Tire blew out on the highway

[s2mikon]

Just for some perspective, I have been working on trucks and heavy equipment and driving heavy trucks since I was 18 and I'm in my 70's now. In that time I have had more than a few rear tires blow out and it is just a loud bang and a lot of dust and crap that flies around. If you didn't put important stuff behind the tires without protection you'll be fine. Front tires are a different kettle of fish. If you are not changing tire size just buy 2 at a time untill you get them all replaced. You won't need to rotate them for a long time if ever. Most over the road trucks never rotate tires because they run steer tires on the front and drive tires on the rear. Most high end coachs run larger front tires than they do on the rear. Different sizes front and rear is common.

 

[DJTM]

Ok cool, I'm not sure how large I can go but I wouldn't mind riding on bigger tires.

 

[Stovebolt-SKO]

Back to actually changing the tire ... As an 18-wheeler driver for an excavating company, I've had to change plenty of big truck tires. I started old school and then went to a tool similar to this set:

Easy big tire changing tool set

There are several brands out there, the one I've shown is merely for illustration. Lots of U-Tube videos out there to show you how to use it. It REALLY makes changing a big tire easy. And for those still doing it old school -- it truly is a game changer.

Before you attempt a tire change, there are some good videos online to walk you through the big truck tire change. Like a little wheel and tire, it make a difference which side you start with (dish up or dish down). Things go a lot easier if you start with the correct side.

As for tire lube -- yes, you can get the actual tire lube in a bucket that comes with a brush ... but if you're only doing it very infrequently, I've found plain ole dish soap works good, too.

Just remember to make sure your wheel is clean with no rust or dirt in the bead contact area. Clean the wheel thoroughly. Make sure there's no water or other liquids in the new tire before you mount it.

Balancing -- a lot of folks use truck tire balancing beads. Just make sure you use the ones packaged for your tire size (not ones for a car or pickup). I've used them.

And to footstomp what was said above -- don't go cheap on your steers.

 

[s2mikon]

11R22.5 ride a little smoother than the low pro type. Greyhound bus lines used to use 12r22.5 years ago for a smoother ride and extra load.

 

[DJTM]

Back to actually changing the tire ... As an 18-wheeler driver for an excavating company, I've had to change plenty of big truck tires. I started old school and then went to a tool similar to this set:

Easy big tire changing tool set

There are several brands out there, the one I've shown is merely for illustration. Lots of U-Tube videos out there to show you how to use it. It REALLY makes changing a big tire easy. And for those still doing it old school -- it truly is a game changer.

Before you attempt a tire change, there are some good videos online to walk you through the big truck tire change. Like a little wheel and tire, it make a difference which side you start with (dish up or dish down). Things go a lot easier if you start with the correct side.

As for tire lube -- yes, you can get the actual tire lube in a bucket that comes with a brush ... but if you're only doing it very infrequently, I've found plain ole dish soap works good, too.

Just remember to make sure your wheel is clean with no rust or dirt in the bead contact area. Clean the wheel thoroughly. Make sure there's no water or other liquids in the new tire before you mount it.

Balancing -- a lot of folks use truck tire balancing beads. Just make sure you use the ones packaged for your tire size (not ones for a car or pickup). I've used them.

And to footstomp what was said above -- don't go cheap on your steers.

Thank you for this information sir!

 

[DJTM]

11R22.5 ride a little smoother than the low pro type. Greyhound bus lines used to use 12r22.5 years ago for a smoother ride and extra load.

What's the largest size you think I could get away with?

 

[s2mikon]

12R22.5's are like spotted unicorns now and have been replaced with 295/80r 22.5. That's probably too big. 11r22.5 should fit the front and rear just fine. This is a box truck right? Some handy buses had flat floor and that is not possible.

 

[DJTM]

12R22.5's are like spotted unicorns now and have been replaced with 295/80r 22.5. That's probably too big. 11r22.5 should fit the front and rear just fine. This is a box truck right? Some handy buses had flat floor and that is not possible.

Yessir, here's a few pics:

 

[s2mikon]

11r22.5 is about 41.5 inches in diameter so with a tape you can find out real fast what will hit. 245 75 r 22.5 is about 37.5. So 3 inches or 1.5 in radius. This will also affect your gearing about 10%. If the speedometer says 50 you will be going 55. Measure carefully. Measure twice cut once.

 

[DJTM]

11r22.5 is about 41.5 inches in diameter so with a tape you can find out real fast what will hit. 245 75 r 22.5 is about 37.5. So 3 inches or 1.5 in radius. This will also affect your gearing about 10%. If the speedometer says 50 you will be going 55. Measure carefully. Measure twice cut once.

Cool, understood. Thank you for the info sir.