Blow out in Spain (1 Viewer)

OddSocks

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Scary!

I was feeling a bad vibration and talked to my wife about it - I wondered if it was the road surface. We agreed it might be that. We went through a slow tunnel then sped up again, and the vibration returned. "This is not right, I am going to slow down and pull in to the next parking place we find and check things out!" said I! I started slowing and changed down to 4th and a split second later the rear right tire blew out. We were going at about 50mph up hill on a 2 lane motorway! Luckily I knew what to do, (THANK YOU BEV http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/tyre-blow-out-on-a-motorway.22940/) and after a pretty wild few seconds got us safely to a stop on the side of the road. Nightmare! We got our fluro vests on, put out the emergency triangles and called the police for help. Of course this is Spain so we got no police and little help. But a passing camper van stopped and helped us, the guy was so nice, he even called our UK based breakdown cover people from his mobile phone for us, and used his GPS to give them directions to where we were. Then it was an hour long wait for a truck which couldn't get us on the back, so we had to change the wheel there on the side of the motorway! The recovery guy didn't have the right tools, but lucky I did. But once we got the old one off we could not lift the van high enough to get the new one on! Any way, long story short we got off the motorway by abut 5:30 - over 4 hours after the blow out. Drove down in to Laredo and found a hotel. That was yesterday! Today we are in Hoznayo where I found a garage large enough to look at the problems. We have fixed the breaks which were binding as the hand break line and the foot break line were both bent. (The tread of the tire had detached completely and wrapped itself around the axle) For some reason they moved the spare tire on to the the original wheel rim? We are waiting until tomorrow for a new tire to be delivered so we can continue with a new spare on the back!
I have spent this afternoon doing other repairs. The feeder pipe and the drain tap on the fresh water tank were both ripped out, and I could only find the pipe not the tap. At least I had that - and would you believe that directly opposite this very hotel I am sitting in now, there is a gardening tools shop. So I grabbed a couple of new jubilee clips and have reattached the feed pipe. I begged a cork from the bar downstairs and with silicon sealant from the same shop over the road I have bunged up the whole left by the missing drain tap. That will do for now!
So we are both fine, unharmed, not even a scratch! We are having another night in a hotel tonight while we wait for the tire. It is lovely here, couldn't wish for a more beautiful place to be holed up!

Where I found the tread:

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Point of failure:

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Puddleduck

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So glad you are safe. We had a sudden deflation of a tyre in France when a valve blew out. It's very frightening.
 

mikebeaches

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Good grief - glad you are OK, and sounds like you are getting everything sorted. But it must have been a scare.

Hope you'll soon be back on the road with everything fixed.

Mike

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Feb 24, 2013
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To complement a raft of threads on tyres, it would be useful to know the manufactured date from the tyre wall

You really would like to think that kind of damage could not happen to a new (ish) tyre
 

DuxDeluxe

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To complement a raft of threads on tyres, it would be useful to know the manufactured date from the tyre wall

You really would like to think that kind of damage could not happen to a new (ish) tyre
Thanks - exactly the question I was going to ask
 

irnbru

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I can imagine the fright you mustve got but glad no one was hurt. What causes blow outs?

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vwalan

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hi. glad your sorted of sorts .
regarding thre jacking up . its usually best to drive the flat tyre on to a block of wood to give it a bit more hieght . then also put the jack on another block of wood . then you should get enough hieght to put a blown up spare on . .
its always worth practicing at home before you need it all .
most coach builts are like this . mind very often van/car jacks dont seem to lift a flat tyred vehicle hiogh enough to fit the spare .
but lets hope you get fixed properly .
look for a leroy merlin or somewhere for another tap etc . spain is full of good old fashioned iron mongers that sell lots of things that seem hard to find here in uk.
 
Nov 30, 2009
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I'm glad your both ok. How scary for you.
Who'd have thought when I put that post a few years ago , that it would stick in your mind. So it worked , posting it. For at least one Motorhome owner.
Let's hope some more people see it now and remember. It goes against all your instincts doesn't it? Hope we never have to do it.

