Tire blew out on the highway

[DJTM]

Hey y'all. I bought my truck used almost 7 years ago and I neglected to properly take care of my tires (never rotated them or even inspected them). No surprise one finally blew out, but I wanted to know if anyone here has experience changing these kind of tires?

 

[s2mikon]

You will need some tire irons and a way to refill and seat the tire. I have used these before. https://www.zoro.com/haltec-bead-seater-225-245-tc-70/i/G0851720/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=surfaces&utm_campaign=shopping%20feed&utm_content=free%20google%20shopping%20clicks&campaignid=21427645566&productid=G0851720&v=&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21427651575&gbraid=0AAAAADw3hZeoNTO1ibyyfeqZFCy1ikO1g&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwaHJ8r38kQMV_VJ_AB0VJxHAEAQYAiABEgI_nfD_BwE
Also get some tire mounting lube.

 

[DJTM]

I've been trying to find the tires but I've been told they don't make the size that I have anymore: 245/75 r22.5. What would be a good alternative?

 

[Tejon7]

245/75 r22.5 is definitely still made. Are there multiple tire shops in your area? If so, definitely worth calling the next guys down the road...

Tacoma world has a good tire size comparison tool if you do decide to change sizes:

235/80-R22.5 vs 245/75-R22.5 Tire Comparison - Tire Size Calculator | Tacoma World

245/75-R22.5 tires are 0.33 inches (8.5 mm) smaller in diameter than 235/80-R22.5 tires and the speedometer difference is 0.9%

www.tacomaworld.com

 

[DJTM]

245/75 r22.5 is definitely still made. Are there multiple tire shops in your area? If so, definitely worth calling the next guys down the road...

Tacoma world has a good tire size comparison tool if you do decide to change sizes:

235/80-R22.5 vs 245/75-R22.5 Tire Comparison - Tire Size Calculator | Tacoma World

245/75-R22.5 tires are 0.33 inches (8.5 mm) smaller in diameter than 235/80-R22.5 tires and the speedometer difference is 0.9%

www.tacomaworld.com

Ahhhh nice tool, thanks for sharing that. I've mainly been looking online but the prices are higher than I expected. One of the guys that I spoke to yesterday said it would be fine for me to go with the cheaper Chinese made tires since I'm not carrying heavy loads. If I could fing brand new tires for under $200 each that would be ideal. So far the two guys I spoke with quoted me $1700 to change all the tires. One of them offers mobile services too. I forgot to ask what brand of tires they were though.

 

[s2mikon]

Here in the oil fields we use a lot of Chinese truck tires. Why? Price. Most of our tire failures are from I-D-10-T's running over things they are not supposed to run over like hunks of metal in the roads, cattle guard side rails and large rocks. On steer tires if they don't demolish them running over crap they wear out faster than good tires do. They do blow out more often and wreck a lot of equipment in the process, but they like them for the price. As to what Chinese brand? They are all the same. The sidewall ratings are NOT to be relied upon because none are used on any of the heavy haul trucks or trailers. They pop! We also use class c busses for work crews and you won't find them there either.
I personally bought first line tires (Continental) for my front tires on my bus and bought Chinese for the rear. On my boring truck I bought Chinese tires all around because it is governed at 60mph. Front blowouts can be either an inconvenience or a catastrophe. I have had 3 on trucks I was driving 2 were an inconvenience and one was very very close to a catastrophe. That's my 2 cents.

 

[ewo1]

Don't use cheap chinese tires on the front/steers!

Do yourself a big favor and run quality tires on the front. I myself use Bridgestones.

You can get away with using Chinese on the rear.

 

[Tejon7]

Ahhhh nice tool, thanks for sharing that. I've mainly been looking online but the prices are higher than I expected. One of the guys that I spoke to yesterday said it would be fine for me to go with the cheaper Chinese made tires since I'm not carrying heavy loads. If I could fing brand new tires for under $200 each that would be ideal. So far the two guys I spoke with quoted me $1700 to change all the tires. One of them offers mobile services too. I forgot to ask what brand of tires they were though.

Tires are pricey, that's for sure. $200 each sounds extremely cheap to me. Heck, $1700 for all six mounted and installed sounds pretty dang cheap. My tires are 11r24.5, so bigger and I'm guessing more expensive in general, but I spent over $3k this year on tires. Not Michelin's, either - I tried to balance budget with names I could pronounce. Toyo for the steers (made in Japan) and Roadmaster for the drives ("designed by Cooper tires in the USA!", but probably made in a back alley in Mogadishu). No blowouts or problems for the first 1000 miles

 

[DJTM]

Here in the oil fields we use a lot of Chinese truck tires. Why? Price. Most of our tire failures are from I-D-10-T's running over things they are not supposed to run over like hunks of metal in the roads, cattle guard side rails and large rocks. On steer tires if they don't demolish them running over crap they wear out faster than good tires do. They do blow out more often and wreck a lot of equipment in the process, but they like them for the price. As to what Chinese brand? They are all the same. The sidewall ratings are NOT to be relied upon because none are used on any of the heavy haul trucks or trailers. They pop! We also use class c busses for work crews and you won't find them there either.
I personally bought first line tires (Continental) for my front tires on my bus and bought Chinese for the rear. On my boring truck I bought Chinese tires all around because it is governed at 60mph. Front blowouts can be either an inconvenience or a catastrophe. I have had 3 on trucks I was driving 2 were an inconvenience and one was very very close to a catastrophe. That's my 2 cents.

