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Old 05-11-2024, 03:30 PM   #1
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Continuous right rear inside tire blow outs

I've searched this forum for "tire blow out" and did not find much. Hopefully my problem is due to something I am doing in ignorance!

I have a 2017 Winnebago Minnie Winnie 31D motorhome. It is built on a 2017 Ford E450 chassis. Overall, I like this rig a lot. When we bought it we were upgrading from a very small Spirit which was blown all over the road to the point where we were considering selling and not RV'ing any more. We discussed our issues with several people and decided to upgrade to a larger, heavier and more stable motorhome. We bought the rig described above. We had a Super Steer rear trac bar installed and Roadmaster front anti-sway bar. Our first trip from TX to CA we hit some very rough I40 stretches. It was brutal shaking. We had our first right, rear, inside dual tire blow on that trip. Fixed it. In the ensuing year we had the exact same tire blow out once on every trip. I think I have bought five new tires for that position.

Obviously, something was wrong. We took the motor home to Truck City in Buda Texas and had them do a thorough inspection. The found that there were missing frame shims and replaced them. Our next trip was fine/no issues and we thought we had it fixed. Then I got covid and a matching AFIB issue and didnt' travel for over a year. This year we're on our first trip since the health issue and on our fourth day of travel we had another blow out on the exact same tire position.

I thump all the tires every time I fill up and check the tire pressure at least once a day. Per the sticker on the left front door we are running front tires at 75 psi and all rear's at 80 psi. I spent 30 minutes on my back looking at everything underneath in the rear. I'm not a truck mechanic and I don't really know what I'm looking at, but I was looking for anything that was "close" to the tire position in question. Things looked ok but I found a loose nut on one of the brackets in all the "stuff" up in there. I also compared the distance of a huge U bracket that looks like it connects the rear axel to the frame to the inside tire. On the right side it is about 1.5" from the brake assembly and on the left it is only 0.5" from the brake assembly. I have not idea if this is correct.

Sorry for the long post, I hope I gave enough info for someone who might have a tip to chime in.
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Old 05-11-2024, 03:59 PM   #2
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Several years ago I had a 30 foot class C motorhome, and during the time I owned it I had two similar tire failures, both on the right inside dual. In my opinion, (take it for what it cost you) there are several factors that lead to this particular tire position failing:

1) Weight- the factory type 225/75R16 Load Range E tires that are commonly used on these motorhomes are close to their absolute maximum when the motorhome is loaded to its maximum RGAWR. Many are overloaded, especially the 31 foot models. Have you weighed your motorhome?

2) Proximity to exhaust heat- my motorhome had the exhaust exit on the right, and the pipe ran fairly close to the right inside dual.

3) Minimal wheelwell volume- many of these class C motorhomes have wheelwells that are just big enough to allow for suspension travel. There is not much air space around the tires, especially the inside ones, to help them cool.

So, again just my opinion, but I think there's a good chance that one or more of these factors play a part in your tire failures. There used to be a company that sold 17.5" wheel conversions for the E450, but I beleive they are out of business. There may be other tire options out there that can handle the weight and heat, but I haven't shopped for these tires in a long time.
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Old 05-11-2024, 04:01 PM   #3
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Weigh your rig during your next trip, loaded with a full tank of fuel, fresh water, people, everything, front and rear axles independently. I anticipate that the weight of your rear axle is too heavy, the right rear being the worst of the two rear corners. WFF255 brings up a good point that maybe the proximity of the exhaust pipe adds even more stress on that tire to the point of a blow-out.

I suspect the rear axle weighs more than the load limit on your 4 rear tires. I advise to buy those extra-load 121 tires that are rated to carry an extra 500-600 pounds per rear tire. That adds up to an extra 2000-2400 pounds of load capability.

The E450 at your length of nearly 33 feet with 3 slideouts, one hanging off the back, likely exceeds the tire-load rating. Those extra load 121 tires will likely be your solution. Replace all 4 rear tires with that type. To play it safe, I would also replace the front tires, especially because you have 2 slideouts placed all the way forward.

That looks like "One Dang Heavy Rig".

For reference to all readers, CLICK HERE TO READ THE SPECS ON THE RIG IN THIS DISCUSSION. Sean Kendall's rig is as massive as an E450 class C gets at 32'-9" long.

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Old 05-11-2024, 04:22 PM   #4
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If its smaller or larger then the outside tire it's going to scuff and overheat if smaller, and be overloaded if larger. They need to be the same size.

Buy 2 tires and see if that fixes it
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Old 05-11-2024, 04:27 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by seankendall View Post
I've searched this forum for "tire blow out" and did not find much. Hopefully my problem is due to something I am doing in ignorance!

I have a 2017 Winnebago Minnie Winnie 31D motorhome. It is built on a 2017 Ford E450 chassis. Overall, I like this rig a lot. When we bought it we were upgrading from a very small Spirit which was blown all over the road to the point where we were considering selling and not RV'ing any more. We discussed our issues with several people and decided to upgrade to a larger, heavier and more stable motorhome. We bought the rig described above. We had a Super Steer rear trac bar installed and Roadmaster front anti-sway bar. Our first trip from TX to CA we hit some very rough I40 stretches. It was brutal shaking. We had our first right, rear, inside dual tire blow on that trip. Fixed it. In the ensuing year we had the exact same tire blow out once on every trip. I think I have bought five new tires for that position.

