Blew my first tire last week

[dwood443]

I'm both stupid and very lucky. Stupid me as I have been building my bus but not paying attention to the old tires. Mostly because I figured I'd worry about it later when I really started to hit the road, but also because I forgot

My pre-check includes just about everything including thumping the inside rear tires so make sure still inflated. When I bought my bus the school put some old tires on it and said "these will get you home" And here almost 15 months later I've put only about 150 miles on her. but I'd forgotten all about the tires.

So, I jump on the highway to pick up my brother last monday. Picked him up and jumped on the highway again. Then 5 miles of side roads to a local flea market here. On the way home I decide to take the back way. Just as I got on a minor highway the rear drivers outside tire blew. And boy what a bang!

So the tire was still on the rim so I turned on the flashers and limped it back home. kept it about 10mph cause I never did this before. Once home I pulled off the tire and saw the inside tire was dry rotted with many cracks. Honestly I was afraid to even look at it.

I have mentioned I get a discount at Goodyear but the cheapest tires were 465 plus tax so I checked a local bus scrap yard. And yes he had 4 used drive tires on rims for $95 each. I checked them out and they were Goodyear brand with Goodyear retreads. The casing were made in 2016 and the recaps done in 2018.

So, please listen to others here and check the dates on your tires. And if older tires look closely for dry rot and cracks near the rims.

And my steer tires were made in 2017 and in great condition.

[rossvtaylor]

Thank you for sharing and for this reminder, for others, to check tire pressures and do a visual and manual (run your hands over the tires, inside and out) inspection of their tires. Underinflation is a leading cause of tire failure, even in new tires, so everyone should make sure they have a proper gauge capable of checking dually tires. That gauge isn't available at most auto parts stores, but any truck stop has them.

Glad you're okay and, again, thanks for sharing your experience!

[cadillackid]

ive put new tires on every bus ive gotten.. the red one had great 3 year old tires when i got it so i left them.. but in 2019 it got new tiresas they were down to about 25-30% tread..


fortunately ive had zero issues with tires .. ill thump the tires if im just driving around town but if im going on any kind of trip wherei m on the highway for 50 miles or more then they also get pressure checked.. rarely do i have anything other than seasonal air pressure adjustments.. but I did have a valve stem seal get a slow leak.. the thump seemed the same on that tire but when i checked it, there was near 100 psi in the outer tire and a bit less than 80 in the other.. no idea if that was enough where it couldve been an issue but I was driving on a long trip.. pumped it up and then had the core changed at a Love's truck stop..


I may have spent a lot of $$ on tires but no one has spent any $$ on my funeral...

[dwood443]

I’ve also kept up on my tire pressure checking. And the tire “looked” fine to me, no noticeable cracks or issues. But once I got it off I saw issues in the inside and the inner tire

[Oldyeller]

It's good that you shared this. It brings attention to an important subject.

I have to get at least 2 rear tires before I can hit the road this fall.