ispjs Report post Posted April 6, 2018 I hope folks don't take this the wrong way, or think I am a "sick" individual. When we travel I take note of different vehicles for different reasons. My DW says it is a retired cop thing. One thing I notice and call out to her is my prediction of who will have a future flat tire. I am only right about 10% or 20% of the time but it is fun to do. I generally watch for older cargo type trailers or small open trailers that look like they haven't been maintained. If they are traveling at 70mph or above I will call them out "future blow out". I also watch for TTs or fivers that are running hard, like 75 or more, on days that the temps are in the high 90's or above. I hit on these when we are out west on a regular basis. One will fly past us and maybe an hour or so later we will pass them on the side of the road with a chewed up tire. Sure enough since I posted this I will blow a trailer tire going 62mph next week when it is 75 degrees out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted April 6, 2018 Good to know that others has a pet peeve. I also watch tires, but my favorite is looking at the tow bars that pass on the different roads, and betting with my wife about how much that person complains about something wrong with their toad. Only 3 out of 10 are properly adjusted so that they are actually parallell with the pavement, I dont count them out if not more than two inches out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted April 6, 2018 I just think everyone else is going to have an issue but me (sic). Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tireman9 Report post Posted April 7, 2018 And I thought constantly looking at tires was an afliction only suffered by tire Engineers. I've been doing it so long that the DW can ID tires that are about 30 percent or more low. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted April 7, 2018 Must be a slow day on the Forum! I'm conscious of 10+ wheelers that pass me, if I see a wobble or worn tire and the truck is going 2 or 3 mph faster than me, I hit the brakes! Linda don't understand why! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ispjs Report post Posted April 7, 2018 I KNEW IT!!!! I shouldn't have posted anything negative about some other person's tires! Yesterday we were out sightseeing (camped at St. Augustine). We were coming from New Smyrna Beach and stopped at a red light. A 5-ton box truck behind me got impatient because the cars in front of me were not moving when the light turned green. He pulled out from behind me and went around in the oncoming lane! The problem was as he did this I recognized immediately that he hadn't cut out far enough and he was going to side swipe us. I pulled up as close to the bumper of the car in front of me as I could but it wasn't enough. His rear duals brushed the front left of my Mini. Of course since this is Florida he kept going with no intention of stopping. Retired RVer Grandpa Joe disappeared and Trooper Joe took over I guess because I immediately pulled out and chased him down. I was honking and flashing my lights offset behind him and when that didn't work I passed him, stayed on the center lane, slowed, and brought him to a stop. I exited and demanded his driver's license and asked him why he didn't stop after hitting me. After I calmed down and he told his story a couple times I started to believe him. He said he had no idea that he had hit anyone. We looked at the front of my Mini and his tire marks can be rubbed out from my protective wheel well rubber, so no real damage there. Of course my DW had already dialed up the New Smyrna police and they arrived quickly. We told our story, he told his, and all was good. I'm thinking if I would have only refrained from talking about other folks issues with tires.......... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
five Report post Posted April 7, 2018 6 hours ago, manholt said: Must be a slow day on the Forum! I'm conscious of 10+ wheelers that pass me, if I see a wobble or worn tire and the truck is going 2 or 3 mph faster than me, I hit the brakes! Linda don't understand why! Good advice, I never drive side by side next to an 18 wheeler if it can be avoided...I keep thinking his trailer might have some old RV tires that somebody traded in because they were dried out and not safe. As far as TT and 5th wheel speeding is concerned, I doubt most of those drivers, with ST tires, don't know that they are speed rated to 65. When we had our 5th wheel, I got rid of the Chinese ST trailer tires and put on LT pickup tires. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted April 7, 2018 Joe S. Your very LUCKY, he could have smashed you like a bug! Sorry, your a mini bug! No RV, should go 75mph+!!! See it all the time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted April 8, 2018 Joe, us too . Being a younger guy with a class a I have had several try and prove something. One trailer jockey in FL last year tried to antagonize me to race him, he had a king pin camper trailer with a 3/4 dodge Exhaust through the bed that resembled a trash can looking thing. Anyway I was rolling at 65 he come on the ramp pulls along side of me eyes connected, he backs off 1/2 mile, winds up he must have passed us pushing 90 and still accelerating, almost looses it when he hit my wind draft, thought I was going pull over and carry them out of the woods, small Kids in the back seat . As he passes I start reciting the vehicle code for all of the violations shaking my head. Poor kids have no chance if they are his In his defense it was getting late and considering his headlights were pointed at the clouds he did need to get where he was going before it got dark . