Question Rettroband - are they worth it?

[MemoriesByTheMile]

More reason to consider LifePO4 batteries to get the weight off these front axles. Since I'm hemorrhaging money and the ER declined my visit to stop the bleeding, may as well continue! I'll be foreclosing on the lawn mower shed next.

I hear that kidneys can fetch some good money.

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

And today in the news - a bus carrying highschool kids in NY overturns after going off the highway - preliminary sounds like it may have been a steering tire failure. Of the 44 on the bus, a couple fatalities and a few in critical condition.

Is there something intrinsically wrong with this configuration?

 

[Richpatty]

I was thinking the same thing as I was watching the news tonight. Why isn't anyone tracking this stuff?

 

[Neal]

A contributing factor could be economic times is causing companies to delay periodic maintenance and make decisions based on financial conditions such as delaying tire replacement etc. I imagine an incident such as this will warrant an investigation that will eventually reveal the facts.

 

[team bradfield]

How many busses/mh's are on the road right now, 1 million? 2 million? How many failures daily? I don't lose any sleep over it, more afraid of semi's cutting back in close after a pass, 2 close calls last trip. I've been towing fifth wheels forever, never had a steer tire just blow out, only 2 flats in towing, same day, my fault, overloaded driver side of my 1st fiver, proper maintenance is the key, good quality rubber and constant eyes on the road for potholes/debris and tire pressures, JMHO

 

[sacrcflyer]

In my opinion, anytime the front end is maxed out and placard says maximum tire pressure retrobands are a must. After watching the video with Brett Davis and the reaction the coach had if I was heavy on the front I would have them. We bought our new (leftover) 22 Cornerstone March 1st from Nirvc in Atlanta and we had them installed from new. They did a nice job installing and no marks on rims whatsoever. I am very picky about the wheels Lol.

 

[team bradfield]

How many busses/mh's are on the road right now, 1 million? 2 million? How many failures daily? I don't lose any sleep over it, more afraid of semi's cutting back in close after a pass, 2 close calls last trip. I've been towing fifth wheels forever, never had a steer tire just blow out, only 2 flats in towing, same day, my fault, overloaded driver side of my 1st fiver, proper maintenance is the key, good quality rubber and constant eyes on the road for potholes/debris and tire pressures, JMHO

Fyi, I do have Tyron bands

 

[turbopilot]

Images today show the tire fragments with most of tread on the shoulder where the bus went over the side. Also there was one of the old fashioned cable like barrier along the side of the road that is insufficient to hold back a bus or truck departing the road. Good news, NTSB is involved so if there is a systemic problem with these tires it should be flushed out. Meanwhile YouTube knowing I searched for this subject is finding many new reports of RV steer tire failures. Where reported I am seeing a common theme of these reports happening in older higher milage tires. Greater than 15,000 miles and or 5 years of age.

Until there is a more systematic review I think it is wise to time self impose time/mile limits for steer tires. Maybe 15,000 miles and 3 years for the steers. Just rotate them back to the drive position for a few more years and put new tires on the steer wheels. Rettroband or not, driving the steers to failure is probably not the right solution.

 

[Joe Hogan]

The mileage of steers appear to vary widely. Truckers report 100k to150k on steers with no issue. There must be some variable not being considered like number of cycles, or tight turns on uneven, unimproved campground roads. Is the construction of XRV steers that much different from standard Class 8 truck tires?

From Truckers Report 2009:

I run Centramatic balancers and have been getting very good mileage out of steers. My partner has been seeing 175,000 or better out of his steer tires.(He runs Centramatics also)
Keep them inflated properly and keep them balanced and keep good shocks of your truck and you'll see a vast improvement in tire wear.

 

[Neal]

Low miles + high age = bad
High miles + high age = good
Result: My $.02

I typically do 10K+ miles/year