tireman9

Please click on the following NHTSA Recall ID links to view the recall information. Note: If you did not receive a notice directly from NHTSA or Continental tire then your tire dealer failed to properly register you as the owner as required by Federal Regulation. I covered this topic in my RV Tire Blog HERE. If you have a Michelin, BFG, or Uniroyal you can go HERE to register your tires or contact your tire dealer and ask them for the appropriate form. NHTSA Recall ID Number : 18T008 Synopsis : Continental Tire the Americas, LLC. (Continental) is recalling certain Conti Coach HA3 tires, size 315/80R22.5 157/154 L, with DOT codes A372KWUU 3517 through A372KWUU 1618. These tires may have cords visible through the innerliner. Tires that have cords visible through the innerliner can have sudden air loss, causing a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash. Continental will notify owners, and dealers will install equivalent tires, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in July 2018. Owners may contact Continental customer service at 1-800-726-7113.

Can you get a close-up, in sharp focus shot of the sidewall area just to the right of the blade of grass as seen in the 2nd picture. I see something but need a better picture. Full sunlight in highest quality covering an area about 6" to 8" square should do. It is very unusual for steel sidewall to simply fail without some external or prior damage. In 5 years have you ever needed to add more than 5 or 10 psi to any of the tires for any reason?

Correct, TPMS is only designed to warn of air leaks and cannot warn of impending belt/tread separations. This is why it is suggested that Motorhomes have their tires fully inspected by a dealer that sells the brand in question annually starting at 5 years. A complete inspection by a competent person should allow any out of round or side to side run-out to be observed. Both of these are signs of potential belt/tread separations. I show how and the results of such an inspection in my blog.

Wondering why you were removing the TPM sensor to "check" the inflation. Also how the inflation got down to 60 without the TPM sounding off. In my RVTire blog, I have a number of posts on tests for accuracy of various TPM sensors and have found the dozen sensors I tested, to be acceptable. So the only time I would have a sensor off is when doing the initial pressure setting and maybe a couple of times a year like in late Fall and Early Spring when there are large changes in temperature. Different TPMS have different settings for the low-pressure warning level but I suggest the low-pressure level should be set at the minimum inflation needed to support the measured tire load. You will need to read your system instructions and maybe do a little calculating but you should be able to do it. One of the reasons I suggest the CIP be set to your minimum +10% is that will give you margin so the day to day effect on tire pressure due to temperature change should mean you don't need to. With pressure changing 2% with a change of 10F you would need a 50F drop before you would need to add any air. Since tires can tolerate both temperature and pressure rise you don't have to "chase your tail" every day messing with tire pressure even when the temperature rises 30 to 50F

Sorry, Wayne but there are ways to identify the probable inflation & load history of a tire. Just as a Medical Examiner can do an autopsy and identify the signs of bad diet and poor or no exercise, or years of smoking, it is many times possible to see the external signs of low inflation and high load. These signs can show up in the indentation into the tire left by the wheel. Also, the different flex markings can be seen on the interior of a tire. Manufacturing "Defects" will usually result in early life failure i.e. <1,000 miles. Tire failure is in itself not proof of some nebulous "defect" even though lawyers and those not experienced in failed tire inspection want to think so. Once you examine, in detail, a few thousand tires from both controlled testing and from day to day use & abuse the conditions seen in tires tell a story of the tire's history. Too often people simply think of the conditions (load, speed, inflation, road) at the moment the tire fails as the "facts" to be considered when trying to decide the "why" a tire failed. In reality, the damage might have been done hours, days or even months earlier. As I point out in my RV Tire Knowledge Seminars at FMCA Conventions, tires are like potato salad, putting the salad back in the refrigerator after it was left for hours in the hot sun does not "fix it" and make it good to eat the next day any more than taking the burnt hot dog off the grill and letting it cool down before serving it makes for a good meal. Adding the correct air in a tire after running it low for thousands of miles does not repair the damage. Slowing down to 50 after hours of 70 to 80 over the preceding weeks and months does not "fix" or heal the thousands of microscopic cracks that were formed in the overheated and overstressed belt rubber. If a person stopped his smoking addiction of 2 packs a day for 40 years a couple months ago, will his lungs be clean and clear today?

I have covered the question of Multi-Axle trailer tire inflation ( run the sidewall pressure as your CIP ) along with the engineering analysis behind this recommendation in my blog RVTireSafety.com I have also covered the question of max operating speed (65 MAX) as the load formula for St type tires has not been changed since the early 70's. Speed "Rating" is just like your engine "Red Line" rating. You can exceed it but you will end up with a shorter tire or engine life.

Can't be 100% sure about "structural" support. I just assumed (hoped) that Coachmen has a structure right around the opening. I always have a roll of "Racer-Tape" aka "duct-tape" in the toolbox and that would help keep boards centered. Probably could have used 1x3 set vertically but had scrap 2x4 laying around and have "dead storage" space under dinette seating.

