Ever blown a steer tire at speed?

Here ya go

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I7vkiHi2I8&feature=share

 

Blew a left steer rollin through Indio, luckily I was in the slow lane and no one was next to me. Truck turned left briefly, got it to the shoulder and called a local tire guy to install my spare.

When I returned to Phx., had to buy a new alum. rim as the old one was bent and messed up pretty good.

Don't think it's a big deal as long as you're not driving 75-80mph!!

 

Yep blew one at 70. I counter steered an coasted to the schouldee. Fortunately the rim was ok for the most part.. What ever you do, DO NOT slam on the brakes! It will increase the likely hood of you losing control 1,000%.

 

It's rare but does happen now and then. Don't sweat it and do a proper inspection, remember that steer tires are new not recaps. I've never had one blow but I did hit an angle iron car ramp that another truck hit and sent spinning into my lane. It ripped a hole in the left steer a couple inches long needless to say it went flat in about 2 seconds and was off the wheel before I got stopped. No problem it did pull to the left as the tire went down but then rolled pretty straight after the tire came off!

 

This is a most excellent video and should be required viewing for all new drivers. It sure gives you the primary reason for not setting your cruise control at maximum speed. You have to accelerate into a steer or drive tire failure in order to gain control. Applying the brakes is a sure way to lose control.

 

The whole accelerate thing doesn't apply to most modern trucks. Only cause the speed limiters.

 

[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]Here's how the Louisiana CDL Manual covers a blow out...no mention of accelerating:

When a tire fails, your vehicle is in danger. You must immediately: [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]Hold the Steering Wheel Firmly. If a front tire fails, it can twist the steering wheel out of your hand. The only way to prevent this is to keep a firm grip on the steering wheel with both hands at all times.
Stay Off the Brake. It's natural to want to brake in an emergency. However, braking when a tire has failed could cause loss of control. Unless you're about to run into something, stay off the brake until the vehicle has slowed down. Then brake very gently, pull off the road, and stop.

Here's the Pennsylvania CDL Manual's advice:
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• Hold the steering wheel tightly.
• Stay off of your brake! Braking after a blowout may cause you to skid and lose control of your vehicle.
• Slowly take your foot off the gas pedal.
• Steer where you want to go, but steer smoothly - do not make large or jerky steering actions.

If you have to use your brakes, press them gently. If possible, let the vehicle slow to a stop. Make sure it is off the road and you are far enough from traffic lanes to safely change the tire.

No mention of accelerating in either manual, so it is possible that the video was good advice back then...but no more. Of course the manuals might be written by desk drivers.
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I think the various state driving manuals are meant to prepare students to take the written test. While much of the knowledge is good, there are IMHO some omissions and ideas that don't really jive with the real world. This is one of those points. The information is incomplete in that it doesn't mention acceleration as a key early component of dealing with a steer tire failure.

The "accelerate thing" applies to all trucks. The point made in the video and noted elsewhere in this forum is that if you are setting the cruise control at the maximum allowed speed for the truck, then you have no room to accelerate. The safest thing to do is set your cruise control a couple miles an hour less than the maximum allowed for your truck. Then if you have a situation like a steer tire blowing you can accelerate a couple miles an hour, disengage the cruise control, and slowly decelerate once you have control.

Another reason to have cruise control set a little lower than your maximum speed is if you are overtaking another truck you can accelerate to make a faster pass. If you are at maximum speed as you start the pass then you will have the dreaded "10 mile pass" that blocks traffic.

 

I had a steering tire leaking air and the whole #### tire came off the wheel rolling along side the truck scary at first just firmly hold the steering makes for a rough ride though the more I hit the brakes the rougher the ride til I could get stopped I must of had a bolt or screw in the tire and come out on the road scraping ain't easy.