Blew a tire at highway speed

[snydzy]

Recently returned from trip down to Kentucky Lake. On the way down, noticed a blister appear on the rear right trailer tire, so, stopped at a gas station and had my best "NASCAR " moment with the tire being changed in about 6 or 7 min. (Wife was proud!) Put the blistered tire on the spare tire mount, muttering about how ugly that looked. All was well, the week went fast, reluctantly loaded the tug, and started the 8 hr journey home. Halfway between Evansville and Indianapolis (no man's land), I heard what sounded like a shotgun blast, and saw the front left trailer tire shredding into pieces at about 65 MPH. Scared the hell out of me! Didn't lose control, everything tracked straight, slowed down and headed for the berm. What a mess... the tire beat the hell out of my fender, but the tug was alright, and I did have that blistered spare! This tire wasn't so easy to change, because the blowout allowed the sprung axle to drop, so the Trailer Aid ramp wouldn't lift the axle high enough to put the old tire on. I was able to use the truck jack to get enough lift to get the spare back on. Wasn't pretty, but would get me to the next town. Saturday afternoon about 4:00 PM.... and everybody was closed. Managed to get to Walmart, but no trailer tires that size... no light truck tires either....15" rims are extinct in the truck industry. Ended up buying a passenger tire because it fit and I needed to get home.
No moral here, but a lesson learned. The following week, 4 new tires went on my trailer. My rig is 2013, but the tire DOT tire dates were 2012. 4 yrs old, looked great...accidents ready to happen! I did upgrade from a "D" to an "E", but I stayed with the ST tires and I will put new ones on in 3 years. Cheap insurance!...I'll keep that fender as a reminder..!p

 

[knotflying]

I have come to the conclusion that 3 years is the time to change tires. I just bought Maxiss tires for my rig before our round trip from Florida to the PNW. Close to 8,000 no issues. The Maxiss had pretty good reviews. Time will tell. I also keep the tires inflated to the recommended rating and usually stay 65 MPH or lower except when passing. When the trailer is stored I keep the tires covered and every few weeks move the trailer a little to have it rest in a different spot on the tire.

 

[snydzy]

I realize now that that there was a warning with the blister on the first tire.... probably all the tires had reached their service life at that point. I was also lucky it was the left side and not the driver side... A good roadside emergency kit can't be under emphasized here!! I couldn't imagine having to change a tire on the drivers side along a stretch of guard rails and my backside exposed to big rigs blowing by at 75 MPH ! Believe me, it's wasn't fun and I was on the other side!
Knotflying, I had read on an earlier post you carried two spares, and thought at the time it was overkill....not so much anymore....

 

[knotflying]

Hey, it was a good thing I had two. Once I had two flats at the same time and both flats were from different issues. Besides the two spares I carry two fully assembled hubs greased and ready to go and a spare axle spindle. I was a Boy Scout, "Be Prepared!" Roam had three blowouts on one trip. Once one tire goes like that it is a good indicator that the others, if the same vintage, will be going as well.

 

[JamesTXSD]

We had one blowout in the many thousands of miles we have trailered boats. The road service guy who came out to change the tire (Boat US Trailering is a great, inexpensive option) said that two things are a killer on trailer tires: speed and heat. Trailer tires are generally not rated for speeds above 65 mph. He said that "60 is better - that extra 5 mph generates a lot of heat."

Judging by all the vehicles towing that blow by us, a lot of people disregard that advice.

He also said that most trailer tires aren't built to the same quality at car/truck tires, and he recommended changing them out at 3 years. (For the record, he was from a towing service - didn't sell tires.) Also said that it was rare he saw a trailer tire make it to the point that the tread was worn out - they come apart from within.

Later that year, we had a blowout while towing the 5th wheel RV we had at the time. Different road service guy, same advice. Both the boat trailer tires and the 5th wheel tires were between 3 and 4 years old at the time.

When towing, we make it a point to regularly check tire pressure... and at each stop, I check hub and tire temperatures with an IR thermometer.

 

[Brian B]

2 thumbs up on carrying 2 spare tires.. gives you piece of mind after that first flat.

