Tires and Steering devices

[Bruce]

I am not posting this under the existing tire choice thread as it contains some other related information:

We are in Mexico and on Wed. a.m. were on the way back to our Mexico home from Puerto Vallarta. The Bird ( La Reina Gitana, an 88FC) had been performing admirably. 85 miles from our home the right front tire exploded. You will note I did not say blew. This was an explosion worthy of Bagdhad. My heart stopped, the cat ran under the blankets of the rear bed and my wife froze. I knew it was the tire but forgot for a split second that one should not apply the brakes. I suddenly came to life as the Bird came to the edge of the road and prepared to show her underside ( what a floozey!). This was a 4 lane road but no shoulder and rough desert terrain on the right. I lifted off the brake treadle and she straightened right out. I still was fighting the steering wheel but it was OK. WE limped for about 50 yards to an opening on the side of the road. I think I may have lost a few lbs. Better than nutrisystem! I do have a Steer Safe system that they installed at Quartzsite last year. I am positive that without that device, or a similar one, we would have rolled. My tires are Goodyea G 159. Although I knew they were not great tires I had no idea thet ambulance chasers made a fortune suing Godyear over these babies. Although they had an 8 year old date code our unit has always been stored inside by all 3 owners. No visible cracks anywhere with about 90 % tread . What a mess. The tire wrapped itself around the brake pot and hose as well as the axle. Tore up the inside fenderwell sheet metal. I hitched a ride to a llantero( tire shop). Not like in the USA. Just an old shack with 3 guys eating their homemade egg burritos. I declined the offer of a free snack! They threw 2 new 32 ton jacks, one hiboy and one loboy as well as a brand new OTC dual ended tire wqrench and an assortment of cheater bars from 3 to 7 feet long into a beat up 74 Ford PU. 2 fellows, one of them about Randy's size but with gorilla arms hopped into the truck with me. First we had to stop for a few litres of fuel then we headed to where I was broke down. The truck had no brakes but he was adept at stopping by gearing down the manual floor shifter and hitting below on the wierd transfer case. It also helped that he drove in to the ditch to slow down!! SCARY!! They removed the rim and climbed up to get my spare tire , no rim, from the roof. Everything was taken to their shop ( i use that word loosely) and they returned and mounted the whole shebang. $35.00 later we were on the road. If you have read this far I have a moral for you. Surely you did not think I was just telling a story?? Actually I have a few sermons:

One: If you have tires with old date codes throw them away immediately!

Two: If you have the G159's get rid of them tomorrow morning! They are very popular on Birds as as they were available in 12 R size. I have seen 2 other 87 to89 FC's with these tires.

Three: Tire choices are always controversial but I would never consider Chinese tires for my unit. Forget about any DOT standards. The Chinese may submit a good one for certification but the rest will be questionable. DOT and any other testing agency never gets involved until people have been killed. I am probalby buying XZE's on Monday if the date codes are OK.

Four: Install a Steer safe or one of the other steering devices.

In our travels in Mexico I always look to see what the Mexican buses are using for tires. Many of them still have 12 R tires. In 2006 I saw a lot of Goodyears that are not sold in the USA. Used in Latin America and Australia. My spare is one of those and it is designed for buses. But this year I saw mostly Michelins. These buses travel on bad roads at very high speeds. Although the bus lines are notoriously cheap they must feel the extra expense of Michelins are worth the price. I do see some Toyos and Continentals. The only Asian tires I have seen are Hankooks. Otherwise no Chinese tires. Remember the tires are the only thing between you and the road.

[bubblerboy64]

Glad you're OK. That has to be an awful experience. Never had a tire failure on anything I've owned. Front tire on a motorcycle might be the worst experience especially at speed but a blow out on a BB has to be right up there.

Not too certain you can fault Goodyear. They made it to eight years and we've talked this subject to death but your post certainly should convince any reader that date codes are not to be taken lightly. Storing the bus in a garage and absence of weather cracking is not going to necessarily add life to the tires. I swapped out 6 new looking tires last year on my FC just because of the dates. Tire dealer even thought I was being extreme. I wanted the piece of mind if nothing else.

My plan is to run the steer tires no more then 5 years and rotate them to the tag.

Glad you posted because as often as its discussed it seems that it's not always heard.

