Watch Out For Retreads

[onmyrt]

Driving I-40 through Eastern Oklahoma yesterday. Retreads from 18 wheelers thrown all over the road for miles.

 

Extremely Dangerous

 

Must be the summer heat, so WATCH OUT

[Firefight911]

Woah, must cut back on the coffee! I read that as retards!

[topdal46]

Yes, watch out for Retards too,,,,,

[velomoto]

Driving I-40 through Eastern Oklahoma yesterday. Retreads from 18 wheelers thrown all over the road for miles.

 

Extremely Dangerous

 

Must be the summer heat, so WATCH OUT

 

Yeah, it's been a REALLY HOT summer!

 

Over the years I've witnessed a couple tire explosions - fortunately always from the safety of a cage - but it has never been a "surprise". In every case the truck was leaving a cloud of smoke up until the tire would explode (shred?). Amazingly other drivers on the road never seemed to react to the smoke as a sign of danger as there seemed to be a never ending line of closely spaced cars passing the tractor trailer.

 

On one occasion the blown tractor trailer tire sent traffic all over the road with at least one vehicle, a pickup, losing control in the median(traffic was moving between 80 and 85). Fortunately it appeared that nobody was hurt - but I don't think the outcome would've been the same if a bike had been nearby.

 

My question to others - are your observations similar to mine in that the tires give advance warning before they blow?

 

Cheers,

Greg

[Carnadero]

Over the years I've witnessed a couple tire explosions..

Never witnessed a recap give up the ghost. Seen plenty of evidence of the events tho...

[Gregori]

Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.

 

Aside from smoke, some other possible signs of impending BOOM:

Little bits of tire starting to fly off.

The tire starts getting progressively louder - thappa-thappa-Thappa-THAPpaa-THAPPA-THAPPA -BOOM!

 

But as often as not - it just goes with very little or no warning. (As a former truck driver - I've had a few retreads come apart underneath me, as well as a front tire that WASN'T a retread.)

 

About a month or so ago on a morning commute, a bottom dump trailer let loose with the outside front dual about a car length ahead in the lane to the right of me. In this instance - not only did I have the flying bits of tread carcass to deal with, but it knocked loose all the crud and debris from the trailer body so it was like taking a gravel shower.

(Whee!)

 

Grins,

Greg

[DewNMoon]

Any of several "clues" I have witnessed

1) Smoke as you mentioned and usually the acrid smell, something locked up and or burning leading to an imminant failure of something.

 

2) Small bouncing pieces on the road inevitabely leading up to the bigger pieces to come shortly thereafter, duh!

 

3) Pitter-patter sound as you approach the truck usually followed but the flap-flap (by now you should have attained a sufficient "safety margin" from the truck)

 

4) Then there is allways the catastrophic failure variety with no easily detectable early warning of failure. (Always allow plenty of space around trucks for this as well as other reasons)

[Lone_RT_rider]

Woah, must cut back on the coffee! I read that as retards!

 

I read the same thing....I thought to myself...."who's been riding in Greenville?"

[Rinkydink]

While all of the above is true, you will hopefully smell the hot burning rubber before any of the afore-mentioned clues rear their ugly head. I just swing wide and quickly get around any truck I encounter.