Truck tire debris

[JDgreen227]

I lost the tread off of an LT235/85R16 and blew one out while I was hauling hay. The tires looked brand-new but were about 6 years old.

My Y2K GMC 3/4 ton has less than 40,000 miles on the OEM Firestones which are LT245/75R16 load range E's, and they still have excellent tread with almost no sidewall cracking and the truck is usually stored indoors. I would have no misgivings about taking it to Florida tomorrow. What ticks me off though, is for the obscene price you pay for today's new tires they should last a LOT LONGER than six years without self-destructing, as Jesse1 has experienced.

 

[Bird]

It does seem to me that there's more tire debris on the roads than ever. Saturday we just went about a hundred miles north into Oklahoma on I-35 and saw lots of it. I agree that all the possible reasons given in this thread are possibilities. In 1990, we went to Alaska and after we got to Anchorage, I found bubbles on two of the travel trailer tires. The trailer wasn't much over a year old, but I discovered I was running 7,300 pounds on two 3,500 pound axles, so that, and some very rough roads might have had something to do with it.:laughing:

But only one time have I had a tire actually loose its tread. In the Spring of 1995, I bought a used, but new looking, 5' x 10' tiltbed trailer so I'm not sure how old the tires were, but they looked almost new. And I know they were properly inflated when on the Sunday before Memorial Day, 38 miles east of Pendleton, OR, on I-84, all the tread came off the left tire, bent the fender, but the tire was still inflated, and since I had no spare, it made it on into Pendleton without going flat. And on a Sunday before a holiday, I was very very fortunate to find a "Bi-Mart" open; a membership place that I'd never even heard of. And even though we weren't members, I talked to the manager and they had two tires already mounted and inflated on wheels that fit my trailer. I could hardly believe my good fortune that day when he sold me the pair for $140.

 

[Bob77064]

Inflation is a big issue, that's why the vehicles have the TPMS (tire pressure monitor system) now. Another thing with the 18 wheelers is that recap tires have become more popular, I have even seen recaps on school busses.

 

[Bird]

Inflation is a big issue, that's why the vehicles have the TPMS (tire pressure monitor system) now. Another thing with the 18 wheelers is that recap tires have become more popular, I have even seen recaps on school busses.

Yeah, recaps get a lot of blame, but many many years ago, a study was published that made a lot of sense to me. Look at the rubber that's on the road. Does it show signs of the tire cords? Most do, but wouldn't if it were the cap and not the body of the tire. Of course you may say that the recapping process weakened the tire and caused it to blow out, and I'm sure not expert enough to contradict that, although some who are experts have claimed it isn't so. It's been quite awhile ago when one of my brothers owned a couple of 18 wheelers and he once said the best tires (at that time) that he'd found was to run new Michelins 40k miles, recap them (Bandag recapping), and run them another 60k miles (yep, the recaps outlasted original tread).

My only personal experience with recaps was when I took two Gates tires to be recapped, then put them on my 1956 Mercury Montclair convertible in 1958, and in spite of a lot of hotrodding, they never gave me any problem. Then in 1960, I bought 4 recapped tires to put on my Studebaker Silver Hawk. Again, no problems.

 

[JDgreen227]

Bird, I am usually going too fast to tell what the tire chunks really look like, but the last chunk of truck tire rubber I got a good look at was a full cap that had peeled off a recap tire in one complete donut. I stopped on a 2 lane road to pick it up off the shoulder, and I cut it to make a 6 foot long rubber edge for my rear blade, and the entire width of the tread was reinforced with brass plated steel wires that I had to cut and drill through. When you say "cords" I don't know if you refer to fabric or steel cords but the donut I picked up had "cords" inside it.

 

[aczlan]

Bird, I am usually going too fast to tell what the tire chunks really look like, but the last chunk of truck tire rubber I got a good look at was a full cap that had peeled off a recap tire in one complete donut. I stopped on a 2 lane road to pick it up off the shoulder, and I cut it to make a 6 foot long rubber edge for my rear blade, and the entire width of the tread was reinforced with brass plated steel wires that I had to cut and drill through. When you say "cords" I don't know if you refer to fabric or steel cords but the donut I picked up had "cords" inside it.

Could be a "Cold retread" where they put a "tread ring" around the "scalped" old tire rather than a "Hot retread" where the melted rubber is fused to the "scalped" tire.
See: Retread - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for some more info.

Aaron Z

 

[Mace Canute]

. Every tire I have ever had fail on a passenger vehicle or trailer has been correctly inflated. I had a complete de-capping on my pickup last spring. I had checked all the tires when I fueled up, and 5 minutes later it failed catastrophically, the rubber tread tore up the fender and liner at 70 mph on the freeway. The tire body stayed inflated, though, and was still at 30 PSI!

Here's the thing, I would never consider a truck tire to be properly inflated at 30 psi. I'd consider that to be under inflated, especially considering the load one can carry on a pick-up. The term "properly inflated" seems to be more subjective than objective.