Well, they only have to work long enough to get home. Also, they are a "snug" fit and I need to pound on them a little to get in place. But thanks for the observation. I just hope I never have to use them. maybe these are like carrying an umbrella so it never rains.

Sorry to hear about your tire problem. Didn't your TPMS give a low-pressure warning? Any chance you can share a few pictures of the failed tire. I like to help provide a possible suggestion on the "Why" a tire failed. I also am a bit surprised by only 5-year life, unless the failure was due to some non-tire issue such as leaking valve or valve core. I am guessing your tires are LR-E and say 80 psi on them. I suggest you run 80 as your Cold Inflation Pressure till you can confirm your actual tire loading.

I have Schwintechslide on my coach. I have watched the various You Tube videos on how to change the motor etc. If the system fails when the slide is in I can probably just live with it till I get home but if it fails when out I am stuck. Removing the motors also removes the "lock" that holds the slide in. My back-up and work around it simple as a couple of 2x4's. I believe that with the help of some fellow campers I will be able to get the slide in without the motors but then I need to make sure it will not slide out as I drive home. The 2x4's just fit to hold the slide in. They don't take up much space and can be stored anywhere as I do not expect to ever need to use them. Here is what it looks like with the "Lock" in place.

Tim you really do need to confirm you are not overloading any tires. Just because it is Class-C does not mean it can't be overloaded. Data shows over half of RVs have a tire and or axle in overload. I also strongly recommend all RV owners run TPMS as they can give advance warning of air loss due to cut, puncture or leaking valve or leaking valve core. You might also check out my blog or if at FMCA Int's Convention in Gillette WY attend my seminars.

Good pictures of the failed tire can sometimes provide important information on the "why" the tire failed. Get the tire in full sunlight and take 4 to 8 pictures of the failed area in good focus. You didn't answer my question on TPMS. What were your scale readings on the front axle? Tire Size & LR and your cold inflation.

Yes those are sometimes called "combi-patch" Just be sure the tire was dismounted and the interior of the tire was inspected for any damage. Here is damage you would not know about if the tire was not dismounted.

Air circulation is not a problem in residential refrigerators as they come with fans built in. However, those of us with standard RV refrigerators could use some help with moving the cool air around inside the fridg. There are battery operated fans but I prefer a more permanent solution. I simply adapted a Computer case fan and wired it to run whenever the fridge is turned on. If you can do some soldering and a bit of tinkering you can install your own fan. I found a ball bearing low current (0.18A) 70x70mm fan at the local PC repair shop for $5 or you can check Amazon or eBay. First, you need to identify the ground wire in your light (usually black wire) The 12v hot wire in my fridge was red. I attached a standard spade connector to the fan wire and using a Female to Male spade adapter. Used some small aluminum angle to attach the fan to the side of the fridge and made sure the wires were out of the way and not touching the bulb. The biggest difficulty was the very small wire on the fan Smaller than 22 Ga so take your time striping the wire. I also used some shrink wrap to strengthen the end of the wire. Test the wire on the light with your multi-meter to be sure you are using the always hot wires as you want the fan to run even when the door is closed.

There are a few. Never know why some folks choose the tires they run. The objective of Recall announcement is to let people know as it appears that not a lot of people have their tires "Registered". Info on registration HERE. Do you know if all your tires have been registered?

The only proper repair is to dismount the tire, inspect the interior, apply a patch and a plug. This per DOT, Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone and me. But hey what do we know. Sounds like some of you need to attend my Tire Seminar where I show pictures why.

You received this email because you have requested to be notified by NHTSA if there is a safety recall regarding Tires. Please click on the following NHTSA Recall ID links to view the recall information. NHTSA Recall ID Number : 18T006 Synopsis : Continental Tire the Americas, LLC. (Continental Tire) is recalling certain Conti Hybrid HS3 tires, size 11R22.5 Load Range G, with tire identification numbers (TIN) A33TKWUX and DOT date codes of 0918 through 1118. Cords may be visible through the innerliner. Tires with visible cords through the innerliner may have a sudden loss of air, increasing the risk of a crash. Continental Tire will notify owners, and dealers will replace the tires, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Continental Tire customer service at 1-888-799-2168.

Yes, Michelin doesn't do us any favors with their Load & Infl tables. They know that individual tire loads are important and that you should inflate all tires on any one axle to at least the pressure specified for the tires with the heavier end but then they go and make stuff complicated by publishing axle loads. I suspect the reason for this is that their tables are aimed at truckers who only do axle weights because their loads are more balanced side to side than RVs. You can do yourself a favor by writing down your own version of Michelin numbers but show the load per tire for fronts and per set of duals for the drive position as the rest of the tire industry does. You can confirm you did the math correctly by looking at a Goodyear or Bridgestone or other truck tire chart. The numbers should be the same or almost the same as in the Michelin table. (The reason for the minor differences can be confusing so just accept that the French have their way of thinking) Minimum inflation. You are correct to not run lower than the lowest number on the table. Just be sure you compare to a different company chart to confirm your math. RE "Engineers" I sometimes wonder if the RV companies have Automotive or similar engineers involved in the design of the coach part of a motorhome. The chassis does, I'm just not sure about the coach based on some of the stuff I have seen in RV coaches and trailers.

