While stuck in a traffic jam a few weeks back I couldn’t help notice the countless bits of tyre on the side of the roads.
Do blowouts occur frequently? If so what causes them and are they hard to control at speed?
Just curious
GEE
Had a rear tyre blowout on a fully laiden 32 tonne 8 wheel tipper some years ago just as a car was passing right next to said tyre it was summer time i had my elbow resting out of window (as you do) i think the guy in the car had his windows down too, warm day! Anyway like i said she blew!! God what a bang 
I think they altered the clocks in the Isle of man it was that loud Not sure if the guy in the car ever fully recoverd either His bonnet was full of tyre debre and my nerves were shot.That said i was able to stop under control thankfully,And gather myself whilst waiting for A.T.S. Cheers Turn it on a tanner Tony…
P.S. I Drive artics now much more sivalised!!!
The causes of blowouts? Many and varied but, from my own limited experience, under inflation. Tyres get hotter when under inflated and this can make the side walls softer ( the extra flexing of the side walls). Any weak spots (kerbing and scuffing tyres will cause these and remain invisible to the eye) will be the point of failure as supported by the number of blowouts on fast long distance routes.
It is also possible to loose the whole tread section without blowing out the tyre.
The difficulty of control will depend on which axle the wheel is on, if the wheel is a twin or super single and the closeness of adjacent axles. Steering axle and super singles will be much harder to control than twins. Easier still with one of a multi axle drive section and trailers since you will have some spread of the load in the immediate area.
I once had a rear inside blow out at 50 in a fully loaded bus. It bent metal inside the wheel arch, left everyone behind me in a very thick dust cloud & thus unable to see & we needed a crow bar to prise the poor sods sitting above it off the ceiling, but other than the bang, the very surprised screams & the dust cloud I noticed nothing.
I had a blow out at 40 on a 3.5t sprinter, and barely noticed it. But that was on a twin wheel back end. The bigger the vehicle, the more stable.
Is it me, or do those single axle trailers make people nervous? I saw a single axle reefer on the road for Co-op, and it had singles on the back…
I’ve experienced two steer axle blowouts, 8 days apart and on the same vehicle, offside first, nearside 8 days later.
The first one, I was doing 56 on the A19 by Thirsk, left wheel rim marks in the grass between the concrete and the armco, also left marks in my underpants. The scariest part was watching other vehicles just about missing my trailer at amazing speeds, even when I called the police, who were great, one car managed to take a police road cone under his bumper and go through the roadworks with him.
The second one was again 56 on the M62, kept better control and let it take me onto the hard shoulder.
In both cases, I hit my brakes, WRONG, should have kept on the gas having seen the video clip that someone posted a while back, could do with it again, anybody■■?
Always willing to help out.
Dratsabasti:
I’ve experienced two steer axle blowouts, 8 days apart and on the same vehicle, offside first, nearside 8 days later.
The first one, I was doing 56 on the A19 by Thirsk, left wheel rim marks in the grass between the concrete and the armco, also left marks in my underpants. The scariest part was watching other vehicles just about missing my trailer at amazing speeds, even when I called the police, who were great, one car managed to take a police road cone under his bumper and go through the roadworks with him.
The second one was again 56 on the M62, kept better control and let it take me onto the hard shoulder.
In both cases, I hit my brakes, WRONG, should have kept on the gas having seen the video clip that someone posted a while back, could do with it again, anybody■■?
I can laugh about it now, but I had a front wheel blow on the 19 up by Middlesbourough about18 yeas ago! The motor had no power steering it was a Buffalo artic with busted power steering, and the wheel just spun like mad and took me all over the place! I was just plain lucky the road was empty! The tyre came off altogether and I was on the rim till it came to a rest. I agree with not hitting the brakes by the way. In that one i couldnt really, but have had others (with power steering) and have just gently feathered them to get to the side and it works it seems.
Anybody ever had a super single go off when passing someone? They {ZB} themselves I can tell you!
Mal.
Mal:
Anybody ever had a super single go off when passing someone? They {ZB} themselves I can tell you!Mal.
Reminds me of the stories in the papers when the French were attacking our livestock vehicles a few years back. Aside from throwing bricks and setting light to them amongst other things, it was also reported that they were slashing tyres! Now i could probably be daring enough to have a go at a bicycle tyre, or a car tyre at the outside, but a warm, fully-inflated super-single 
?!! Errr… I think I’ll leave that to the professionals, thanks all the same.
Everyone should watch that video! very educational!!
I have never had a blow out on a truck I am glad I watched it because I dont think I would have done what they tell you too! I will now if it happens! Cheers!