 

[phiferpharm]

I guess age could have some bearing if you are talking about an old tire that gets recapped, but with the number of hours my son drives, 7 days a week for 5 to 6 weeks without days off, I can't imagine any tire lasting for years. I know he is paid by the mile, so if that is the same for most 18 wheelers, they got to be putting 600 or so miles a day on their rigs.

 

[Bird]

Bird, I am usually going too fast to tell what the tire chunks really look like, but the last chunk of truck tire rubber I got a good look at was a full cap that had peeled off a recap tire in one complete donut. I stopped on a 2 lane road to pick it up off the shoulder, and I cut it to make a 6 foot long rubber edge for my rear blade, and the entire width of the tread was reinforced with brass plated steel wires that I had to cut and drill through. When you say "cords" I don't know if you refer to fabric or steel cords but the donut I picked up had "cords" inside it.

They have some newer methods than the ones I was familiar with long ago. It used to be that if there were steel or fabric cords, then it was the original casing, not a recap. But that may not be the case today.

 

[timswi]

I got hit on the windshield of my pickup going 75mph last week with tire debris...Sounded like someone threw a brick at me...Left a black skid mark up the glass...Fortunately no broken glass or paint damage...That scared the beejeebers out of me..Never saw it coming.

We have TT tire debris everywhere in PA too..:grumpy:

 

[284 International]

Here's the thing, I would never consider a truck tire to be properly inflated at 30 psi... The term "properly inflated" seems to be more subjective than objective.

I agree about the subjective part. I don't want to change the topic from tire debris; I run my tires at 42 PSI. Recommended is 35. (Same brand/model tire as factory delivered)
View attachment 271202

After mine decapped, the inside part of the tire bulged out beyond where the normal layer of tread would be, looking just like a thick inner tube would. It was round in profile. I surmise the extra volume caused the pressure decrease, in part. I checked the tire's pressure that evening after I got home. Within a couple days it was flat, so it obviously had a leak, too. The point is, I wasn't running it at 30 PSI, and didn't make that clear in my earlier comment. (Having said that, even if it were at 30 PSI, I don't think the tire should fail like that after 5,000 miles on a new tire, when recommended is 35)

The tire was on a gas 1/2 ton pickup, so was not heavily loaded. It had enough tread left to talk half of US penny's diameter, so was certainly not worn out.

I am not a tire technician, so will not say that the tire could not have been under inflated. But I don't think that 7 PSI over the factory recommendation for the tire should result in that kind of failure. The tires are rated to 65 or 80 PSI maximum inflation, so 42 PSI didn't over stress them, either. The remaining 4 tires of the set (I had bought a full set plus spare) ran another 45,000 miles at 42 PSI.

I don't mean to hijack, or be snotty; I just wanted to expand a bit on what I had said, since it lacked context in my earlier post.

 

[284 International]

Here's the thing, I would never consider a truck tire to be properly inflated at 30 psi... The term "properly inflated" seems to be more subjective than objective.

I agree about the subjective part. I don't want to change the topic from tire debris; I run my tires at 42 PSI. Recommended is 35. (Same brand/model tire as factory delivered)



After mine decapped, the inside part of the tire bulged out beyond where the normal layer of tread would be, looking just like a thick inner tube would. It was round in profile. I surmise the extra volume caused the pressure decrease, in part. I checked the tire's pressure that evening after I got home. Within a couple days it was flat, so it obviously had a leak, too.

The point is, I wasn't running it at 30 PSI, and didn't make that clear in my earlier comment. (Having said that, even if it were at 30 PSI, I don't think the tire should fail like that after 5,000 miles on a new tire, when recommended is 35)

The tire was on a gas 1/2 ton pickup, so was not heavily loaded. It had enough tread left to talk half of US penny's diameter, so was certainly not worn out.

I am not a tire technician, so will not say that the tire could not have been under inflated. But I don't think that 7 PSI over the factory recommendation for the tire should result in that kind of failure. The tires are rated to 65 or 80 PSI maximum inflation, so 42 PSI didn't over stress them, either. The remaining 4 tires of the set (I had bought a full set plus spare) ran another 45,000 miles at 42 PSI.

I don't mean to hijack, or be snotty; I just wanted to expand a bit on what I had said, since it lacked context in my earlier post.

 

[Bob77064]

Yeah, recaps get a lot of blame, but many many years ago, a study was published that made a lot of sense to me. Look at the rubber that's on the road. Does it show signs of the tire cords? Most do, but wouldn't if it were the cap and not the body of the tire. Of course you may say that the recapping process weakened the tire and caused it to blow out, and I'm sure not expert enough to contradict that, although some who are experts have claimed it isn't so. It's been quite awhile ago when one of my brothers owned a couple of 18 wheelers and he once said the best tires (at that time) that he'd found was to run new Michelins 40k miles, recap them (Bandag recapping), and run them another 60k miles (yep, the recaps outlasted original tread).

