Blowout!!!

Veg Hed · 07-26-2009, 09:22 PM

I finally had a couple of days off so we decided to drive to Navajo Lake via this 30 mile long dirt road to do a cool mountain bike trail. On the way we had the biggest blowout in my life. This thing sounded a 12 gauge shotgun went off next to the van. Seriously, mine and my girlfriends ears were ringing for about 30 minutes afterwards. And with no warning or any indication that this tire was in that bad of shape. I had been talking about getting some new tires anyway and decided on the Toyo Open Country M/T's. On Friday I called around and nobody had them in stock so I had to order them. They will be here on Tuesday. I am so glad this happened on this backroad when I was going 20 mph rather than driving down I-15 at 75, which I would have done on Friday if I was going to get new tires. At a gas station on the way back some guy saw the tire on the back and asked me, "Man, what did you hit?" I said, "Nothing, it just blew."

Oh yeah, and I finally got around to getting a replacement rim from 4wheelparts to replace the one that busted in Vegas last December.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2244

Next week I'll have matching rims and new tires. Yee Haw...

**BroncoHauler** · 07-26-2009, 10:00 PM

Glad everyone's alright. That is one scary looking blowout.
I'd say that warrants a letter to BFG if for no other reason than maybe it will prevent the same thing happening to someone else. Not that they'll replace the tire, but just because.

I've always had good luck with BFGs ('85 Chevy V8 powered lifted FJ60, '69 lifted Bronco, '06 SMB) knock-on-wood.

Herb

bluedog225 · 07-26-2009, 10:27 PM

Glad you two are ok.

Do you know what pressure you were running and how many miles on the tire?

Also, does anyone know if it is "safer" overall from a blowout risk standpoint to run at max recommended pressure all the time? (setting aside any issue of ride comfort)

Thanks

Tom

billwilson · 07-27-2009, 04:57 AM

I heard somewhere that tires needed to be replaced do to

age / pressure / sunlight

MORE important that mileage/treadwear

the theory was that the new rubbers just break down
in the atmosphere/air

makes sense

i also would be interested in age/pressure and mileage

bw
great place for a blow out
glad yew OK

ps
why no pics of the GF holding your beer

LeadDoggy · 07-27-2009, 08:52 PM

Veg Hed,
Looks like you still had tread left on your BFGs. Why were you planning on replacing them?

Most "Blow-Outs" happen because of road hazards. Doesn't look rocky in the photos. Have you aired down in the past? Airing down too far with BFGs can cause internal seperations where the tread and sidewalls meet.

LeadDoggy out

trailsurfer · 07-27-2009, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeadDoggy

Veg Hed,
Looks like you still had tread left on your BFGs. Why were you planning on replacing them?

Most "Blow-Outs" happen because of road hazards. Doesn't look rocky in the photos. Have you aired down in the past? Airing down too far with BFGs can cause internal seperations where the tread and sidewalls meet.

LeadDoggy out

Out of curiosity what would you say is the minimum acceptable sir pressure for BFG's?

LeadDoggy · 07-27-2009, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trailsurfer

Out of curiosity what would you say is the minimum acceptable sir pressure for BFG's?

With the said weight of a SMB and the load rating of said BFGs, the minimum that I would recommend would be no less than 33.5 psi

trailsurfer · 07-28-2009, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeadDoggy

Quote:

Originally Posted by trailsurfer

Out of curiosity what would you say is the minimum acceptable sir pressure for BFG's?

With the said weight of a SMB and the load rating of said BFGs, the minimum that I would recommend would be no less than 33.5 psi

Thanks

SheepShagger · 07-28-2009, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeadDoggy

Quote:

Originally Posted by trailsurfer

Out of curiosity what would you say is the minimum acceptable sir pressure for BFG's?

With the said weight of a SMB and the load rating of said BFGs, the minimum that I would recommend would be no less than 33.5 psi

33.5 for the road? With the weight of a SMB I would think 50(ish) would be a minimum on the road. That would stop / reduce the blowout due to overheating, which is what looks like what happened to that BFG.
PSI has just as much to do with the sidewall depth and tire width as it does the vehicle weight. Seems many are running wide tires and large sidewalls, these will require a lot more pressure than a stock size tire. I think 33~35psi is the minimum for an E350 with stock tires, so SMB with large tires would be a lot more.

**BroncoHauler** · 07-28-2009, 10:14 AM

The recommended air pressure for driving on pavement, is on the driver's side door jamb sticker supplied by SMB. Personally, I don't deviate much at all from those numbers on pavement.

I doubt any company would recommend an off road tire pressure due to all the variables, and due to liability. Heat buildup is a huge concern, not to mention having excessive tire flex causing the tire bead to unseat from the rim. Terrain and driving speed dictate the lowest off road air pressure. Unless I was driving less than 10mph over very rocky terrain, I wouldn't go lower than 30-35psi.

Herb