[JayBell]

this is a good reason to stay aware anytime near a road, in or out of a car.

[Hegmann1391]

Not on a bike, or a piece of tire, but I was behing a semi and it ran over a piece of ply wood that then came flying off the road. It hit and broke the grill, then spun up and bounced off the hood of my car and flipped over my roof and dented my trunk. It was pretty wild, there was no getting around it cause it was a good size piece of wood, prob about 4'x4'.

[StevieB]

I got hit by a piece of SkyLab... does that count?


(Just kidding. It missed me by that much...)

[Enjay386]

I've always wondered that myself. They must feel their tires just coming to pieces doing 60-70 mph.

[None2Slow]

Well, being a truck driver, it depends how it comes apart. If it lets go all at once, it will make a big boom. What usually causes a tire to let go is there is not enough air in the tire. Then you go and add 45,000 pounds into the trailer and drive. This creates excessive heat and the tire will eventually pop. At times the tire will just start to seperate. Watch a truck driver check the air in his tire. He walks around thumping the tires. this is to make sure they're not flat. The pressure can be down as much as 30+ psi and you can't tell. I use an air gauge to check daily. In 5 years, I've only had 1 tire blow on me and this was a supper single. When it let go, it sounded like a bomb going off. Air pressure was spot on, but the tire was over 4 years old. From what I recall, recaps are to be replaced every 3 years. So, yeah, be careful around them. Ohh, and I have met drivers that have driver over 30 miles with a tire missing completely from the rim. Lost the tire and didn't even know it.

[The CyberPoet]

Well, being a truck driver...

So what's default tire pressures for a tractor & a trailer on the long-haul big rigs?

And I'd imagine that these days, the new trucks would all have tire pressure sensors integrated (at least for the tractor)... Then again, it seems to me like it's usually the trailers chucking carcasses.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[zuma]

I got hit by a piece of SkyLab... does that count?


(Just kidding. It missed me by that much...)

"A miss is as good as a mile." (had to say that...sorry)

[GSXfs600]

Problem is the gov regulates car tires but but very little on truck tires. Most of the trucks are running reCaps.

[acraze]

I was passing a 18 wheeler on the right side once, the back tire Of the truck blew with me next to it! Glad nothing happened..... I've seen that mythbusters episode. It could kill apparently.

[None2Slow]

So what's default tire pressures for a tractor & a trailer on the long-haul big rigs?

And I'd imagine that these days, the new trucks would all have tire pressure sensors integrated (at least for the tractor)... Then again, it seems to me like it's usually the trailers chucking carcasses.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

I drove a 2004 Internatiol 9400i with a Cat c15

Specifications CylindersIn-Line 6 Bore/Stroke5.4 x 6.75 (137mm x 171mm)Displacement15.2 L (928 cu in)Weight2890 lb (1311 kg)Horsepower435 to 625 @ 2100 rpmTorque1550-2050 lb-ft @ 1200 rpm (adjustable via software upgrades)


As for the air pressures, the front run 110psi and we ran 100 on the drive tires. Trailer tires were run at 90-100. DOT rules allow only new tires for the front, but fronts can be ran on any axle. Recaps are allowed on any axle except the fronts. At these pressures you can see why the make a loud boom. If the tire is comming apart and there isn't the boom, then most likely it was underinflated and the tread seperated. The DOT is strict when it comes to safety and tires. If they see a low tire or a tire with less than legal tread, they will red tag you and you don't move until it's fixed. On my 2004 and even the 2009 just coomin in, there is no tire pressure monitoring. Heck, my friend drives for Con-Way doing local pick up and deliveries and their 2006 Sterlings don't even have a fuel gauge. Just depends on what the companies want to pay. Just be careful and watch out for the gators.