Chrome platingAluminum takes some special processing as Chrome doesn't stick to Aluminum. You first plate with Copper, then Nickel then Chrome and the process in the aftermarket can be quite expensive. There are spray on clear wheel "paints" that I have used. You first clean & polish your wheels then spray the clear coat. You do need to remember that any abrasive cleaning will damage the clear coat so be careful.

I only use a hand gauge when adding air at the start of the season or if I have had a drop in pressure of more than 10%. I know this is OK as I use my TPMS "Morning Reset" feature at the start of each travel day. This sets my TPMS readings on the monitor to 0 PSI and 32°F. I then go get my coffee and after a few minutes, I have the current CIP readings. (Side note) I have learned that if I have a slow response from a sensor it is an indication the battery is getting old so I just put replacing the battery on my to-do list for the next day) Since my CIP is set to be the minimum inflation based on my heavier ends, of each axles + 10%. I have a built-in margin so have learned that +/- a few psi is normal. Since psi of air and N2 changes by about 2% for each change in temperature of 10°F. I know that the Ambient temperature would have to drop by 50°F or more before I would need to be adding air. The availability of TPMS has actually created a bit of a problem as folks now know their tire pressure and temperature so since they have little or no experience with what they have been running for the past 5 or 20 years then get un-necessarily worried when they see the pressure change by a couple or even5 psi. NOTE I am talking COLD pressure (CIP) measured with a pressure gauge that is accurate to within +/- 3% of your CIP. Tire engineers know that tire temperature and pressure will increase with running. maybe even as much as 20 to 25% if you run heavy and fast. You are not going to get a "Blowout" from the normal pressure increase unless you have somehow severely damaged your tire. Most street tires I know of can handle a 50 to 100% pressure increase. I suggest you read this post if you are still concerned.

Only Aluminum stems I know of are either racing stems or the stems on some passenger car OE TPMS. These are subject to corrosion and are not as strong as brass stems. Don't know of any normal auto part store or truck stop selling Aluminum racing stems. They definitely are not as strong as Brass. Unless you are running at Indy, F1 or in an ultra small light weight car I don't see the lower weight as an advantage. I never rant them in any of my race cars. Please be aware that some truck stems are the "yellow" brass color while other brass stems are simply chrome or nickel plated to make them loop nice.

NO Wheel pressure is CIP Not the hot pressure. Basically, the 120 would match up with the tires that would be applied to the Rv using those wheels. Might be a couple different sizes but in each case, the tire is rated for its max load AT 120psi. Wheels like tires are designed to tolerate normal pressure increase. Side comment on your TPM readings. I recently did an evaluation of TPM pressure accuracy. Results HERE. TPMS are designed to warn of pressure drop. If you did a test with your system and could let out an identical amount of air I bet you would find that all 6 of your sensors would give a warning when they lost the same number of pounds (+/- 1 or 2 psi) Bottom line. All this variation might be "Measurable" but the differences in the numbers are not really "Meaningful" You can get a better understanding of these two terms HERE. Hope I was able to answer your questions. I may not always be available for quick answers but I bet that just about all the questions folks might have on tires in RV use have been covered in my blog which is available 24/7

First off I would not be concerned with the numbers you have. Tires normally change temperature pressure by about 2% for each change in temperature of 10F. The only pressure I am concerned with is the CIP or Cold Inflation Pressure. If you have that correct for your load the increase can easily be tolerated by your tires. You can see the Science for the pressure change in my blog. I covered the temperature effect in three posts HERE. Gotta run the DW just called me to dinner. Will post a bit more in about an hour.

Didn't your TPMS provide a warning of the air loss? Have any clear pictures of the tire? True "Defects" usually occurs at early mileage. Do you have your tire scale readings? What size and what is your Cold inflation pressure?

While I never personally ran wheel tests, I do recall reading some technical reports back in the 70's talking about the stress loading on wheels of radials being different than from bias tires. "Different" doesn't mean higher but the loading on wheels is much more complex than many people realize. Might be greater in one area and lower in another. Few people realize that the "disk" portion (the part that bolts on) actually functions much like a Bellville washer and if you pay attention you can see the distortion when torquing passenger steel wheels. The rim portion also transferred loads differently from the tire bead to the disk so yes wheels can be rated "bias only". The same axle warning is not based on the wheels but on the lateral deflection difference so one tire may get a disproportionately higher level of lateral forces.