By Cheri Sicard
One of my favorite RV vloggers, Duane, a certified RV inspector from the RV Inspection and Care YouTube channel, has produced an important video that could mean the difference between life and death. How to handle a tire blowout in your RV or motorhome is one of the most important skills you can learn. And the time to learn is not when you need it. So give the video a view and be prepared.
To be sure, blowouts in ANY vehicle are dangerous and stress-inducing. But they are even more so in an RV because of all of the weight behind them. Therefore, you have to be especially cautious with blowouts on the front or steering axle of your RV or vehicle.
Before he covers how to handle a tire blowout, Duane discusses how you might prevent one from happening in the first place.
How to prevent tire blowouts
#1 Keep your tires properly inflated. Know the proper pressure your tires need, then check the pressure often and keep them there.
#2 Do not overload your RV or vehicle. Overloading puts pressure on your tires and makes them more susceptible to blowouts.
# 3 Keep your tires covered when sitting still. UV rays from the sun are the #1 factor that can weaken tires and specifically tire sidewalls. Covers are like sunscreen for your tires.
#4. Replace your tires as they age out, even if the tread looks good. I learned this the hard way when I had a blowout in a truck I bought with, unknown to me, tires that were older than the truck. Check the dates on the sides of your tires and make sure you replace them as they age out.
#5 Use a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). Not only does this tool monitor tire pressure but also temperature. Rising temperatures can be an early warning sign of potential blowouts to come.
After covering how to prevent a blowout, Duane continues with advice on what to do should you ever find yourself in a blowout situation. Guess what? It’s probably not what you would think. Especially point 2.
How to handle a tire blowout in an RV or vehicle
#1 Keep both hands on the wheel in a firm grip.
#2 This point will be counterintuitive for most people so listen carefully. In a blowout situation, keep your foot on the gas and keep accelerating. DO NOT slam on the brakes immediately. Putting on the brakes is the fastest way to lose control of the RV in a blowout. Keeping your foot on the gas allows you to gain control of the RV before you can safely slow to a stop.
Beyond these tips, you can check out the video for news of an optional gadget, the Safe-T-Plus bar, that keeps the front axle working in the case of a blowout, and it also helps steer straight in strong side winds.
Russ and Tiña De Maris recently wrote about this subject, too, so please read their article after you watch the video. You can never be too prepared!
##RVT1122
I have only had the experience of tire blowouts on our pull trailers, never on our motor home (knock on wood). And flats or blowouts on passenger cars. In all my on-road tire failures I experienced, never was control ever an issue. Maybe it was the radial tire technology or just overall vehicle stability? We of course knew when a tire popped, we heard it. Running flats were less detectable on a towable. In all cases, the wheel rim just seemed to roll along on the sidewalls of the tires. Never did I find a balled-up tire like the one in the photo or the beads off the rim.
I did on my Ram truck. Photo and story here
https://www.rvtravel.com/long-rv-trip-week-6-kansas-city-explosive-tire-blowout-emotional-goodbye-1061/
RE TPMS. Everyone needs to be sure the system they have is properly programmed and that they can hear the warning when driving. A blasting radio can easily cover the warning from the TPMS. Here is my post on how I program my TPMS. https://www.rvtiresafety.net/2017/08/how-i-program-my-tpms.html
It’s also a good idea to TEST your system at least once a year as there is no mechanical system that is 100% “Fail Proof” https://www.rvtiresafety.net/2019/05/have-you-tested-your-tpms.html