Not a "Blowout" but definitely was a Run Low Sidewall Flex failure. No TPMS was cause

Read the following on an RV trailer forum:
"BOOM it happened again, however, this time it was with the upgraded Maxxis tires, seems to me that a lot of these "trailer tires" are just plain garbage. 
The only positive thing I can say is that the Maxxis tires did not blow up like the TowMax tire did thus I suffered zero damage this time, call that a win-win.
All tires were checked prior to departure and filled to 80PSI, less than 20 miles to our destination (220-mile trip) I saw a bit of smoke coming from right side pulled over and the side wall gave out. 
Changed it with the spare Goodyear Marathon that camping world lovingly overcharged me for last year ($197.67 to be exact) and went on my way very slowly. 
Found a tire shop called Gattos in Palm Bay FL that had my size 235/80R16 and installed four new Goodyear Endurance tires (FYI tire shop was way less than camping world by $34 dollars per tire!)
Why 4 you might ask, well it just made sense to me kids, wife & dog in the truck better safe than sorry. Took the three good Maxxis home with me as they look fine, may use one and make a second spare tire. 
Let's hope the Goodyear Endurance tires are as good as they say at least they are made in the USA VS the Marathon that's made in China & had a really bad track record. Anyways just sharing my experience will be purchasing a TPMS system very soon before our next trip that's for sure. Any recommendations? Seems many offer a six-tire system all I need is a 4 tire system."

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My reply

Sorry to see you had another tire failure but there is no such thing as a "failure-Proof" tire. All tires need to be properly inflated. ALL THE TIME. Not just at the start of a trip.
The pictures provide the evidence with that nice 360 flex that resulted in one side ending up with just the bead area and lower part of the sidewall. This piece of convincing evidence is seen in upper left part of the picture.

I hope you held onto the other 3 tires as there is no reason to expect them to fail as they apparently didn't lose air like the failed tire did.
In case you wonder about my diagnosis you might review THIS blog post where I was provided with a number of sharp pictures of the failed tire.

As covered in THIS post, 99+% of tire failures are due to one of two different causes. Your tire has clear and convincing evidence of failing due to Run Low Flex Failure of the sidewall.

I would strongly suggest a TPMS be installed so you could get advanced warning of air loss.

Note: I have even seen instances where the valve core sticks open and if the valve cap is not metal with an internal "O" ring the tire just takes longer to go flat as plastic caps are really, IMO only reliable at keeping dirt and small birds out of the valve core sealing ring. You might review THIS post on valve cores to understand why metal caps with 'O"rings or TPMS sensors are the only items I consider acceptable to use on the end of a valve stem.

"Run Flat" vs "Blowout" protection

Saw a thread on run flat fixtures to be used on the front of an RV to provide some protection against losing control if a front tire were to fail. A lot of discussion and conjecture but not many facts. Before I start it's important to be sure we all are on the same page with these terms.

"Run Flat" capability in today's tire market is a reality for passenger car tires. Tires designed and so labeled can provide mobility at reduced speed for various number of miles even after a complete loss of air. Some advertise 50 miles at 50 mph. I know of no true run flat tires for LT, Truck or RV application.

"Blowout" is a generic term used by many to describe a tire failure. This term does not provide information to tire engineers on the condition or possible cause of the failure.

"Rapid Air Loss" or "RAL" is any sudden loss of all the air in a tire.

"Belt or Tread Separation" -- This is when the belt and or tread portion of a tire separates from the rest of the tire. The carcass or body of the tire many times will still hold air.

"Run Flat Device" -- This is some equipment that fits inside a tire. It may prevent the beads from De-seating from the rim or may limit the collapse of the tire after the loss of air.

"Steering Stabilizer" -- This is vehicle equipment that may lessen the "jerk' of the steering in the event of an RAL.

I do understand the concern of some about the loss of control of a large RV in the event of a front tire failure. Yes, I have seen some of the videos and they are spectacular, but a front tire failure does not have to mean you will have a crash.

Back in the early '70s I worked extensively on a new type of tire from Firestone, the LXX, which was intended to replace 10.00-20 and 11-22.5 size tires but used a 26.5 rim. I even spent a week in Texas at the test track intentionally puncturing front tires with a 2" diameter hole to test vehicle control. While the tire worked as designed, the cost of new wheels made the tire design not viable in the truck tire market.

Here is a picture in the Akron newspaper at the time showing the tire with my then boss Ed Henry.

The main challenge for vehicle control is to either limit the "drop" when a tire suffers an RAL or to limit the steering response which can send the vehicle into another traffic lane.

There are a number of systems on the market:

Tyron is designed to keep the tire on the wheel. It does not appear to lessen the collapse of the tire.

Rodguard inserts for 14" to 17" tires appears to partially support a flat tire.

Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizers take a different approach to vehicle control.

Hutchenson seems to focus on extreme situations, such as military applications.


I recall hearing about multi-piece inserts like this one from TAC but was not able to find current info for 22.5 RV size tires.

IMO the best approach to preventing a loss of vehicle control is three steps:

1. Use a TPMS and have it set to tightly monitor your inflation. Test your sensor to confirm it reports pressure loss at the level you expect. It may not be set correctly and a test can confirm.

2. Closely inspect your tires at least annually and if possible even have your tire dealer check for out-of-round or lateral wobble of the tread and bulges in the tire sidewall. These can be early warning of separations or other structural damage to a tire.

3. Study and review the safety videos on how to maintain vehicle control in the event of an RAL.
   Here is one from Michelin, and another, and yet another.


##RVT807