rettroband for motorhome tires

[wildebill308]

I think this fear of the front "catastrophic blow out" is way over hyped. I just don't see any numbers to back up the fear mongering promoted on most forums. And by companies selling products that you can't live without because you are going to have a front blow out and fall into a canyon if you don't. YES it could happen understand it and you can be readey. There are good videos to watch. 

Just so you know I have had a front blow  out. Back in the 80s I was driving a class C that my former father in law was trying to sell me. On I-635 in Dallas trafic the front left tire went away with a  big bang. I never felt that I was out of control and was able to safely pull over to a spot where I could change it. This problem I feel was directly attributed to the tires that had come on the RV They were not to old but were the same load range van tires that had been on the rolling van chassis used to build the class C. I upgraded to load range E and never had anouther problem.

Bill  

[rayin]

23 hours ago, jleamont said:

IMHO, it would be more cost effective to pay for routine tire inspections and replace the steer tires every 5 years regardless of miles. 

I totally agree! Not to mention the effects of additional un-sprung weight.

[jleamont]

13 minutes ago, RayIN said:

I totally agree! Not to mention the additional unsprung weight.

YUP, another down side. 

[manholt]

If you do new steer tires every 4/5 years...you'll be very old corps by the time you spend $3,000+! LOL  

[wildflower]

I saw the article as well on Rettrobands and was very interested and received this email yesterday:

Good morning, 

We appreciate your interest in Rettrobands.  We currently have stock at all four of our locations and need about 48 hour notice to get them installed (the actual installation takes about an hour).  I am listing pricing below:

Tire size 315 thru 365 - $4,495.00 (plus tax) for the pair installed

Tire size 310 thru 275 - $3,495.00 (plus tax) for the pair installed

In April of 2020 we will have the 265’s available but I do not currently have pricing on those.

Don’t hesitate to call if you would like further assistance.

Thanks, 

Tierri

		OPERATOR Main | 469-277-1330 498 E. State Hwy 121 Lewisville, TX | 75057 tpeterston@nirvc.com | nirvc.com

C8E123EC+9A3E+43E8+8ACB+54612283551E

[manholt]

Now divide by $ 900 & multiply by 5...Think, will I have another coach in that time?  How many more years can I even drive a coach?  Will I live that long?  Will the Rettroband make a good yoke for my mule? 

[tireman9]

On 12/24/2019 at 6:37 PM, manholt said:

Now divide by $ 900 & multiply by 5...Think, will I have another coach in that time?  How many more years can I even drive a coach?  Will I live that long?  Will the Rettroband make a good yoke for my mule? 

I would consider the use of Rettroband a bit like insurance. No one needs it till they do.  Since I have never had a sudden front tire failure on any vehicle, I can only hope I respond appropriately. While it is possible to control a "BIG RIG" when a front tires "blows" your ability does depend on your ability to respond appropriately in the split seconds you have before things get out of control.

I would think a big part of the cost is the band it self so it should be possible to transfer to a new coach as long as the size tire is matched to the band. While I have not watch a Rettroband installed and only seen the movie I would estimate about 1 hour per tire and at shop rate of $150 an hr it would probably be worth the effort to transfer to a new coach.

[wildebill308]

Just how common is this problem? With the number of RVs on the road You seldom hear about it happening. Yes you should take care of your tires and watch the videos so you will know how to respond when driving a "BIG RIG". I think it is more about trying to expand a market.

Bill

[manholt]

Mine are 315/80/22.5 for $4,865..I just don't see why I should limit myself to look for 315's, if we got another coach!  Expensive anchor's!!!  To control a total loss of air in a front tire of a 45' at Hwy speed, is a lot easier than a 32'!  Don't jump on brake & no sudden turn...been there, I used my engine brake.

[manholt]

Bill, I was typing...agree!  It seems to happen a lot more on smaller RV's, overloaded & under inflated.  Like Sprinter chassis!

[Tubbytucker1]

Blowouts do happen to “big rigs”. I had one on my 48,000 lb Signature. The tires were only 5 yrs old and looked in good condition and were at the proper inflation. I have been driving large rigs for over 40 yrs so I have some experience. I was only going 50 mph as I had just gotten off the interstate. The explosion was loud and destructive. It was so violent we never did find the fender that blew off when the tire came off the rim. It then went the other way and was lodged between the wheel and the frame of the motorhome. On the way across it cut the hydraulic lines to the the right front slide causing this to dislodge and come out. All This rendered steering next to impossible. The sudden deflation dropped the front right side transferring the weight which caused the left rears to come off the pavement according to the driver behind me. While I was up on the wheel and regained somewhat controll over the rig I was approaching an over pass and had to turn down the hill on the right to keep from rolling. We cut 1/4 inch ruts in the concrete with the rim for several hundred yards. This was not a slow leak but rather an explosion. We are lucky to be alive.

I finally have my rig back after a year in the shop and have almost all things are repaired to better then before. I was fortunate to have good insurance and a great set of adjusters who found me a very good repair facility. I now have eight new tires and Tyron bands on the steer tires. I had a lot of time to research tires so I got what seemed best for my application. I already had a Safe T Plus. The only thing I have left to do is install tire pressure monitors. My wife asked me if we really had to spend money on the bands? I told her we spend the money or sell the coach as I’m going to be safe. We have put about 6,000 miles on the coach since late August and all seems well. 

Dont think this can’t happen to you. 

Ron

[LForm]

On 10/13/2019 at 1:27 PM, tireman9 said:

Based on the work I did on placing devices inside tires I am not aware of any problems as long as the normal operation deflection does not result in the interior of the tire contacting the device. While I do not have the data it appears that the clearance is in the- 3" range.  Normal tire deflection when a tire is properly inflated for the load is in the 1" - 2" range.

I did watch a video on a tire being mounted and while there are some steps that need to be followed I don't see why damage would occur if the instructions were followed.

I realize this post is from 2019 and it is now 9/27/21. I just spoke with Spartan’s parts people. They tell me that they are 2-4 weeks away from completing testing on what sounds like this very same run flat device. He told me there were problems with out of balance issues such as wobble or an egg shape feel in the handling at high speeds as the devices were designed for use by the military with vehicles that don’t go over 30-40 mph. They told me when the device is ready for sale it will be announced on the Spartan apps. He stated this will be cheaper and better than anything currently on the market and that they hope to place it with their authorized dealers who will receive instructions and videos help with the sale and install, as well as at the Spartan facility. FYI 

[manholt]

I had the original on a 2011 Allegro Bus, It destroyed my drive tire from inside out, it was built by a firm in England for the Royal Army!  The one's that Spartan was pushing 3 years ago, was made by a firm in Sydney Australia for the Australia Military!

Let me know when its made in the USA for non military operation and I'll look at it.

LForm.  Welcome to the Forum

Edited September 27, 2021 by manholt