MH tyre blow-outs.

[nicholsong]

Nobody likes to suffer a blow-out, but I have noticed that most of them reported on forums seem to be in the rear tyres, which of course is more controllable. We had one 3 years ago and it was no drama to pull onto the hard shoulder and stop in about 70m, from 80kph in road works.

I wonder how many people have had blow-outs in front tyres and how did you cope?

I can understand that rear occurences are probably more frequent as most MHs probably carry more weight aft and at higher pressures, so overheating may be a factor.

What are peoples experiences?

Geoff

 

[ambulancekidd]

I believe that blow outs are incredibly rare, let me explain.
I think modern vehicles have become so cosseting & insulated from the road that many drivers don't spot the classic signs of a puncture.
So its obvious that blow outs do occur, they aren't as common as an ordinary puncture getting to the rim & throwing things into chaos.

 

[WESTY66]

Nothing scientific, but I’ve got a Conti cp camper tyre on rear n/s 118 rating and a Riken C van tyre on opposite side 118 rating also and according to my tyre pal unit the Conti CP camper tyre winds up running higher tp when hot and a higher temp also

 

[1ten]

This was my front tyre at 80mph in T5 camper. Does this count as a blow out?

 

[Bartyfixedit]

This was my front tyre at 80mph in T5 camper. Does this count as a blow out?View attachment 425903View attachment 425904View attachment 425905

No. Carcass overheating due to puncture: The tyre was probably slowly deflating for some miles before the heat due to running at low pressure lead to carcass failure. The photos show that the tyre has run a long time at very low pressure.

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[TheBig1]

Not on the motorhome but had a front tyre explode on the front of a car doing 90+mph The car shook and bounced about and had it not been for a HGV driver in the inside lane seeing it happen and brake to give me space to get to the hard shoulder in one movement, would have been a lot worse. 4 brand new tyres and 2 of them let go within a week. The tyre shop sent them back to the manufacturer and the steel bands had rusted in the carcass, then snapping under load. Replaced without any argument, and they recalled the batch

Not a nice experience though a blowout at speed on a steering tyre. Not something I would ever like to repeat

 

[Guffy60]

Lots of people looking at tyres not worn out, but not thinking that after, 5, 6 or 10 years the carcass has deteriorated and is no longer fit for purpos.

 

[1ten]

No. Carcass overheating due to puncture: The tyre was probably slowly deflating for some miles before the heat due to running at low pressure lead to carcass failure. The photos show that the tyre has run a long time at very low pressure.

The tyre actually deflated very quickly,(T5's have the most sensitive tyre monitors of any car I've had) but you are correct I that I also drove on it. 4 lanes of traffic to get across to the hard shoulder and despite the obvious tyre shredding and hazard lights trying to get through the two lanes of nose to tail HGV's took while.
Changing my trousers took longer than changing the wheel!

 

[TinaLes]

I feel a lot safer driving with both sidewall reinforced camping tyres, and our Tyrepal TPMS system showing the pressures & temps of each individual tyre while driving.
LES

 

[PeteH]

I have never seen anything "official" to support this but I would lay good money that the majority are tyres which are in excess of 5 years old.

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[Stealaway]

Lots of people looking at tyres not worn out, but not thinking that after, 5, 6 or 10 years the carcass has deteriorated and is no longer fit for purpos.

I'm positive that 99% of pumptures in MoHo's is almost always due to (very) old tyres.
Although I remember Lenny being the unlucky one.

 

[1ten]

I'm positive that 99% of pumptures in MoHo's is almost always due to (very) old tyres.
Although I remember Lenny being the unlucky one.

is a pumpture when you inflate it to much and it explodes.

 

[tonyidle]

I lost a front wheel off an Austin J4 people carrier at 65mph in the late '60s. After the initial lurch it stayed steerable (but a bit noisy) for the 100+ yards it took to come to a standstill. I didn't dare brake. I was on a busy single carriageway with a lot of oncoming traffic but it didn't cross the white line. Made quite a mess of the brake drum though. Does that count?

 

[Kybod]

Have experienced both front and rear tyres blowing out, on different occassions. Both as scary as each other but neither was out of control. What i would say, in my experience, is that a rubber valve stem is likely to fail before the tyre.
Mike

 

[jongood]

Blowouts tend to be structural failures of some kind, IMO these are much rarer these days because MOT's are stricter and quality controls are better. The reason rear tyres are more susceptible is that they are in the immediate line of fire for anything thrown up by the front tyres.

My Tyrepal device annoyed me for the first year, throwing up regular false alerts but last month it saved at least a wheel and probably being in a hazardous situation. I was travelling in the roadworks on the M4 so no hard shoulder available and it went off and I could see the pressure going down on the screen. It gave me just enough time to get off at a junction that I would otherwise have passed.

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[EuroTrotters]

2014, we were heading down through Germany on an unrestricted autobahn.

A woman drove passed us at high speed in a Renault Sport Megane. I’m guessing at around 120+ mph.

Suddenly, she almost disappeared under a ball of dust ahead. I put on my hazards and pulled over two lanes to block/slow the traffic . Her rear right tyre had blown and come off the rim.

She didn’t brake and managed to bring the car safely to a standstill on the hard shoulder.

I was super excited and impressed to see it. My co-pilot and passengers could not understand what all the fuss was about.

 

[EuroTrotters]

I feel a lot safer driving with both sidewall reinforced camping tyres, and our Tyrepal TPMS system showing the pressures & temps of each individual tyre while driving.
LES

I prefer tyres with better grip and two plies less.