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ispjs Report post Posted April 9, 2018 We probably witness more "idiot" drivers in Florida than anyplace else now. Since we have moved up to St. Augustine last week from North Ft. Myers we have gotten stuck two times on the interstate, once in the coach and once in the Mini, for serious multiple car crashes that have closed the road. It is getting almost commonplace to see cars going over 90mph and some RV getting close to 80-85 anymore. It is like the wild west on these sunshine state interstates at times. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted April 9, 2018 3 minutes ago, ISPJS said: It is getting almost commonplace to see cars going over 90mph and some RV getting close to 80-85 anymore. No courtesy anymore either Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ispjs Report post Posted April 9, 2018 On 4/7/2018 at 9:59 AM, manholt said: Joe S. Your very LUCKY, he could have smashed you like a bug! Sorry, your a mini bug! No RV, should go 75mph+!!! See it all the time. I know Carl, when you have a box truck that close to your driver's window and your line of sight is under his cargo box, you realize how small you really are in a Mini Cooper. Then to top it all off, the DP next to us this week was getting ready to leave this morning. There were a couple things I observed this week that made me think he may have just bought that thing. For one, he had his Aqua Hot on diesel burn the whole time he was here (we are not charged electric). Anyway, there was a lot of room for him to pull out of his large pull-thru site but I just felt better moving the Mini anyway. Well he pulled out a few minutes after I moved the Mini and if I would have left it in place he would have taken the front left off! There was no need for him to even cut over into my site but typical of an inexperienced large DP driver he came flying out of the site like he was driving a large SUV instead of a 45' rig. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted April 9, 2018 1 hour ago, ISPJS said: We probably witness more "idiot" drivers in Florida than anyplace else now. And the State Troopers are probably more prevalent in Florida, and give more tickets than any other state that I have ever driven in, you would think that the id 10 t's, " this is IT lingo concerning the loose nut at the end of a keyboard" would learn a lesson. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted April 9, 2018 I have often wondered how they all, and all RV types, got from point A (home) to B (any winter snow bird location), to begin with! Then they all hop into their toads, or trucks, and suddenly forget how to drive! Right turns from left lane and the opposite, no turn signal and doing 55 in the fast lane on the 75mph turnpike! Totally Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted May 29, 2018 On 4/6/2018 at 8:58 AM, ISPJS said: I hope folks don't take this the wrong way, or think I am a "sick" individual. When we travel I take note of different vehicles for different reasons. My DW says it is a retired cop thing. One thing I notice and call out to her is my prediction of who will have a future flat tire. I am only right about 10% or 20% of the time but it is fun to do. I do the same thing, got my DW doing it also. I will often recite the vehicle code, and count out all of the defects. The problem is when they are really bad it angers me as I know this person could ultimately cause an accident at some innocent persons expense. DW had a TT pass her (she was running 75) this guy had to been pushing 85 up the interstate, when they guy got along side she backed off and low and behold BOOM!! One tire exploded and took the side skirting off, no damage to her she just ran over his debris that fell off the side. That was her first tire exploding experience, she said it sounded like someone shot at her. Joe, we could chat for hours, and laugh and laugh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rsbilledwards Report post Posted May 29, 2018 Speaking of running over debris on the freeway. A huge chunk of semi tire removable tread in the left lane for me to run over. No place to go as there was traffic on rt side. I tried to move over a little and it went under the left front and came out the right rear. It hit the suspension airlines and the secondary fuel filter. Now dead in the water. Took the car off the trailer went back 25 miles to O Rieleys and got a, Wix 2 micron filter, lucky me, put is on, fired it up and discovered the torn up air lines. Well I carry a smal coil of air line and Slip to connect fittings. The whole episode cost 1 hour. As has been pointed out It is nuts to drive side beside or directly behind any other rig be it a fifth wheel, a trailer, a semi setup of any kind and people do iy all the time. It appears to be music to their ears that thump, thump, thump of a tire getting ready to leave. Baybe they are waiting for an adrenlin rush. No you are not sick nor alone Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
