Low Tire Pressure: A Cautionary Tale

bigskybound

Many of us are guilty of not keeping up with our tire pressures, be it on vehicles or trailers.  Well, we learned the hard way that "Oh, that tire looks OK" is not the best rule of thumb. While on a long Memorial Day weekend, we were all set up when my wife decided to check the pressure in our T@B tires.  Both tires gauged at about 32 psi.  Max pressure 44, so tires were a bit underinflated and we topped them to 40psi for trip home.  About two hours down the road we felt something had changed.  Towed behind an F150, the trailer does not even seem to be there.  We pulled over and discovered that the passenger side tire had blown.  The shredded tread swung like a scythe along the outside of the wheel well, ripping away the plastic "fender" and cracking the aft plastic trim piece.  The side of the trailer was a mess of black smears.  We made numerous discoveries.  Our lug wrench was too big for the trailer nuts.  The nuts holding the spare on were frozen. And we both need to workout more.  Finally got blown tire off and spare on due to a Good Samaritan.  Going to have remaining tire checked inside and out, but will still probably buy two new tires and keep them at correct pressure.  Now we have to spend about $500 on new trim as well.  Expensive mistake.

Ramrod

How old was your tire? Which brand?

Cyclonic

Indeed, an expensive mistake, but it could have been worse.  I have heard of the tire going through the fender and doing tons of damage on the inside of the trailer.  You are very lucky that did not happen.

How old were the tires?  Many replace tires after 4-5 years no matter what condition they are in.

Mouseketab

Agreed, very fortunate that the wheel well didn't get torn up and destroy the interior.

ScottG

An unfortunate event, but I don't think you can blame tire pressure...or yourself. Per the most recent owner's manual, LG recommends 35psi--much lower than the pressure indicated on the trailer or the tire. Either way, it seems you weren't too far out of spec.

You might want to weigh in on this recent thread: http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/comment/39457/#Comment_39457.

Mouseketab

ScottG said:

An unfortunate event, but I don't think you can blame tire pressure...or yourself. Per the most recent owner's manual, LG recommends 35psi--much lower than the pressure indicated on the trailer or the tire. Either way, it seems you weren't too far out of spec.

You might want to weigh in on this recent thread: http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/comment/39457/#Comment_39457.

This is a Dutchmen T@B which recommends a 44 PSI for the low profile 16" car tires.

Ratkity

Didn't know that about the Dutchmen T@Bs, Mousie! 

ScottG

Yes, good point. I thought that tire looked a little lower profile than mine, but pretty hard to tell given its condition...

I'd still be surprised if modest underinflation would be the root cause of such a failure. Furthermore, the maximum pressure indicated on the tire sidewall is often greater than the manufacturers recommended pressure listed on the vehicle sticker.

Not looking for an argument here--tire pressure, and tires in general, are one of those topics that nobody seems to agree on. Let's all just be glad that our T@Bs don't require motor oil!  ;-) 

Mouseketab

ScottG said:

Yes, good point. I thought that tire looked a little lower profile than mine, but pretty hard to tell given its condition...

I'd still be surprised if modest underinflation would be the root cause of such a failure. Furthermore, the maximum pressure indicated on the tire sidewall is often greater than the manufacturers recommended pressure listed on the vehicle sticker.

Not looking for an argument here--tire pressure, and tires in general, are one of those topics that nobody seems to agree on. Let's all just be glad that our T@Bs don't require motor oil!  ;-) 

The wheel rims with the T@B emblem in the center cap is a giveaway that this is a Dutchman.

jkjenn

Have we ever received an official answer on what PSI to use for the Outback? 

ChanW

Jenn, as I mentioned in your other thread, I'd contact the tire manufacturer, with the weight of your Tab handy. I think you're right about ST tires and max inflation, but i suppose the wear pattern will eventually tell (or the tire mfgr)... 

I'm going to see if the manufacturer of our new tires responds to my query.

