Check your tires CAREFULLY!!

dbarks

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RV LIFE Pro
Joined
Dec 23, 2017
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Sharing so that maybe this helps someone avoid a roadside blow out. Having to change a tire on the side of an interstate with cars zipping by at 80 MPH is no good.

On a recent trip across Kansas on I-70, I did my usual walk around while pumping gas. This time, when looking at the tires, I instantly saw a problem.

As you can see, more than half the tire looked fine. Just like the others. I probably only saw the "good side" when I departed the campsite. Luckily, at this stop, the "good side" was down and the "bad side" was sitting in a way I could see the tire was failing.

I changed the tire with my spare and finished the trip back to KC.

Upon closer inspection, the bad part of the tire had a noticeable hump in it and it was wearing like the tire was under inflated (which it wasn't). The rest of the tire did not have this hump and was wearing perfectly. (The "bad side" looks a lot worse in person than in the picture.)

Also, there was no noise, no shaking nothing. It was worn past the wear bars and had I not changed it, would have worn through and blown. The tire is a year 2020 with 20,000 miles. Stored inside when not in use. And yes it is a Westlake. If it had blown into a million pieces this would have been another Westlake story and no one would have realized it had given plenty of warning. The other 3 look fine but will get changed out next week.

So I know some do, but spin your tires once in a while and get a really good look at them - I know I will!
 

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Sharing so that maybe this helps someone avoid a roadside blow out. Having to change a tire on the side of an interstate with cars zipping by at 80 MPH is no good.

On a recent trip across Kansas on I-70, I did my usual walk around while pumping gas. This time, when looking at the tires, I instantly saw a problem.

As you can see, more than half the tire looked fine. Just like the others. I probably only saw the "good side" when I departed the campsite. Luckily, at this stop, the "good side" was down and the "bad side" was sitting in a way I could see the tire was failing.

I changed the tire with my spare and finished the trip back to KC.

Upon closer inspection, the bad part of the tire had a noticeable hump in it and it was wearing like the tire was under inflated (which it wasn't). The rest of the tire did not have this hump and was wearing perfectly. (The "bad side" looks a lot worse in person than in the picture.)

Also, there was no noise, no shaking nothing. It was worn past the wear bars and had I not changed it, would have worn through and blown. The tire is a year 2020 with 20,000 miles. Stored inside when not in use. And yes it is a Westlake. If it had blown into a million pieces this would have been another Westlake story and no one would have realized it had given plenty of warning. The other 3 look fine but will get changed out next week.

So I know some do, but spin your tires once in a while and get a really good look at them - I know I will!

Good info..... 4yrs is our typicall replacement time for tires no matter how good they look. I always look at tires from all sides before traveling and check temp and pressure at stops along the way. Unfortunately, road hazards arent always predictable no matter how often and well you check.
 
This also happened to friends of ours last month on their 5th wheel ( not a grand design). As they were backing into their site the campground owners noticed part of the tread missing. Don’t know what brand tire but its not an uncommon occurrence.
 

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