Obviously, something was wrong. We took the motor home to Truck City in Buda Texas and had them do a thorough inspection. The found that there were missing frame shims and replaced them. Our next trip was fine/no issues and we thought we had it fixed. Then I got covid and a matching AFIB issue and didnt' travel for over a year. This year we're on our first trip since the health issue and on our fourth day of travel we had another blow out on the exact same tire position.

I thump all the tires every time I fill up and check the tire pressure at least once a day. Per the sticker on the left front door we are running front tires at 75 psi and all rear's at 80 psi. I spent 30 minutes on my back looking at everything underneath in the rear. I'm not a truck mechanic and I don't really know what I'm looking at, but I was looking for anything that was "close" to the tire position in question. Things looked ok but I found a loose nut on one of the brackets in all the "stuff" up in there. I also compared the distance of a huge U bracket that looks like it connects the rear axel to the frame to the inside tire. On the right side it is about 1.5" from the brake assembly and on the left it is only 0.5" from the brake assembly. I have not idea if this is correct.

Sorry for the long post, I hope I gave enough info for someone who might have a tip to chime in.
Hello sir and sorry for your issues. Have you had a chance to check the date codes on any of the tires you have bought? Also , do you run any kind of TPMS system on your tires? These not only show tire pressure but also the temperature of the tire. By doing this you could see if this particular tire is experiencing different temperature fluctuations as well as pressure issues. Good Luck
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Old 05-11-2024, 04:55 PM   #6
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Thank to all

I will be exploring and implementing all suggestions here. More info to come.
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Old 05-11-2024, 05:19 PM   #7
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Weight

GVWR 14,500lbs
GAWR: Front 5000lb, Rear 9600lb

I weighed each axel separately about 3 years ago. I can't find the weigh ticket right now, but I remember it was about:

Front: 3900lb
Rear: 8900lb

When I weighed the RV it was fully loaded for a trip, had empty black and grey tanks and a full tank of water.

Pic of the winnebago weight and tire sticker on the door attached.
More to come.
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Old 05-11-2024, 05:33 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by craigd853 View Post
Hello sir and sorry for your issues. Have you had a chance to check the date codes on any of the tires you have bought? Also , do you run any kind of TPMS system on your tires? These not only show tire pressure but also the temperature of the tire. By doing this you could see if this particular tire is experiencing different temperature fluctuations as well as pressure issues. Good Luck
All tires were made in 2021 or earlier. Six are Michelin and two are off brands that I had to buy because that was all that was available at the time.

I have a tpms system. I currently am not using it because of several factors. I will look into setting it up again and watching the pressure / temp on my problem tire location.
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Old 05-11-2024, 05:35 PM   #9
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Thank you. My exhaust is near the problem tire location on the right side rear. I will be dumping as much weight as I can as soon as I can.
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Old 05-11-2024, 05:47 PM   #10
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LT225/75R16 with high load rating

I am looking for a load rating of 121, to carry 3195lbs per tire. I understand that with duals the carrying capacity in lbs will be 10-15% lower . . .

Even if i find these tires I'll be dumping weight!
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Old 05-11-2024, 06:43 PM   #11
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Maybe fabricate a shield to block the exhaust heat from the tire.
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Old 05-11-2024, 07:03 PM   #12
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Sourced load range 121 in LT225/75R16

OK. A local tire shop can get Goodyear Wrangler LT225/75R16's load range 121 for $249 each mounted and balanced. I'll be swapping all four of my rear tires, one at a time, for these higher load range tires. If my rear axel is carrying about as much as my weigh ticket said a few years ago (around 9K lbs) and I take 10% off of the 3195 each tire can carry for a per tire carry weight of 2875, I should be able to carry 2875 X 4 (tires)? or, 11500lbs. I am sure there are some subtleties involved here but I'm good with this start.

I'll continue to update this thread in case it helps someone else.
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Old 05-11-2024, 07:06 PM   #13
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Maybe fabricate a shield to block the exhaust heat from the tire.
Yes. Thank you. I want to do that. I don't know if it's possible, but I also thought of rerouting the tail pipe somewhere else, may be further back and out the side . . . I don't know what the effectiveness of a "shield" would be . . .
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Old 05-11-2024, 07:24 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by seankendall View Post
OK. A local tire shop can get Goodyear Wrangler LT225/75R16's load range 121 for $249 each mounted and balanced. I'll be swapping all four of my rear tires, one at a time, for these higher load range tires. If my rear axel is carrying about as much as my weigh ticket said a few years ago (around 9K lbs) and I take 10% off of the 3195 each tire can carry for a per tire carry weight of 2875, I should be able to carry 2875 X 4 (tires)? or, 11500lbs. I am sure there are some subtleties involved here but I'm good with this start.

I'll continue to update this thread in case it helps someone else.

I'd replace those rear tires in pairs, even if you have to wait a bit longer to begin replacing them. Keeping rear duals the same diameter keeps the load and wear the same on the tires. Replacing them one at time means the diameters will likely be different throughout the life of the tires, contributing to mismatched load and wear.
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