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Thread: Serious Tire Experience Please Read

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Newcastle, Maine
    Posts
    772

    Default Serious Tire Experience Please Read

    I am posting this message for Bill Price and will add pictures:


    All:

    I realize that some of you are not familiar with what happened to me and some are. Here is a thumbnail sketch of the event.

    Oct 31 I had a inside dual on my Prevost explode while airing it up in my barn. The outside dual is what saved my life as the inside dual blew into the outside dual. This was a Michelin tire that exploded. By Michelin definition this was a zipper blowout. The tire has been returned to Michelin for a non-destructive evaluation. I want go into any more detail regarding Michelin for obvious legal reasons. I can tell you NTSB and NHTSA are now involved.

    I did occur some slight physical damage to my Prevost which has been repaired. I might add I also have four new Michelin tires on the drive axle.

    I did sustain physical injury from this event.
    I am now being treated for post traumatic stress syndrome and ear trauma. The amount of permanent ear damage and etc is yet to be determined as I am still under the care of a Ear nose and throat Doctor.
    To sum this up I am being treated as I have been in a bomb blast.

    After this incident it became apparant to me we must find some safe way of airing our tires up while out on the road.

    After assemblying three different versions I do believe this is the one to use. It is lite and mobile. I like the feature where you can add or subtract air with the push of a button. The dial is large and very easy to read.

    I will list part numbers which will be different than those shown below in the Myers add. The part number I will list gets you the 11 ft hose. I was able to purchase all of this from the Dallas, Texas location.

    For the Mast Air Guage part Number Myers 54930 $125.00
    This part number gets you the 11 ft hose and clip on chuck.

    I did add quick releases to all the above which are available at all auto supply houses.


    54102 25 ft additional air hose $32.00

    I also ordered some additional clip on chucks like those above part # 54809

    On these I installed a 90 degree elbow with a quick release so I can reach any combination of valve stems.


    Again you must use OSHA aproved impact resistant eye protection and a set of David Clark hearing protectors.

    Remain a minimum of 25 ft from the tire at all times regardless of whether it is mounted or not.

    Trajectory Trajectory Trajectory This is the key. Stay clear !!

    These Zipper blowouts are bombs period!!! Tire brand does not matter!! There is little to NO indication of when these Zipper blowouts can occur.

    The RV community needs to be made aware of this immediately. In speaking with many RV owners in the past weeks few if any have ever heard of a Zipper Blowout.


    Professional road svc is always first choice but as you all know we don't always have that luxury in our travels.

    FYI Pictures are available.

    I would be interested in your comments.


    Bill Price

    940-663-5105 home

    940-663-2900 office
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Jim Skiff; 12-23-2010 at 01:24 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Boerne, Texas
    Posts
    401

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Boerne, Texas
    Posts
    401

    Default

    Sorry about your injury and vehicle damage. Without any knowledge on the subject, it seems this might be a defect since, as I understand it, the tire was cold, and you take good care and maintenance of your coach. I will have to find a air chuck clip on that will work on the outside dual because the air stem points inwards on those and it's almost impossible to get such a chuck to clip on because there is lack of room. Please keep us posted. And thank you.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Quanah, Texas
    Posts
    128

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    Ken:

    I know Myers tire supply does make such a clip on air chuck. You could also reverse your valve stems. If you run tire air pressure monitors reversing the stems is the way to go. Good to hear from you and hope all is well with you.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
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    anytown
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    Bill and I have spoken and corresponded at length on this topic and it is an eye opener. I asked Michelin specifically their reco0mmendations for safety procedures when airing up a tire and their answer was ..........NONE. Bill has a copy of that email.

    I read the link Ken posted and one thing on Zipper failure jumped out at me and I think every one of us has to attach considerable credence to what we were told by Michelin and Goodyear at two separate tire seminars. Both said and emphasized if we run the tire at a pressure that is 20% less than what is called for the tire is effectively not good for service. On reading the detail regarding causes of Zipper failure that was right there. I am not suggesting Bill did this, but I am pointing out that what happened to Bill could have been fatal and it behooves us to be very careful monitoring our tires and especialy careful filling them with air.

    I have never ever seen anyone, professional or otherwise do anything other than lean over and air up a tire.

    Michelin in their response to me appears to agree with that, but I think from Bill's experience we need to consider the consequences of doing that.

  6. #6
    AprilWhine Guest

    Default

    Sorry to read of your injurys, glad it was the inside. Thank so much for the post.

    I will be the first to come out and say it. This scares the hell out of me. I remember the days of split rim wheels, and knew two individuals by name that were killed by worn out split rims.

    I will not check or air a tire again until I have a remote air line with clip on chuck and remote valve. Going shopping now.

    Jim

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    ON THE ROAD IN THE SOUTH
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    2,825

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    Bill, so sorry to hear of your traumatic event. I'm glad you are still of this world.

    Keep us appraised of the details and analysis as it unfolds. Makes me not want to even wash/wipe the wheels for cleaning. I will wait for you to tell more, but I can't help wonder the circumstances that warranted the addition of air. How much air were you intending on adding to the affected tire, had it been seriously low during use or were you adjusting just a few pounds all around for perhaps a temperature change adjustment.


    JIM

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Quanah, Texas
    Posts
    128

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    Jim:

    We had been home from the POG Rally for a few weeks and I noticed a flat on the inside dual. I figured another valve stem extension leak. I replaced the old one with a new one and added two new rubber stabilizers. Having only a small pancake compressor I started adding air at a slow rate. On that axle I carry 95 lbs. I checked the progress with a Snap On digital guage as I would level out the air at 95 lbs. Somewhere around 95 lbs it blew.

    The tire was cool and had not been run in weeks. Air pressure in the tire when I started adding air was zero lbs.

    I hope I am making sense here as I am still on some strong meds. I will be more than glad to answer any questions as I dont want anyone else to be hurt by such a senseless accident. I would like to thank Jon Wehrenberg and Jim Skiff for there help in posting this matter.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    thomasville,nc
    Posts
    1,209

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    This is a horrible incident that has apparently really hurt Bill,I am wondering if a TPS like pressure Pro could have prevented this accident.GET WELL BILL!!!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
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    Bill's accident (if it can be called an accident) was as a result of just airing up a tire. If he has tire pressure sensors they would show the pressure or lack of it, but may not have prevented Bill having to air up a tire.

    We all (I assume) check tire pressures before we drive and if needed give them a shot of air. But as careful as we may be about pressures stuff happens. I had a nail end up through the sidewall of an inner dual, and for a while I had to make a few pounds of air pressure adjustment every time I drove. It could have been a bad Schrader valve, a leak at the valve stem where it comes out of the wheel, a bead not seating properly or a tire puncture. I couldn't feel anything in the tread so when I got home from the trip I started to check it found a nail where it would not have been expected in the sidewall.

    My point is we are always going to have to air up tires. Sometimes only a pound or two, sometimes a little more, but what happened to Bill can happen to anyone, any time and a TPS will only tell when the tire needs air, but it won't prevent air from leaking.

    I have "learned" my tires and what is normal. If I haven't used the bus for a month I have a high probability all my tires will not need air. But if during a month of storage the temps have gone from 80 down to freezing outside I can expect to have to put 3 or 4 PSI in two of the tires and about 1 or 2 in the others. So here I am doing what Bill did. Bending down pushing the air chuck on all eight tires and giving each one a small shot of air. You can bet what happened to Bill is now going to be in the front of my mind and now I have a real problem because I have no intention of using valve stem extensions, but I don't want to be near an explosion either.

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