tireman9 Report post Posted October 29, 2018 Saw an RV forum post on this topic. Here was my answer. If you are running a TPMS (which you, of course, should be), you should have received plenty advance notice of needing to add 3 to 5 psi. This slight loss of pressure is due to normal air loss and pressure change due to the change in ambient temperature. You can easily top off your tires at your next fuel stop. If you don't have TPMS and discover you have been driving on a tire that needs more than 20% of it's required inflation, you should be calling road service and have the tire changed, as there is a good chance you may have done permanent internal structural damage. I consider this operation on the under-inflated tire made the tire unsafe to re-inflate until the tire has had a complete internal and external inspection by a trained tire service person, not just the guy that mounts tires who probably has not received the training. AFTER the inspection, the tire should only be inflated in an approved safety cage as doing otherwise can lead to serious personal injury. Regarding how to find trained, certified tire inspectors... Use THIS link from Tire Industry Association. There is a directory that you can search by zip code. Those listed are TIA Members, and those with the Certified Patch next to them have been TIA Certified. I will suggest that folks with 19.5 or larger tires or with Load Range E, F, G or higher or with any steel body ply of any Load Range go to Certified, Commercial inspection People with Passenger, LT or ST type tires of lower load range, can use the "Automotive" link but a certified Commercial person should be able to inspect smaller tires too. Remember as Sgt. Esterhaus of Hill Street Blues said 'Let's be careful out there' Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkhartjim Report post Posted October 30, 2018 Isn't that an air pump? Does anyone use split rims on their motorhome or are split rims used at all? I haven't seen a cage in a tire shop in years. Inquiring minds want to know. EDIT: Please no derogatory pm's mister tireman. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bm02tj Report post Posted October 30, 2018 All the tire shops around here use cages for all large tires Road side repairs they are carefull Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted October 30, 2018 Jim S. Looks like one to me! I don't remember, if I ever had split rims on a coach? Don't think so. bm. Is that the Law in BC? If so, it's a good one! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkhartjim Report post Posted October 30, 2018 BM02TJ, have you ever seen a split ring on a motorhome? The only split rings I've seen in the last several years are used on large off road equipment. Lots of Jeep owners use bead lock wheels so they can air down when off roading but a bead lock is much different than a split ring wheel. Carl, the air pump comment was a tongue in cheek comment. The title of the post is Air Compressor & Tire Inspection but the photo is a photo of a pump. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted October 30, 2018 Split rims can still be found on some older rigs on the road. Some vintage bus conversion still have them, as do some skoolies. Not a lot, but they are still out there. That said, you don't need a split rim to have a sudden and catastrophic failure of a large tire like those found on some class A motor homes. A quick YouTube search and you'll be able to see for yourself. My suspicion is that many of drivers these videos would have been wise to heed tireman9's warning above. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted October 30, 2018 I have a 1963 Ford F600 dump truck which still has 20" split rims on it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bm02tj Report post Posted October 30, 2018 We have ( work safe ) they go around enforcing safety rules and anyone with employees has to comply or they pay big time So shops have all the safety goods Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
five Report post Posted November 2, 2018 My first pick up was a 1972 Dodge 3/4 ton Club Cab, 360 V8, it had split rims. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rayin Report post Posted November 3, 2018 On 10/30/2018 at 2:54 AM, manholt said: Jim S. Looks like one to me! I don't remember, if I ever had split rims on a coach? Don't think so. bm. Is that the Law in BC? If so, it's a good one! A tire cage is required by OSHA here in the states. Back when i was in high school, working at a Goodyear tire store/shop; a man lost his right hand when a tire failed while he was inflating it - in a cage. Had he not been using the pipe cage he likely would have been killed. The shop foreman forbid me to inflate truck tires. The rules say to use a cage if the present truck tire pressure is below 60 psi. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkhartjim Report post Posted November 3, 2018 Since I'm the one that raised the first question, let me respond this way, of course any tire mounted with a split ring should only be inflated inside a cage. My point is simply this, I bought my first motorhome in 1974, AMF Skamper on a Dodge truck chassis. It did not have split ring wheels and to my knowledge there was never a motorhome built with split ring wheels. I'm confused why the OP included in his post the use of a cage and the split ring wheel when it doesn't apply to motorhomes or towables. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted November 3, 2018 18 minutes ago, elkhartjim said: I'm confused why the OP included in his post the use of a cage and the split ring wheel when it doesn't apply to motorhomes or towables. The OP didn't mention using a cage for split rim wheels. He was talking about a tire which was severely deflated and possibly had interior/hidden damage. No mention of split rims, just that if it's discovered that one is driving on a tire 20% or more deflated to have it checked by a trained/certified tire inspector. Once inspected inside and out, it should be inflated inside a cage. This is so that in the event there was hidden damage and the tire explodes upon refilling no one is injured. Driving on a deflated tire can damage the sidewall in ways that cannot be easily detected. All that said, many earlier motor homes were built with split rim wheels. Many of them are still on the road. Especially with the recent interest in restoring vintage rigs, this is something that people should be aware of. Here's a great video which shows why use of a tire cage is important. Note that most of the tires exploding in this video are being mounted on modern, single piece wheels. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkhartjim Report post Posted November 3, 2018 If you looked at the video, it was of a split rim wheel. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted November 3, 2018 Yep!!! Only modern wheel, I saw, was in the cage vs open, time comparison test. Then there is the Video of the guy, trying to fill a 2T tire with Jim's hand pump! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkhartjim Report post Posted November 3, 2018 I have you to know my hand pump has a Briggs & Stratton motor.😀 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted November 3, 2018 2 hours ago, elkhartjim said: If you looked at the video, it was of a split rim wheel. Some, but not all of them. Please look again. At minute mark 0:25 there is an automotive type tire/rim on the machine. Why is this so controversial? https://fox6now.com/2018/09/23/wisconsin-man-killed-when-tire-being-pumped-hit-his-head/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1854067 https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Tarrant-County-Man-Dies-After-Tire-He-Was-Inflating-Explodes-466703413.html https://www.wmur.com/article/1-dead-1-injured-after-tire-explodes-at-salem-auto-shop/5206922 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkhartjim Report post Posted November 3, 2018 I guess because you have chosen to make it so.😀 Have a nice day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted November 3, 2018 We are not trying to be controversial. You, entered split rims, into a regular wheel post...just saying! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted November 3, 2018 Richard, I apologize...Jim S. Brought up the split rim thing...after that it went South! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted November 3, 2018 Maybe I missed something... OP was about tire safety after a tire has become severely deflated. A few people responded with questions/comments about split rims, which were not in the OP. The first post in this thread was about the potential for damage to a tire which has been severely deflated and the importance of inspection after that event. Others seem to have assumed that this was about split rim wheels. I'm not the one that introduced split rim wheels into this thread, but I did respond to that once it was brought up with additional information, including a video that shows both split rim AND modern tires exploding. The video even mentions some of the same reasons for danger as mentioned in the OP. The facts is it doesn't matter if the tire is mounted on a modern or a split rim wheel. If it is damaged there is a danger of explosion as it's being filled. There are also split rim wheels in use, as we speak, on motor homes. Mainly they are found on vintage rigs, but they're out there. Just because your vintage rig didn't have split rim wheels on it doesn't mean none do. At the moment I feel like I'm under attack for agreeing with the OP and for bringing in additional information. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted November 3, 2018 Actually, a VERY good thread. Yes, some very slightly off topic discussions, but some very good information. How about we just call this one! Closed. Moderator Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