Your tyre looks a right mess btw. Hope you've not kept it to get it repaired :wink:
Here's the link again
 

Monman

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Glad you were ok.I had Tyron bands fitted on all 4 road wheels of my 4 tonne camper a few years ago,also steel valves.

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PP Bear

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Wow oddsocks, we're all so glad you're both ok and thank goodness it's minimal damage to the van too :whew:

Can you tell us all a bit more details regarding the tyre, like how old was it, how many miles it had covered, the make and what pressure you run it at :talking:

Lots of questions I know, but there's lots of posts on here regarding tyre running pressures and Tyron bands etc and would be useful to all the tyre spotters like myself ::bigsmile:

Thanks and safe onward journey :smiley:(y)
 

PP Bear

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Glad you were ok.I had Tyron bands fitted on all 4 road wheels of my 4 tonne camper a few years ago,also steel valves.
Hi Monman, I only posted details reg Tyron Bands earlier today (y)

http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/motorhome-tyre-blowout.89524/#post-1064306

'Twas met with sceptical answers ref useage and possible rust :rolleyes:

Can I ask how much they were, who fitted them, have you had new tyres fitted since having them and lastly, do you know if they've rusted badly as suggested in the replies to my post :nerd:

Also are they fitted to all 4 wheels, or just the front steering wheels :)

Many tanks ::bigsmile:
 
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OddSocks

OddSocks

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Don't have much info on the tire I'm afraid. They were on the van wen I purchased it in April. I looked on the side wall for a date but could not find one - where is it? Is it in code? Maybe i just missed it due to the stress I was under!

I have done about 2500 miles on on these tires. I had them all inspected before I left the UK about 3 weeks, and 1400 miles ago at the same time the van was MOT'd.

Yes, it was terrifying. The most horrendous noise and it almost felt like we were bouncing down the road. At first I felt like I was driving on ice, had no control what so ever! Then I just floored it, and it all came together and I slowed her down and managed to pull over. Miraculous! I was shaking like a leaf after though, as was my wife! So so scary!

And then I saw water running all over the road and was thinking "what the hell sort of damage has happened here?!"
What a day!

Thanks for the support everyone! :)

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Carol

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:smiley:Oh Oddsocks just caught up with this, so scary, relieved you are both safe and sound, hope you get sorted out quickly.
 

MikeD

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upload_2014-7-23_21-29-38.jpeg


Usually looks like this. 1st two numbers are the week in the year, 2nd two numbers are the year.

Pleased you are both ok. (y)(y)
 
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OddSocks

OddSocks

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Thanks Mike D.

I don't have the tire now, but I am assuming it is the same age as the one other drive wheel, which is exactly the same make and model. It is dated 1110. I have checked back over the old MOT certs and I can see it as done approx 22000 miles.

The spare which is now on was made in 2011 and I have no idea if it has ever been o the road before.

The two front tires are odd - one is a Marshal with the same 1110 date, the other is some name I don't remember dated 0110

All are, including the blow out, very heavily treaded and looked to my untrained eyes to be in good condition.

If I had know one could do checks like this I would have done them before I started out!

Should I replace ALL my tires? :eek:

Also, could speed be an issue with the blow out? I have on the rare occasion exceeded 60mph on these tires?

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mariner

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The cause for tread separation you experienced, could be down to a botched puncture repair in the past.
If contaminants get into the steel chord area the steel expands as it corrodes and pushes the tread away from the casing.

Tyres are built up in different layers and then vulcanised to mould them all together.

:cooler:
 

PP Bear

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The rule of thumb for camper tyres is usually 5 years.

I recently changed all 4 of mine as when I brought my van she had the original tyres on, dated 2005. It had only covered 11000 miles and the tread was like new, but the dreaded side walls were excessively cracked and I didn't want a blowout, hence I changed all 4.

From what you say, then all your tyres are less than the 5 years, however there's no telling how the sidewalls are and if they're cracked or not. Excessive sunlight and the fact that our vans sit static is what causes the cracking, so check your side walls, both inside the tyre and out. I know it means crawling under with a torch to have a look and do it with the motorhome on the ground, so that the tyres are taking the weight of the vehicle. That way you can make a judgement as to the overall condition.

