Community Forums

royals1212 · 07-03-2017, 08:33 AM

Hwy 281 is an easy drive. Lots of passing lanes

Ann n Gene · 07-03-2017, 10:40 AM

We live in I-35 in Oklahoma. When going south we often take I-35 to Gainesville TX then 51 southwest out through Decatur and on to 281 then south to Lampasses, over to Austin, take the turnpike through and Around to lockheart (bar-b-que capital of Texas for a meal) and on down to US 77 and into Corpus. If going to San Antonio stay on 281 right on down. Very good road and the Hill country is a great drive, goes through John City and the LBJ ranch (tour it sometime). Of course we will do anything to avoid I-35 between Hillsboro and San Antonio. All JMHO

swberry · 07-04-2017, 07:32 AM

Yes HWY 281 for sure. That's a great road and I would go out of my way to avoid 35. For years we have traveled HWY 281 in lieu of 35 and it is a very relaxed drive.

JC2 · 07-04-2017, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlovitt

I will take 281 instead of I-35 if possible. What other alternative routes have others found?

Interesting. I thought you enjoyed the challenge of driving in construction sites as they are known to be a good test on the stability of cargo door locks.

steve11669 · 07-04-2017, 07:46 AM

Wow. Good job! I wrote about my blowout in April. Similar circs and outcome. I know how that feels. Not good.

Scottybdivin · 07-04-2017, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swberry

Yes HWY 281 for sure. That's a great road and I would go out of my way to avoid 35. For years we have traveled HWY 281 in lieu of 35 and it is a very relaxed drive.

Since I only live about 10 mi from 281, I almost always take it if I am going DFW or further north. Going to east Texas is more of a challenge. Just got back home and on the return trip we jumped over to 281 from Waco, using 84. We were able to avoid Temple this way. I will never take the MH on 1-35 except for short jaunts to get to the next bypass route.

Dutch Star David · 07-04-2017, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottybdivin

Since I only live about 10 mi from 281, I almost always take it if I am going DFW or further north. Going to east Texas is more of a challenge. Just got back home and on the return trip we jumped over to 281 from Waco, using 84. We were able to avoid Temple this way. I will never take the MH on 1-35 except for short jaunts to get to the next bypass route.

Only problem with 84 is the plethora of traffic lights-all timed to turn red just as I approached.

Just kidding-anything better than 35 through Temple.

Dutch Star David · 07-04-2017, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ann n Gene

We live in I-35 in Oklahoma. When going south we often take I-35 to Gainesville TX then 51 southwest out through Decatur and on to 281 then south to Lampasses, over to Austin, take the turnpike through and Around to lockheart (bar-b-que capital of Texas for a meal) and on down to US 77 and into Corpus. If going to San Antonio stay on 281 right on down. Very good road and the Hill country is a great drive, goes through John City and the LBJ ranch (tour it sometime). Of course we will do anything to avoid I-35 between Hillsboro and San Antonio. All JMHO

I'd like to keep FM 51 somewhat a secret.

Scottybdivin · 07-05-2017, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlovitt

I'd like to keep FM 51 somewhat a secret.

Me too. I've probably used it a dozen times. Most recently was Memorial Day.

swberry · 07-05-2017, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRUSA14

I had the same thing happen to me on another coach. Right front blowout, four year old Goodyear tire. Caused $10,000 in damage to the coach. I immediately removed all the crap Goodyears and replaced them with Michelins.

Ok that's it. Guess I will replace my steers with michelins before we shove off again in September. Will do the Koni upgrade while I'm at it.

Hygge · 07-06-2017, 07:44 AM

In the instructions for my eezee tpms it states in there somewhere in regards to setting alarms, if I remember correctly: all brands are different and when they reach operating temperature some may have a 5 psi increase while others will have a 20 to 22 increase.
My Goodyears seem to be in the 20 psi increase camp, temps have been well below even driving through high temps in the desert. The psi increase makes me nervous,
How do other brands stack up, considering Toyos, Michelins or Yokahamas. Am I worried for nothing, is it just normal for the Goodyears to go up this high. Really don't like being at 150 on the steers.

Gary.Jones · 07-06-2017, 04:45 PM

My Michelin tires (315s and 295s) increase tire temps by 15 psi and even more if the sun is fully on one side of the coach. The temps you are seeing in the summer and in the sun seem normal to me.

Gary

Anthem15 · 07-06-2017, 05:34 PM

Glad you guys are OK! Pretty scary 3 minutes, I imagine! Im hoping my first blowout is WAY down the road. Question: did you have Tyron bands on the tire? I understand they don't prevent the tire from blowing apart, but they can help keep it on the rim so you have at least some control. Downside, as with a lot of these features, lots 'o bucks. Again, glad you're all ok!

jimfenix · 07-22-2017, 07:01 PM

I came across your post by accident but can relate. June 24th we were just coming out of Salt Lake City going north near Ogden. I had just moved over to the right lane as we were going to exit to a Walmart to spend the night. I have a tire monitor but no warning, the right front tire blew going about 55. It was somewhat of a rodeo to keep it straight and get over to the shoulder but we got off OK and on to the shoulder.
You would think that in a big city like SLC you could get easy service, not a chance. I used to run a equipment shop for a large construction company, so this was not new to me, trying to find help in the middle of the night for roadside breakdowns. I ended up spending 13 hours sitting there and when it was all said and done I checked my phone, I had made 61 calls. Finally got a wrecker out and we took one of the duals from the drive axle and put it on the front. It was only 2 miles to a Les Schwab so I got it in there and put on 2 new Toyos. Michelin was my preference but could not get them without waiting for them to be shipped in. The frustrating part is we were just going to Montana for a few months, then home to AZ as we are building a new house there and needed to get back. My plan was to replace the steer tires when I got home (NEVER HAVE BEEN A GOODYEAR FAN). I also had the wiring torn up. All of it was for the steps and the door keypad along with the wires to that docking light in that panel. Could not get in for repairs for about 6 weeks and didn't like the steps not working. I got some schematics from Entegra bought some replacement parts and did it myself. I always feel better if I do my repairs I know they are done right. Don't trust RV tech's, seems like everything I have had repaired in the past I had to redo. Just need to get it to a body shop when we get home to have the wheel well panel replaced and also the door frame is bent up at the bottom left corner.
I would never run a goodyear tire on the steer axle again. 28K miles and to blow out is not acceptable. One thing to check for is paint damage I found it back as far as the door for the tv it had a lot of nicks probably from flying tire parts. I really think any wiring in any wheel well should be protected.
One more thing I do have roadside assistance, but with a big rig it most phone people have no idea what you are dealing with and don't understand the size of a wrecker you need to tow it. Regardless I would only tow as a absolute last resort, it is to problematic, you can do a lot of damage.