 

[snydzy]

Like everything else in life, you need to know where to draw the line... At some point I have to trust my equipment. The argument " be prepared" is great, but how far do you want to take it? Obviously carrying 4 spares would be optimum, but not really practical. A single spare with 4 NEW trailer tires is sound. Carrying 2 spares with three year old trailer tires makes sense to me (now)....been there! What to carry as "insurance" for possible hazards we might encounter, is all about risk assessment. I don't carry an extra prop on my boat...the idea I might lose one may be possible,...but the probability is extremely low (I'm referring to the type of boating I do). I learn as I go,.. and I like listening to the advise of others. Their experiences are valuable. I can assess, deliberate, and then decide if such advise would be good for me. Our situations are all different...and having a venue such as this is great thing! Thanks to all who share their advise and experiences on this forum!!

 

[Scuffy]

We blew two of our four Chinese radial ST tires on our way to the west coast. One near Idaho Falls when it was only 45 degrees out. I had just checked air pressures in all four tires before getting underway a half hour before. Then we bought a spare Coeur d' Alene Id. Les Swab did not handle Michelin tires or I would have replaced all the trailer's tires then and there. Then the next day near Moses Lake Wa. we blew a second tire different side and on a different axle. It occurred in 100 degree heat running 65 mph. Game over bought four new XPS ribbed radials load range E. Thank God we had 16" rims. I gave the remaining trailer tires that we had removed to the tire guy. No fender damage. The new tires seemed to handle better and they seemed to run cooler as they have deeper grooves between the ribs. We made it the rest of the way out and back without incident. I have Michelins on the truck also which mainly just used to pull the boat. It's a 2009 with less than 80,000 miles. We have other vehicles we use as daily drivers. The original Bridgestone radials were changed after five years due to tread wear. I have no faith in ST tires. If the Michelins fail I'll not hide the fact. I can do without the speed restriction anyway. As long as the Michelins have decent tread I intend to run them till they blow.

 

[scross]

I agree with Dave.
After towing heavy boat and cargo trailers for 60,000+ miles across the Western USA over the past four decades with occasional tire blisters, tire blowouts, tread delaminations and other interesting events, I will not put ST tires on any trailer I own.
I like the Michelin LT XPS RIB tires and have never had a problem with any one of them in 30,000+ miles of use. That said, my new boat trailer came with off brand LT tires and they will be replaced at the 3 year mark with Michelin LT XPS RIBs.
If your wheel size prevents putting on a properly rated LT tire and your only option is an ST tire, the Maxxis ST M8008 seems to be the best of that ilk IMHO.

 

[knotflying]

Like everything else in life, you need to know where to draw the line... At some point I have to trust my equipment. The argument " be prepared" is great, but how far do you want to take it? Obviously carrying 4 spares would be optimum, but not really practical. A single spare with 4 NEW trailer tires is sound. Carrying 2 spares with three year old trailer tires makes sense to me (now)....been there! What to carry as "insurance" for possible hazards we might encounter, is all about risk assessment. I don't carry an extra prop on my boat...the idea I might lose one may be possible,...but the probability is extremely low (I'm referring to the type of boating I do). I learn as I go,.. and I like listening to the advise of others. Their experiences are valuable. I can assess, deliberate, and then decide if such advise would be good for me. Our situations are all different...and having a venue such as this is great thing! Thanks to all who share their advise and experiences on this forum!!

As long as you have plenty of time and extra money, carrying extra parts isn't necessary. I carry a spare prop also. I cruise sandy areas most of the time. I was coming to a dock and the wind got me and low and behold a rock headed right for my prop. I was still boating 2 hours later while 2 weeks later my reconditioned prop was returned. Denny-O (Levitation) had to wait 3 days for his axle spindle to be repaired while he was at a truck stop. It is all about what one can endure. And then there are those times you just don't have the part needed! Fortunately, it hasn't happened to me yet. 😀

 

[snydzy]

Knotflying, ...you keep moving my line!

 

[knotflying]

Knotflying, ...you keep moving my line!

😀 My wife says I have enough parts to build another tug. I say, "When our impeller goes having an extra pair of shoes just won't get us home."

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

Well it could Mike, but it would be a long walk or swim! Extra parts, when needed, can safe time and money.

Jim