[rwoody]

yes..i am now running 13 mth old 315-22.5 goodyears and i will replace them @ 4-5 yrs old@

age --not the brand is the problems!! IMO!!!!!!!!! but nascar guys are on a bad goodyear rant too@!!

[Bruce]

John:

If you do a Google on thoise G159's a bunch of articles on how Goodyear should never have sold these tires appears. There were a bunch of lawsuits. But you are correct and I will never keep them that long again. I have had one rear tire blow on a motorhome . That was no big deal. But back in the days of 16.5 bias ply tires on PU's I blew a front tire and it destroyed the wheel well. On a motorcycle you would be a goner!

[rob]

I blew the left front tire on my old bird outside of tuscon. At first I thought a gun had gone off by my ear. My mom was following me and said the ring from the split rim sailed over 2 lanes of traffic, the 30 yard median over 2 more lanes of oncoming traffic and off into the desert. The wheel wrapped so violently it broke the end joint of my right little finger and dislocated the middle finger on my left hand. I think this was from the spoke on the wheel. I managed to keep it out of the far left lane and wrestled the bird to the parking lane on the side. I was terrified. The adrenalin probably allowed me to perform this herculean feat. I did not know I was injured untill I calmed down a bit.
I do not wish this on anyone, make sure your fronts are good. The tires on the front were weather cracked and I did not know enough about birds and tires at the time. Needless to say Ive closely inspected each tire for codes and any weather cracking.
I replaced both fronts along side the road and I must say if it were not for Good sams emergency service Id still be there. Both fronts are Goodyear 10.0x20s. Thats all Good Sams could find in Tuscon at that time and circumstance. Im thinking of replacing the split rims with alcoa 22,s but Im not sure about fittment.Any way all the tires on it now are 2008 date codes and good quality.---hair raising times---forgot it wrinkled my left front panel, Im having trouble finding someone to fix it locally because the al panel ripped and tore out some rivets. It also rolled up the panel that holds the wheel wiper like a pretzel and I had to have it pounded out with 20 lb sledge so it would not interfere for the rest of the trip

[rwoody]

the 22.5 will fit im sure and are a lot more safer!

i am glad that the military stopped using most of them split rims!@

now our just bolt togather

[iamflagman]

While we are on this subject here are some other things to read that are related directly or indirectly to Tire and Wheel Safety, they all can be found right here on the forum, check out;

Wanderlodge Owners Group > Mechanic's Corner > Tires, Brakes and Suspensions > Tires and Steering devices >

ALCOA Wheels Service Manual

How to care for the tires on your 'Bird while it is being stored

How to read the date codes on your tires

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STUD OR HUB PILOTED WHEELS.pdf

PROPERLY MATCHING TIRES TO WHEELS.pdf

GOODIES FOER YOUR WHEELS.pdf

Worn Valve Stem Warning

RV Tire Information Videos

Tires and Wheels and Weighing Your 'Bird

[Bruce]

Rob:

Split rims are something you should not have on your Bird. Many tire shops will not work on them. You need a fancy cage to even let the air out. They can actually blow the ring off when you add air ! I dont know what you are using for tires but radials are not supposed to be installed on split rims. PLease get rid of them tout suite!!

[Randy Dupree]

split rims are known as ''widow makers''.
way back we did run radial tires on them,but all that changed in the 80's.
split rims make great fire pits,minus the tire and lock ring!

[susanmarycamilleri]

When I first got by bird we made a trip to Ontario from BC to visit family. On the return trip I was heading north on the main interstate in Michigan when the right front tire blew. I managed to disengage the cruise and steer the bus to the right side of the highway. I ended up just a 100 or so feet from a rest area. I called about getting a service truck to come and put the spare that I had on the roof. They wanted $100. At that time in my life a $100 was a lot of money. I told my wife that we could spend all day changing the tire and still be money ahead.
I jacked up the bus, removed the tire with the help of a 4 foot bar that the PO had for the job. Next was to get the tire off of the roof. I went up and rolled the tire off the roof with the instructions that my wife was to push in over when it hit the ground. It hit, bounced 8 feet in the air, and took off at 30 knots. Luckily there was a swamp that it rolled into. After getting it out of the swamp, onto the bus we drove into town and purchased a new front tire. A couple of days later I replaced the other front.
These tires were the famous French brand and were about 7 years old. No cracking, and had been purchased by the PO. I don't carry a spare anymore and I will now gladly pay for a service truck.

Peter Haggins
78FC 35'
Prairie Dog