My only personal experience with recaps was when I took two Gates tires to be recapped, then put them on my 1956 Mercury Montclair convertible in 1958, and in spite of a lot of hotrodding, they never gave me any problem. Then in 1960, I bought 4 recapped tires to put on my Studebaker Silver Hawk. Again, no problems.

Good point sir. The recap tire is only as good as the people who recapped it. And if it's new or recap inflation is still critical.

 

[Mace Canute]

284 International, good to hear you don't run them that low! I am a firm believer that a tire will be damaged much more by under inflation than over inflation. Factory air pressures seem to be more aligned with a soft ride than anything else.

 

[sfloggie]

About 3 weeks ago I made a trip to Indiana and back, and yesterday I drove to southern Detroit and back, both trips were about 230 miles total. Most of the miles I drove were freeway miles, and to me it seems this year there is a LOT more truck tire debris along the shoulders than I recall ever seeing in past years. In all the distance for both trips I only saw a few chunks of smaller rubber on the roadway itself but there must have been hundreds of partial treads on the shoulders. Perhaps it's just my perception but I cannot recall ever seeing so much truck tire debris as I have recently.

Thankfully, we have never sustained any damage that I know of to any of our vehicles, but the last time my in-laws drove to Nashville, their late model Buick got hit with a large chunk of rubber in the bottom of the front fascia...and they said it is a $300 repair. Have any of you sustained damage from hitting tire debris?

JD,

Twice in the past year. One was a large piece of rubber thrown into the air by a vehicle. I could not safely dodge it, so it hit my grille and hood denting both, plus warping my front license plate. The second was a piece that also dented my hood. Another just missed as it skimmed my roof. Many people do not dodge these items because thank do not see them as they talk on the phone or text.
I travel about 300 miles round trip of interstate each week and also find there is more rubber (with metal mainly) tire debris.

Jim

 

[JDgreen227]

JD,

Twice in the past year. One was a large piece of rubber thrown into the air by a vehicle. I could not safely dodge it, so it hit my grille and hood denting both, plus warping my front license plate. The second was a piece that also dented my hood. Another just missed as it skimmed my roof. Many people do not dodge these items because thank do not see them as they talk on the phone or text.
I travel about 300 miles round trip of interstate each week and also find there is more rubber (with metal mainly) tire debris.

Jim

OR they follow the vehicle in front of them so closely they cannot see any debris on the road. I drive (pun intended) my wife nuts while in traffic on the freeway sometimes because I often speed up or slow down to stay out of packs of other vehicles that are all following each other too closely.

 

[newbury]

Just rolled down to Mississippi from DC yesterday.
Definitely lot's of tire pieces.
It seemed that there were more tire pieces, especially on the shoulders, where the grass was taller, and most of the 820 miles the grass was taller than prior trips, suggesting less state maintenance.

I too strongly believe in leaving a big gap between me and the car in front.

In another thread:

I may have posted this before but:
About 20 years ago I was driving my Dodge B120 van down to Kings Dominion for a fun day at the waterpark. I had three boys with me, from about 9 to 13.
We were in the middle lane, moderately dense traffic, about 65 mph.
A boat trailer in front of me lost a right wheel, one of two.

The darn wheel and tire flew up in the air, probably 30 feet high and coming directly at me. I couldn't swerve to either side without hitting a car. I floored it and hoped for the best, trying to get it so it would hit the roof instead of the windshield. Didn't have time to get scared, just time to react.

It hit dead center above the window frame and left a dent about an inch deep, bounced off and was someone else's problem.

It was just like heading a soccer ball.

Didn't even have to change my pants.

Last year I had just passed a truck hauling 3 rolled bales of hay when 1 rolled off into the car following closely.

If you don't leave time to react you and your passengers might be dead.

I've seen numerous large road snakes thrown up from underneath compact cars and can just imagine what happened to their undercarriage.

 

[bdeboer]

In 1991 I was driving my first new car 1991 5.0L mustang on its first road trip. Hit a piece of recap and scratched the side above the passenger tire.

 

[schoolsout]

Yep...used to drive a Tahoe and could run over the recaps in the road...Tahoe no more and in a VW Jetta TDI now...my entire front grill/ground effects were bashed in until I finally rear ended a car that slammed on brakes as it came around a turn...fixed now :/

 

[DJ54]

I'm retired from ODOT, and have thrown bunches of 'gators off the road. I learned pretty quick to wear a pair of gloves too, as some are still pretty hot..!! Most seemed to be caps off trailers. When it gets near 90 degrees, you can pretty well count on the highway being littered with them.

A buddy of mine and his son haul container trailers. Seems the owners of the trailers hate to spend too much money on higher quality tires. He had a brand new installed Chinese tire peel off, after about 80 miles. The mechanic had just finished putting it on as he pulled up to hook. He double checked the tire pressure, as the driver is responsible for buying a new tire, if it sucks the tube.