Tire shredded

[HappyKayakers]

Hey folks,
I was really hoping I'd never have to make a post like this, but......
Heading from St. Augustine FL to our next job at the Ocala National Forest, we got onto one of those old expansion joint roads. Slowed down to 45. After about 30 minutes noticed some black debris coming from under the rig in the rear view mirrors. Pulled off the road at the first safe spot to investigate. Found the doorside front tire shredded and wrapped around the axle. Never felt or heard anything. Good Sam ERS to the rescue and back on the road in about an hour. We're still running the original tires on our '06, the Karrier LoadStars.
Does anyone think we could have a case for a new tire since they were 3 years old and still plenty of tread? We kept the carcass just in case. Does anyone have a good number to call? Our internet access is very limited right now.
Good news was it didn't tear up the fender, just a small section of the aluminum skirt underneath.
Something to watch for if you get someone else to change the tire. I'd already checked the pressure in the spare before the mechanic got there and knew it needed about 40 lbs more. He filled it using his gauge. I checked before he took off and my gauge showed 140 psi. I aired down and rechecked with 2 gauges - both agreed. Finally, his gauge agreed at 110. 2 calls to ERS on the same afternoon would not have been fun.

 

[Delaine and Lindy]

Sorry to hear about your tire failure. I recomend you get a Pressure Pro System. If you had a Pressure Pro System you would have been warned of loss of Air pressure. Your very lucky that you didn't have more damage to the 5er. Good Luck... GBY....

 

[jpmorgan37]

I will second Lindy's recommendation on Pressure Pro. It could pay for itself in one slow leak.

John

 

[jmgratz]

You might check out the Doran Tire Pressure Monitoring System. Doran used to make the Pressure Pro until they sold it to make their own system. The Doran system has a few more features and is about 25 dollars less to buy. I have one and love it. It has saved me a number of times. Check out both before you make up your mind. They are both good systems and operate very similarily.

 

[ChopperBill]

Pressure pro would be nice but the first thing I would do is dump the Loadstars and get some Michelin's. Forget about warranty just get rid of e'm. My Loadstars were off a year after I bought the trailer.

 

[lrmike]

Tire pressure is the number one cause of tire failure, but we already knew that. It would be rare to say the least if you get any sort of warranty from a tire failed in this manner. After over 20 years in auto and truck repair, in my experience if a tire has failed to the point of shredding it was due to low air pressure which causes the tire sidewalls to overheat and fatigue then separate like a zipper opening up. At any sort of speed it doesn't take long to totally shred.
I'm pretty uptight about the tires - I check them on the truck and 5vr before every move and monitor the tire and wheel temps at every stop. A tire pressure system for the rig is high on my list of wants, but for now the old fashioned way is working good for me.

 

[Pulltab]

LOL! The pressure pro is a must but before you invest in that buy some good tires! You don't want another loadstar. You are lucky to have gotten this much time out of them. I took mine off the same week we bought the rv.

 

[fhollan]

HappyKayakers: About how many miles did you place on the Loadstars??

Mine is also a 06 model which came with Missions. I have to stay with the same size tires due to a bracket on the street side slideout. One size bigger like Michelens (80 to 85) would place it to close to the bracket. So I'm looking at Maxxis.

Glad you kept the damage to a minimum.

 

[Niles]

Going back to your question regarding warrenty, being the cheap guy that I am, I would give it a try. I had a six year old Goodyear come apart on my pick-up a few years ago, didn't really expect anything, but my dealer said bring it in, which I did. Goodyear paid over $2500 to repair the truck and replace the tire. So IMO doesn't hurt to try. And yes I still run Goodyears on everything, I have 62 Goodyears on the ground right now and when the tires that came on my Dodge wear down it will be 6 more. Good luck.

 

[vangoes]

I currently have approx. 12,000 miles on my Loadstars and 2.5 years. I currently run with a Pressure Pro and I will say that I have never had to add any air except for the climate adjustments from summer to winter.

 

[leftyf]

T
I'm pretty uptight about the tires - I check them on the truck and 5vr before every move and monitor the tire and wheel temps at every stop.

Being uptight to the point of paranoia is OK!

My truck has built in tire monitoring...and before this thing rolls out, it will have tire monitoring on it too.

I've been rv'ing a long time and have never had a blowout in a parking lot, alongside a wide shoulder on a road, by a wide esplanade, or anything remotely resembling a safe spot to repair my problem.

And, having monitoring equipment installed is still no guarantee that you won't have a blow out.

Just make sure you have some good road side service, a decent credit card to buy a new tire, and the fortitude to continue on with your vacation.

If I have a flat, I can promise you that it is going to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

I have had this rv for nearly a year. The only mileage on the tires is from where it was brought in from out of state. So, according to the papers, they have 1858 miles on them...and when I throw them into a dumpster they will have 1863.

I budget for new tires on my RV for every two years...whether they need it or not.

 

[Handy]

I had checked all my tires last year before I took off for the summer and all looked good. My tires was 1 1/2 years old with maybe 8000 miles on them. I took off and had one go out in north FL. Changed it and put my extra spare on the failed tire rim. The next day I was in NC and the second one went out. Changed that one and looked at the other two. Well I prayed for the next 16 miles getting to our campground. The other two had big crackes in the tread and sides. A long story short. I went to the goodyear 614 tires. They are 14 ply with 6 year warrantee.

 

[fhollan]

Frans
I currently have approx. 12,000 miles on my Loadstars and 2.5 years. I currently run with a Pressure Pro and I will say that I have never had to add any air except for the climate adjustments from summer to winter.

Vangoes: So far I've been lucky with these tires. First, I'm not a fulltimer, so the tires are not exposed continuously to the weather elements. Second, I keep the unit in a enclosed building. We go out several times during the year and the tires are checked for proper inflation and for cracks, bubbles, etc. before we pull out, and during rest stops. And we don't overload. So far, so good! (Knock on wood). Maybe that's the reason they've lasted. I don't think I've got that many miles on them as you do, but not to far off.

So I better quit or my luck will run out. LOL

 

[HappyKayakers]

To all the folks who suggested a tire monitoring system - I hear you. I was just looking at the nvision wireless system before this trip.
That tire may have been punctured on the road. I checked the pressure in the other 3 tires about 10 minutes after pulling over - all were at 115 psi.
Not sure exactly how many miles are on the tires. Florida to South Carolina to Texas to South Dakota to Indiana to Florida to New York to Florida, with a few side trips thrown in for chuckles.

 

[jmgratz]

By the way Discount Tire has a tire monitoring system where the sensor mounts inside the tire. The way I understand their system you must replace the sensor periodically. Both the Doran and Pressure Pro use a sensor that mounts replaces the valve stem cap. In that system it is easy to remove the sensor if you are parked or not using the system or move it from one vehicle to another. Just a thought...

 

[RVFun4Us]

Took our Mission tires off a month after buying our 3055 and put on the Michelin Ribs. Dealer gave us $50 for each Mission so received some compensation for them. I check air pressure before each trip and keep the Ribs at 80 psi. Never have had a problem. Just a better feeling having the China-made tires gone after hearing some of the nightmares from other owners.