 Airstream LandYacht while I was towing my racecar on trailer (7k-ish#).. I was in the right lane at 65 MPH and thank God no one was to my left because the coach literally jumped over to the left and I had all I could do to gather it up befor it went into the center median ditch.. Gingerly running the throttle and gradually hauling the whole mess over to the right side shoulder where I could assess what had happened and repairs.. AAA sent out a guy in a little pickup truck with a bottle jack and a cross-bar. It was a darned good thing I had tools in the trailer and a strong HWH leveling system to change out to my spare.
The tire was a 4 year old Michelin 19.5" (don't remember the model).
You got lucky on the body damage. Mine tore up everything including the bottom of the driver's door. I ended up trading that rig in on another nightmare called a Damon Ultrasport.
The only thing left of my tire was the beads and steel hoops (belts). Thankfully the Alcoa aluminum rim was not damaged beyond some light scuffing.

[Mauro]

Glad everything went well. A blow out of a tire is always a scary experience. I had my new Michelin right front tire blow on me last June, an event I reported on this forum. Apparently it does not matter how many miles you have on a tire. If there is even a minor manufacturing defect, it is going to blow. The famous Michelin video on such event was very helpful to me, since I had seen it just a few days before the blow out. They recommend not touching the brake, which would be the instinctive response, but rather keep the foot on the gas pedal, to maintain directional control, then slowly coast to a stop with gentle brake use. I guess the blow out of a rear tire would not be as dramatic, in terms of directional control, but, so far, I cannot speak by experience, and I would prefer to keep it that way. Again, glad you are OK and congrats on a job well done.

[brabono]

Who is CSAA

[TerryO]

I don't know but since he was referring to an insurance claim probably USAA. A typo or auto correct.

[wa8yxm]

When my engine blew I did not use them but I was on a straight away and coasted fully off the road onto the grass so there was no danger.

And most of the passing semi's were slowing for a serious turn (Driveway type) anyway.

Safety Flag Highway Triangle Warning Kit-HWK at The Home Depot

Forget where I got mine (I do carry a set in the towed) have used them I think 4 times, Only once was it my car (Well technically my minor daughter's) and that too was a breakdown, not a crash (Lost electrical system engine shut down she coasted to shoulder)

A good book is called "What Every Commercial Driver Must Know" Explains the use of those triangles.

[brobox]

How about the triangle lights from Harbor Freight. I picked up a couple the other day....they are BRIGHT and also flash. Emergency 39 LED Triangle Worklight

[rvbmw1]

Fast thinking and very glad everyone is alright