Steer tires: Really good luck - or divine intervention?

[GlampDaddy]

We've all heard the stories - when a steer tire blows, the result is usually serious body damage, or a totaled coach on the side of the road with its wheels in the air, and too often a couple of aging RVers hoping for the best from their hospital beds. And, so, with a big sigh of relief, I am accepting what may have been really good luck - or was it divine intervention?
My steer tires are the beloved (Michelin-only) 365/70 R22.5 that are rare as talking dogs and twice as expensive. According to Michelin, their life expectancy is 10 years. According to @GlampDaddy that's not quite the case. And so, last Saturday morning I was moving our coach from the state park in Gulf Shores, Alabama, to the Buena Vista Motorcoach Resort, also in Gulf Shores. I did my customary walk-around while the engine was warming and noticed a bulge in the driver-side steer tire. Well, damn!
It was still holding air, so I still drove to the new site. All the while thinking of where I might find these elusive tires.
Up next was a series of events that I would never have banked on. It started with a call to Steve Showalter (Showalter RV in Nappanee, IN), who had me call Glen Zimmerman of Glen's Tires. And:

• Glen had the tires I needed, and rolled them across the highway to Steve's waiting trailer
• Southern Tire in Mobile AL agreed to make the 1.5 hour drive to my site in Gulf Shores
• And, Coach-Net paid Southern Tire to make the trip
• Even better, Southern Tire only charged $40/tire to mount the new skins at our site.

When I priced the same tires a year ago, they were about $1600 each. Glen's charged me less than $1200.
Now I'm still pondering the big question. Was it just good luck, or divine intervention? Either way, I'm really thankful I saw that bulge in the sidewall rather than having a blowout on I-10 heading back to Texas.

 

[J&JD]

Time to play the lottery @GlampDaddy. Glad you caught it in time.