They do normally tell you on the MOT if there are signs of cracking. It could also have just been rotten bad luck that you had the blowout and may have possibly run something over in the road. Just look what a piece of metal and a blowout did to the concord, so it does happen.

Safe driving Oddsocks and keep us updated :)
 
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OddSocks

OddSocks

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Thanks guys.

We had her MOT'd the week before we departed. I did inspect the tires and do regularly, and there is no sign of any side wall problems on any of them.

Guess it's just one of those things huh?

Well, the replacement tire will be here this afternoon and fitted by the end of the day, I am told. We are of course in Spain, we have been told they take lunch from 1 to 3:30 pm, so not realistically expecting to get back on the road until tomorrow morning now. I expect we can manage one more night in the hotel! ;)

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mariner

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Re my last post it would seem that looking closely at the pics, these were not Steel Radials so contamination may not be the reason for separation.
A classic look before you post.:doh:

Marshall are cheap tyres and you get what you pay for I guess.

I would replace them with a better quality tyre if I were you.

:cooler:
 

4matt

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Good to know you managed to control the van and have taken the whole episode in your stride. This thread has taken me outside to check my tyres and I have seven year olds on all round and some cracking to side walls, so thanks for your post. I maybe wouldn't have taken the time to give them more than a quick glance otherwise. We have only had our van 18 months and never even considered the tyre age. The guy who owned it before us kept meticulous records of everything he changed and replaced, he owned the van for 10 years, I never noticed there were no records for new tyres in the box file handed over by the dealer.

Thank you for this thread, and thanks for re-posting the Video about how to deal with sudden deflation of a tyre.

When you think about it tyres are probably the most vital thing to keep in good order, yet most people just take them for granted. How often do most people check the pressures? Not often probably. How often do people check for wear and tear? Less often is my guess.
 
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Found one of my rear tyres flat (MH stationary in storage luckily). The rubber valve had split lengthways. These tyres were new last year and have done less than 5,000 miles. Called the AA and all done but I asked the AA man, and the chap at the tyre company that fixed it, if I should have steel valves (rear axle load is around 2.5 tons), and both said no, which surprised me. I don't know whether it has anything to do with the alloy wheels.

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PP Bear

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[QUOTE="How often do most people check the pressures? Not often probably. How often do people check for wear and tear? Less often is my guess.[/QUOTE]
Have you thought about putting a set of these on your motorhome. I have a set on mine and my car. They're brilliant and really accurate too :)

Probably had mine on well over a year now. The ones on the car blinked every once in a while, until I replaced all 4 tyres :)

The ones on the motorhome never have. I even got slightly paranoid so checked the pressure and they were exactly the same as when I fitted the monitors all that time ago. Shows that the tyres are actually 100% sealed and no air loss at all :)

I thought them expensive when I first looked, but actually they're worth every single penny, for the peace of mind and the fact that I don't need to get dirty and check them before each journey. A quick look tells me all is well :)

Well recommended. Think Jim still sells them :)

http://www.tyrepressurealarm.com
 
Apr 28, 2013
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:RollEyes:I have hesitated through shame to reply to this post.I have had my current motorhome a 2000 Chausson Welcome for the last three years.
As an apprenticed motor mechanic in my youth,checked it thoroughly after purchase,changed all oils and filters,brake pads that were separating from the backplates through lack of use,wheel bearings etc.
The van has done less than 100k Kms so less than 60 thou miles in its life.
Checked the tyres,all Michelin Agilis Camping,date on the fronts were 07,all had loads of tread and just a little cracking on the walls of the rears.
A chum who is a tyre fitter said they are ok,Michelins do that.
Over the last two years the van has had little to no use as I have had two bouts of fairly major surgery.
Recently feeling a bit better planned a trip and started to clean and checked the van.
Looked very closely at the tyres,particularly the rears and could not believe marked 0799!!!!
Shock horror they were the originals put on the van from new.I changed them immediately of course.
So please,please double check that few extra minutes checking them all could save a major mishap.
 

Chris

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I had a rear wheel blow out two years ago.

Those tyres were about 2 years old with about 10k on them.

Funnily enough the tyre that failed never looked right to me even though it was the correct pressure.
 

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