Michigan_Mike

We can banter this one around until the cows come in but there are many factors that have already been discussed (on the forum via other discussions) that can lead to a catastrophic tire failure and blowout.  The above incident should be a a good wake-up call for everyone here who pulls a trailer and thank God no one was seriously injured, nor did a rollover accident occur.  I see a lot of this in my travels and many of these blowouts could be avoided with some forethought.

 Whenever I am hauling these trailers along the interstate system I am very aware of my speed as I know that the sidewalls will heat up at speeds in excess of 65 mph and obviously there is still heating that takes place regardless.  Given the size of these trailers and accessories/gear we cram into them the added weight also comes into play, as do bad roads, road hazards, etc.  Who's to say that this particular blowout wasn't a result of a shard of metal along the road or a jagged piece of concrete from the road?  With the crumbling roads across the US it can happen at any moment and in any weather conditions.  

I am not posting this to create an argument, nor to berate the unfortunate owner above, but believe that owners do need to read and heed the tire requirements listed on the sidewall of the tires (maximum inflation, etc.) and inflate accordingly.  My tires are rated at 50 PSI (cold) and I inflated them to around 45 PSI prior to leaving on my recent trip out to Colorado in Mid-May.  I noticed that the trailer seemed to start bouncing along an uneven stretch of the interstate down in Southern Michigan so I pulled off into a rest area, reduced the tire air pressures down to 40 PSI which took out the bounce and things calmed down and went well both to and from Colorado.  

My point in the above is that inasmuch as the factory or Little Guy might recommend 35 PSI, the onus is on you as an owner to read/heed the tire rating listed on the sidewall, maintain your air pressure accordingly and if necessary, replace the stock tires as needed.  This is no different than your personal vehicle and how you maintain it as conditions do change, tires do lose air pressure over the course of winter/season and it's important to keep your travel speed down too (trailer tires are rated at around 65 mph max)  as we all want to get to and from our destinations safely and without endangering our personal safety, nor that of other motorists around us.  If you are clipping along at 70 mph and above you are rolling the dice and could compromise the integrity of the tires...  Face it, we've all done it, looked suddenly down at the odometer and felt that surge of fear/shock, knowing good and well we were traveling too fast and well above the rated 65 mph rating of the trailer tire.  

Think about it next time out and do what needs to be done!  

jkjenn

@ChanW  and @Michigan_Mike we can banter on this but it seems as though PV really should be providing some more clarification on this. The information in the manual is very unclear and makes me wonder if it even applies to our T@bs. I am wondering if Outback owners are given any guidance that is different since they are not ST tires. 

Photomom

jkjenn said:

@ChanW  and @Michigan_Mike we can banter on this but it seems as though PV really should be providing some more clarification on this. The information in the manual is very unclear and makes me wonder if it even applies to our T@bs. I am wondering if Outback owners are given any guidance that is different since they are not ST tires. 

Yeah, it's not like "which is better, clamshell or non-clamshell?" This is something that should have a definitive answer. 

Michigan_Mike

I sent a note to the factory earlier in the morning and if I hear anything back I will post it up.   

Verna

As I told someone on the LG forum, don't be surprised if the factory is on vacation ths week, as they do tend to take vacation on holiday weeks. I'm sure they'll be back all refreshed next week if that is the case.

jkjenn

Thanks, @Michigan_Mike

RollingLagrima

@bigskybound, sorry you had to go through this experience.  Thanks for sharing. Glad you all are safe. I was wondering just today as I towed my t@b home from a fantastic 5 night escape, what it would feel like to blow a tire, and imagined a huge and instant yank followed by feeling of drag, but it sounds like you barely felt anything. 

gulfarea

I had a flat on a Casita & the thing handled so well I only realized something was wrong when I couldn't maintain 65 mph plus a low rumble sound. No fishtailing at all.

ScottG

It's not completely clear that this was a true catastrophic blowout, as opposed to an "ordinary" flat that went undiscovered until the tire shredded. That's no criticism of bigskybound--with such a substantial tow vehicle, I wonder how long it would take to notice that a trailer tire was going flat.

Picking up on what gulfarea said, now I'm curious... For those of you who have experienced a flat on your T@B, how and when did you determine it was flat?

