Had my first steer tire blowout today
 

Been driving over 13 years and never lost a steer tire till today. Was on I-10 in downtown San Antonio riding the middle lane when it went. Needless to say it scared the sh*t out of me. Shoulder was barely wide enough to fit. Cops came and told me I had two hours for repairs b4 they would tow me. Mechanic showed up with about 15 min to spare. Had to fix it with his butt sticking out in traffic. I really thought he was going to tell me to take a hike when he first showed up but he fixed it anyway. Hope its another 13 years b4 it happens again. :roll:

Any idea why the tire blew?

Have lost many a drive tire and trailer tire over the years, and sometimes when they let go it can really scare the crap out of you. Could not even imagine losing a steer. :shock: :shock: :shock:

I havent been out here any where near 13 years but i also have yet to lose a steer and it is a nightmare of mine, that just cant be any fun.

Been having alignment problems for probably the last year or so. I don't get more than 70,000 miles out of a pair b4 they have to be replaced due to cupping. This tire only had about 30,000 miles on it so I doubt that was the cause. I don't recall any road debris but I might have not seen something. I heard a pop but it sounded like it came from under the bunk.

Glad you made it out ok, though. It'd be way to easy to lose control and wipe out, possibly taking others with you.

Good driving there driver!!!

This is my BIGGEST fear! Everytime I light a cig, or answer my cellphone (for a very short time) I worry about it! I usually keep two hands on the wheel even if one is just as a "reserve."

What is it like? How much control problem did you have? More DETAILS might help some of us "newer" drivers. I NEVER let my "weight" cause me to exceed the speed limit downhill for fear of this happening at JUST that moment!

Fortunately I was going up a little hill so my speed was decreasing (I had 44000lbs on). I was also going straight as opposed to rounding a curve which was a good thing. I knew that I would be hard to control but I never realized just how hard. I have pretty good upper body strength but I could barely hold onto the wheel. Another surprise was that as I slowed down the harder it became to keep control. Once I got onto the shoulder it was hard to keep from hitting the retaining wall. Overall I think luck has a lot to do with it.

Sounds like you just grab a handful of steering wheel and start wrasslin' with it and do not slap the brakes.

I'm like hobo, I keep 2 hands on the wheel at all times. I catch some guff for it by others drivers but that's just how I feel comfortable driving. I have a better balance on my steering with 2 hands than I do with 1. I tend to drift around with 1 hand.

You are right about the brakes. Every time I touched them I thought my arm was going to come off. Mostly I just let it coast and hit the brakes when I came to a stop.

I've been told if this happens dont hit the brakes if you can help it. Use the trailer brake if your truck has one. Good job Karnaj.