Ok I'll put Chinese on the back only, I can't drive faster than 40mph anyway (still can't get out of 3rd). Fortunately my blowout occurred in the far right lane and since I don't drive over 40 I was easily able to maintain control and immediately pull on to the shoulder.

 

[ewo1]

(still can't get out of 3rd).

What's up with your tranny?

 

[Bjorkinman]

Here in the oil fields we use a lot of Chinese truck tires. Why? Price. Most of our tire failures are from I-D-10-T's running over things they are not supposed to run over like hunks of metal in the roads, cattle guard side rails and large rocks. On steer tires if they don't demolish them running over crap they wear out faster than good tires do. They do blow out more often and wreck a lot of equipment in the process, but they like them for the price. As to what Chinese brand? They are all the same. The sidewall ratings are NOT to be relied upon because none are used on any of the heavy haul trucks or trailers. They pop! We also use class c busses for work crews and you won't find them there either.
I personally bought first line tires (Continental) for my front tires on my bus and bought Chinese for the rear. On my boring truck I bought Chinese tires all around because it is governed at 60mph. Front blowouts can be either an inconvenience or a catastrophe. I have had 3 on trucks I was driving 2 were an inconvenience and one was very very close to a catastrophe. That's my 2 cents.

I did the same, put Continentals on the steers and then Ameristeel on the drives. I did not want retreads on the drives - I've been in a semi running 65 and had a cap come apart, ripped the batteries and battery box literally in half. Paid $3700 out the door. With most of my build I've taken the approach to cry once.

Hey, where are you in the oilfields? I running a refined products terminal in Atlanta for the last 10 years.

 

[s2mikon]

The damage I see every time a tire comes apart costs more than the damn tire. Are you working on the Colonial system? I'm in the permian basin. West TX and SE NM. Some of our light crude looks like mountain dew, with bubbles in it.

 

[PorchDog]

Loco Hills? I like riding around in that area of the country and seeing all the production equipment. My wife sometimes has a fit when she sees the Hydrogen Sulfide warning signs. Saw my first belt drive units near Loco Hills-- sure different than the old pump jacks... I have a small Baker and a Jenson pump jack in my shop-- ZC 52 and a FM ZC 118 engines-- way out in Alabama.. Sorry for the thread drift...

 

[s2mikon]

So, to keep this bus related, I never boondock camp out here in the oil patch. Too many bad things to go wrong H2S gas is just one. Gas leaks and fires. 10 Killed as Natural Gas Line Explodes Camping in safe places has to be formost in mind when parking for the night.

 

[PorchDog]

I had read about that many years ago-- talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time...

 

[s2mikon]

I was standing on my front porch when it happened early in the morning getting ready to go to work. I'm less than 20 miles north and could hear, see and feel the explosion. It was sad. My son has a good job now as a pipeline safety person because of new regulations aimed to prevent this from happening again.

 

[DJTM]

What's up with your tranny?

Procrastination. I'm so used to doing 40mph max (I can get up to 55 but it's too much on the turbo's). I need to tear the shifter down and fix what needs fixing, but as this is my only mode of transportation I've been hesitant (don't want to accidentally mess anything up).

 

[DJTM]

I was standing on my front porch when it happened early in the morning getting ready to go to work. I'm less than 20 miles north and could hear, see and feel the explosion. It was sad. My son has a good job now as a pipeline safety person because of new regulations aimed to prevent this from happening again

I can do risky things sometimes myself but I'm learning to be more patient and more cautious. I haven't moved my truck since the blowout even though some have suggested I just take a tire from the inside back and throw it on the front! I'm like dooood, theses tires were used when I bought the truck 6.5 years ago, I'm literally driving on ticking time bombs. I'll do this the right way because I don't want to put your life or the life of your loved one in danger.

 

[nikitis]

It's always been the sites agreed upon solution to go with good tires on front, and can go cheap on the back if you wish. This is also a common recommendation with any truck style vehicle on every site.

Steer blowouts cause bad wrecks, rears not usually.

I myself put on $300 mid-grade steers and they've been excellent. I still have 17 year old rear tires, have used my bus as a haul truck hauling all of my homes belongings back and forth across the city many many times, traveled 1500 miles to Florida, and they are still going strong.

If they are over 10 years they recommend replacing but, I see zero cracks in my rears, and has full tread still so I've chosen to continue using them and it's been no issue. I routinely inspect them because I do expect them to start cracking any day and when they do I'll replace them since they are 17 years old at that point.

 

[DJTM]

It's always been the sites agreed upon solution to go with good tires on front, and can go cheap on the back if you wish. This is also a common recommendation with any truck style vehicle on every site.

Steer blowouts cause bad wrecks, rears not usually.

I myself put on $300 mid-grade steers and they've been excellent. I still have 17 year old rear tires, have used my bus as a haul truck hauling all of my homes belongings back and forth across the city many many times, traveled 1500 miles to Florida, and they are still going strong.

If they are over 10 years they recommend replacing but, I see zero cracks in my rears, and has full tread still so I've chosen to continue using them and it's been no issue. I routinely inspect them because I do expect them to start cracking any day and when they do I'll replace them since they are 17 years old at that point.

One of the main reasons I wanted to change them all was so that when I do rotate them I'll have the same exact tires all with the same miles on them. When the steers need changing I'll just swap with 2 from the rear.

17 years though!! I didn't realize they could even last that long. Unfortunately for me I didn't make sure the tires stayed properly inflated. I added air one time in 2022 right before making the trip from NYC to Houston and then again about 2 months ago. Didn't realize driving on under inflated tires isn't just bad for the mpg's it's also not good for the sidewalks (edit: sidewalls). So now I'm too nervous to even drive on the rears.