Photomom

This is on my to do list... http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/2057/tire-pressure-monitoring-system

Verna

ScottG said:

It's not completely clear that this was a true catastrophic blowout, as opposed to an "ordinary" flat that went undiscovered until the tire shredded. That's no criticism of bigskybound--with such a substantial tow vehicle, I wonder how long it would take to notice that a trailer tire was going flat.

Picking up on what gulfarea said, now I'm curious... For those of you who have experienced a flat on your T@B, how and when did you determine it was flat?

Not my T@B, but a blowout on my 1200 lb LG Silver Shadow teardrop. I had a very near accident where I had to swerve drastically and the teardrop went up on one tire. Correcting that maneuver, the right tire slammed down, more correcting before finally under control. Whew! All is well, I thought, silently cursing the idiot who was backing up in the right lane to his missed exit. A low rumble noise then told me something was wrong. The tire had blown, shredded, but had not damaged the actual fiberglass fender, although the rubberized trim on the edge of the fender was melted. 

So, no thumping, no loud noises, just a rumble that you wouldn't hear if the radio was turned up.  I've had a flat in a car or a truck and I would have expected the thump, thump, but it was just a low rumble. 

ChanW

I imagine you did 'swear drastically', but I bet it was the drastic swerve that caused the commotion in your heart rate... B-)

Verna said:

Not my T@B, but a blowout on my 1200 lb LG Silver Shadow teardrop. I had a very near accident where I had to swear drastically and the teardrop went up on one tire. Correcting that maneuver, the right tire slammed down, more correcting before finally under control. Whew! All is well, I thought...

**Corrected, thanks, Chan

ChanW

Good reason to keep the load low, in the Tab. Going up on one wheel in the Tab might be more difficult to recover from.

Nice driving Verna.

Verna

ChanW said:

Good reason to keep the load low, in the Tab. Going up on one wheel in the Tab might be more difficult to recover from.

Nice driving Verna.

Thanks, Chan. It was definitely a scary experience. By the way, the teardrop axle slammed down so had that the axle bent. I definitely would not want to try this in a T@B with the higher profile.

A fellow camper was following me, and she thought she would be finding Sunny Day and I in a mangled wreck. 

ChanW

I think keeping your cool is key in that kind of situation (and a lot of luck). 

I'm always amazed when something like that goes down and I've felt I'd just gone into 'autopilot' mode, and succeeded, thank goodness.

There's no time to think about what to do, you just do it.

ScottG

ChanW said:

I imagine you did 'swear drastically', but I bet it was the drastic swerve that caused the commotion in your heart rate... B-)

Verna said:

Not my T@B, but a blowout on my 1200 lb LG Silver Shadow teardrop. I had a very near accident where I had to swear drastically and the teardrop went up on one tire. Correcting that maneuver, the right tire slammed down, more correcting before finally under control. Whew! All is well, I thought...

**Corrected, thanks, Chan

That's funny, I saw the word "swear" and it never occurred to me it was a typo!

[Deleted User]

I'm still very paranoid about what the proper tire pressure is. The side of the tire says 50psi cold.  I had originally had them at 35psi per the T@B Owners Manual (if you can call it that) and it felt like I was pulling a massive load behind me. My dad suggested we raise the psi to 45psi and now the trailer pulls so much easier.  I don't understand why T@B says 35psi but the tire says 50psicold.  Which one is right?

Photomom

I just checked the label on my late 2016 T@B S Max and it says 50psi cold.

I'm going with that until I hear otherwise from the factory. 

JodellR

 When I got my first camper, my sister gave me my first gift-a Tire Pressure Gauge. Bear in mind, she is  a horse drill team veteran who has pulled a gooseneck with horses all over the country. She said use it every time you pull out, on your first gas stop, and when you park.  Me being the older sister internally said yeah, right. but time and time again, I am reminded of how important tire pressure is, and how much we can all take our tires for granted.

I have always followed her instructions religiously. Do you think I let her know that?  Of course not, I am still the older sister.

Photomom

Your trailers should have a label. This is on the driver side of the tongue. Cold inflation pressure ... 50 PSI.