One thing I know for sure…..a tire blowout probably ranks in the top one or two biggest fears and worst nightmares for RVers. There is never a good time and chances are great you won’t be idling at a slow speed right next to a tire store when it happens. More likely that you will be traveling at highway speeds and somewhere either remote or in the middle of rush hour in a large city.
Episode #2 of my RVing fails wouldn’t be complete without sharing one of my blowout tales (yes, I’ve had more than one) and what I learned.
My first blowout occurred on a country road while driving my 2006 Class C Fleetwood Jamboree 31T on its maiden voyage (tire pictured here is the real thing). We were less than two miles from the campground. Driver’s side, inside dually. I was surprisingly calm for how LOUD the explosion was that accompanied the experience. Although it was my first time, I realized exactly what was happening and quickly had the rig slowed to a halt just a few inches off the main road. Hazard lights on, phone in hand, I began working through the discovery and solution…….
WHICH prepared me for the second one that happened while I was following my husband home from the RV service center. Less than 20 minutes from home, busy turnpike in rush hour, and phone battery about down to zippo without a charger on board (I had unloaded everything to take it to be serviced). You’ve never been so thirsty as the moment you realize that you are going to be stuck on the roadside for a few hours in the middle of summer and not a single water bottle on board. Parched! I felt even worse for the poor kid from the tire center who was summoned by my extended warranty/roadside assistance company. He was changing the outer driver side dually in the heaviest of turnpike traffic, semis rushing by……all the while yours truly, most definitely not dressed for the occasion in her real estate attire, stood 50 yards upstream trying to flag people over to the next lane in total fear for that kid’s life!
Top Six Takeaways – live and learn from my blowouts:
- Phone charger and back up power bank – do as I say and don’t ever leave home without it when you hit the road in your RV even for a short drive. The reasons are countless. I was only 20 minutes from home and only had enough battery for a couple of calls.
- Supplemental warranty with roadside assistance – OR research your own mobile mechanic/tire tech if you are camping in a known region for a short spell. The first blowout, I did not have supplemental warranty or roadside assistance. Through a series of calls with AAA, I landed on Southern Tire Mart who came straight to the campground to change the flat. The second time, I DID have the roadside assistance with my extended warranty. And guess who they called? Southern Tire Mart. Even though the extended warranty company did check back with me several times to see if I was ok, that was only irritating, because I had such low battery – LOL. Companies like Good Sam’s and Coach-net have several options to choose from if you decide to go that route.
- Don’t drive on the flat – there is already a chance that the blowout did damage to the underside of your RV and that will make it worse costing you time and money. Even if it’s on a dually. Just don’t.
- Make sure your tires are properly inflated AND rated for the RV – this was what we found out from the tire specialist after the second blowout. All six tires were not rated for the Class C motorhome they were supporting. I got to fork out the dough for six new ones and did it with a smile–peace of mind is so worth it!
- Weigh your RV – this compounded the issue. Watch for tips on weighing your RV in a future post.
- For goodness’ sake, bring water!
Take these tips and watch a few more YouTube videos on RV blowouts…..I promise you will feel better just knowing what to expect and that you have a plan. Do you have a blowout story to share? I’m all ears in the comments below!