 

[cmcardle75]

I had one 20 years ago doing 70mph +/- 20 on the A34. Took me a while to release what it was. Felt like a massive gust of wind, even though I knew that it was a still day. No problems controlling it and getting to the hard shoulder without braking. It was the smell that alerted me that there was a tyre issue. The tyre was still on fire when I got out, but self extinguished before I could get the extinguisher on it. The rubber on the inside wall of the tyre had completely disappeared, with just some steel reinforcing wires left. The outside wall and tread were almost pristine. Took it into the tyre place and asked for a tyre safety check.

That was the third tyre I'd lost from that batch. I've never bought the same brand again.

 

[EuroTrotters]

As you may have gathered from my posts, I’m a bit geeky and meticulous about tyres.

And as I’ve said so many times. Place your hands, open into the air or flat on a table. That’s about how much surface of the tyre is in contact with the road at any one time. So you light have 4 tons of tyre resting on 4 big hand sizes of rubber keeping you stuck to the road.

*Avoid Budget tyres
*Winter or all-season tyres are better suited to Britain’s climate, especially anywhere In the north of the country
*Read tyre reviews on tyre test sites.
*Try to replace tyres from anything over 5 years old (exceptions would be where you ha e bought old stock (DOT) tyres and fitted them from new))
*Camper specific tyres are not necessary and are not available in all motorhome or camper sizes. In addition, the so called benefits do not always stack up or outweigh the performance or longevity of their non camper alternatives.
*Not all model of tyres from a premium manufacturer are good. I swear by Michelin Agilis Alpin. But I have experienced many erosions of Michelin tyres that are IMO dangerous.
*Ideally, have the same brand and model of tyre all around. If not, at least the same on each axle.
*Avoid mixing tyre on the same axle, except for emergencies (spare tyre & wheel).
*Check tyre pressures regularly , even have a quick look when refuelling etc.
*Invest in TPMS. Yes they are a bloody pain, but they could avoid a blow out. We know what that can lead to.

 

[nicholsong]

I would add to 'Eurotrotters' list

When you stop for fuel/coffee/shopping go around the tyres and check for heat with your hand - a hotter tyre will be obvious in comparison to the others.

Geoff

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[SpeedyDux]

Had a LH front tyre blowout in 2011 on the VW T4 Westy doing @70 mph on French Autoroute in lane 2.

Big bang, severe steering vibrations. Lifted off and dare not brake. Coasted to the hard shoulder. Drove very slowly to an Aire de Repos because we were only about 200m from its entrance slip road.

Blowout caused by collision with this pipe:

Conti Vanco tyre was only 3 years old, correctly inflated. Stayed on the rim. 5 holes I could push a hand through. Luckily the alloy wheel survived the impact.

I've posted these pics before so apologies for repeating this anecdote. I just wanted to reply to the assertion that blowouts involve very old and/or underinflated tyres.

 

[Sandancers]

As you may have gathered from my posts, I’m a bit geeky and meticulous about tyres.

And as I’ve said so many times. Place your hands, open into the air or flat on a table. That’s about how much surface of the tyre is in contact with the road at any one time. So you light have 4 tons of tyre resting on 4 big hand sizes of rubber keeping you stuck to the road.

*Avoid Budget tyres
*Winter or all-season tyres are better suited to Britain’s climate, especially anywhere In the north of the country
*Read tyre reviews on tyre test sites.
*Try to replace tyres from anything over 5 years old (exceptions would be where you ha e bought old stock (DOT) tyres and fitted them from new))
*Camper specific tyres are not necessary and are not available in all motorhome or camper sizes. In addition, the so called benefits do not always stack up or outweigh the performance or longevity of their non camper alternatives.
*Not all model of tyres from a premium manufacturer are good. I swear by Michelin Agilis Alpin. But I have experienced many erosions of Michelin tyres that are IMO dangerous.
*Ideally, have the same brand and model of tyre all around. If not, at least the same on each axle.
*Avoid mixing tyre on the same axle, except for emergencies (spare tyre & wheel).
*Check tyre pressures regularly , even have a quick look when refuelling etc.
*Invest in TPMS. Yes they are a bloody pain, but they could avoid a blow out. We know what that can lead to.

Just copied one line out of the above;

Camper specific tyres are not necessary and are not available in all motorhome or camper sizes. In addition, the so called benefits do not always stack up or outweigh the performance or longevity of their non camper alternatives.


I wonder what the situation would be if you had a blow out on one of your tyres and it caused an accident with another vehicle and you ended up being taken to Court by the police.

Your standing in the dock and a guy with a strange wig says to you;

"So Mr Bloggs what tyres did you have fitted to your MH?"

You say, "Well, I fitted some commercial tyres"

Wig Man "Did you MH manufacture advise you to fit such tyres or did they recommend specific Camper tyres?"

You, "Well I thought they would be OK"

Wig Man, "No more questions Your Honour".


Not getting at you, but that would certainly be a worry to me.

 

[ambulancekidd]

This was my front tyre at 80mph in T5 camper. Does this count as a blow out?View attachment 425903View attachment 425904View attachment 425905

Nope, looks like a puncture to me & damaged further when you've been bringing it to a standstill.
Blow outs normally take the tyre right off the rim.

 

[bigwood]

The only tyre problem I can recall was on my Discovery. I pulled out to overtake a truck and ran over a lump of wood. I couldn’t see it until I was in the outer lane.
The off side front tyre took the brunt of the impact and deflated rapidly. I could get past the truck so I had no choice but to brake and try and get back into the inside lane. By sheer luck I was almost on top of a lay-by and managed to get straight in there.
The tyre was a right off but nothing else was damaged. I had been driving off road in the Pyrenees for a week not long before that with no trouble. The tyres were Cooper off road tyres that were able to be run at low pressures off road but at normal pressure a lump of wood completely wrecked the tyre.
I don’t think it would have had as good an outcome with the motorhome.

 

[Jim]

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