I don't think your truck is totaled, but yes you can easily total a vehicle with a flat tire, I saw it many times working in insurance.
Can you total a truck with a flat tire?
- Thread starter DriveHard
- Start date
Load was light, my wife and 13 year old son. Three carry on bags, case pop, case water, bag of snacks…that’s about it. More pics for those who wanted details. OEM tires, about 50k on them. Date code and tread condition in pics. The rear edge of the rock bar did pull out of the frame, and the corner of the cab is dented in as well. That is why I was wondering if it was totaled.
A pal was a road construction inspector.
[pointing to a truck tread on the side of the road] He said, "One of those might hit me some day".
[pointing to a truck tread on the side of the road] He said, "One of those might hit me some day".
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
Lots of tread left on that tire. Did you keep going or go home? Find a new spare?
Only on a school bus.
Have had 2 or 3 blow over the years. One was a fairly new 19.5 on a service truck.
One took out pieces of my flatbed floor (oak floor) when it came apart and that all flew plus part of the tire flew into the windshield of the car tailgating me.
He actually tried to argue I was responsible for fixing his car. Cop that happened to stop to check told him to move on and stop tailgating.
I just pulled the shredded tire off and drove home with just 1 on that side. Was unloaded so worked out fine.
One took out pieces of my flatbed floor (oak floor) when it came apart and that all flew plus part of the tire flew into the windshield of the car tailgating me.
He actually tried to argue I was responsible for fixing his car. Cop that happened to stop to check told him to move on and stop tailgating.
I just pulled the shredded tire off and drove home with just 1 on that side. Was unloaded so worked out fine.
I have a full size spare, it’s on and the rim is at a shop here in Breckenridge waiting for a tire. No trails until I have a spare back
I've been beside a semi while passing when its tire blew. Sounded like a small bomb. Trailer tire so no direct influence on tractor handling and stability so no wrecking. Not something I ever want to happen again. Fifteen seconds either way and would have been a nothing. Proves you have to pay attention every second.
Really living up to your moniker, aren't you. Glad it wasn't any worse.....
Not all tire failures like this are retreads. In fact most are newer tires. I doubt the OP is running retreads on his nice truck.
The only tire failure that I’ve had that looked like this was when I hit a piece of debris in the road. The front right tire kicked it up, it caught the rear tire square on and blew it.
There are some interesting statistics on which tire is likely to blow, and the right rear on passenger cars is significantly more likely than any other.
I would not be surprised if a piece of debris in the road was the root cause of this. The way the tire exploded, you may not be able to tell, but I suspect it wasn’t material failure of the tire, but rather a piece of debris kicked up by the right front that happened to catch the rear at just the right angle.
There are some interesting statistics on which tire is likely to blow, and the right rear on passenger cars is significantly more likely than any other.
I would not be surprised if a piece of debris in the road was the root cause of this. The way the tire exploded, you may not be able to tell, but I suspect it wasn’t material failure of the tire, but rather a piece of debris kicked up by the right front that happened to catch the rear at just the right angle.
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I agree, something may have hit the fire causing it to explode like that.
Sorry about your truck, just terrible. Glad you and your family are OK
Being that the vehicle was not overloaded, and the tires were properly inflated road debree is the likely cause. About the only other thing I can think of would be if a brake applied or the drive trane locked up, but that is super rare and would of shown up afterwards.
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In 1974 I was driving my dad's full size 1970 Chevy statiowagon when a front drum brake shoe came loose and locked up that wheel. It is rare, but happens. After stopping (and man did it stop fast), I was able to drive it like nothing had ever happened. I got it home and had a mechanic look at it.
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If that truck has the drum type parking brake, it might be a good idea to give those shoes a look. I say this because when that happened to me, after stopping that loose shoe floating around in the drum did not show any symptoms.
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In 1974 I was driving my dad's full size 1970 Chevy statiowagon when a front drum brake shoe came loose and locked up that wheel. It is rare, but happens. After stopping (and man did it stop fast), I was able to drive it like nothing had ever happened. I got it home and had a mechanic look at it.
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If that truck has the drum type parking brake, it might be a good idea to give those shoes a look. I say this because when that happened to me, after stopping that loose shoe floating around in the drum did not show any symptoms.
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I was about 4 car lengths behind a semi once when it blew a rear tire.
Lemme tell you. That was one of the more scarier experiences I've had on the road. It turned out ok. VERY Loud noise, got showered with debris and a few scratches on the fender and hood. But ok.
After that I never drive next to a semi. If I can't pass quickly I'll hang back. I could see it blowing out a window and the driver or passenger harmed if it happened in the adjacent lane.
Now that I am back from vacation...
I agree with Astro...it was likely some kind of road debris. The interstate is really rough in this stretch of I76 across Colorado, so there may have been something hidden in a big crack, etc. I have experienced a front instant flat, no damage, but this was more like an explosion. After our return we took one of our daughters and her family boating over the weekend. They followed us, and her hubby is a certified BMW mechanic...mentioned it looks like the frame is also tweaked, or the bed shifted. I took a closer look and none of the lines are good anymore between the cab and bed. I'll get an apt. with a good Chevy dealer here in town for an estimate and keep you all posted.
Funny additional story. We didn't let this keep our vacation down! After getting a spare we did some trails, hiked a killer 13k+ peak and a 14.3k peak (Quandary). Our version of vacation is pushing our bodies to the limit
So...we got some sidewall damage on the right front on a trail, and I ended up with another flat on the way home...no biggie. Watching TPMS pressures, it was fine in the morning when I aired up for the drive home. About an hour into the drive I was losing about 1 psi every 15 minutes. Pulled into the exact same station where we assessed the damage from the rear tire on the way out to change to the spare. Right front was toast with a leak every time the sidewall passed through the load zone...I could push with my finger and get it to leak. So...I am once again without a spare, mismatched tires (which drive me crazy), and waiting for quotes to get it all fixed.
I agree with Astro...it was likely some kind of road debris. The interstate is really rough in this stretch of I76 across Colorado, so there may have been something hidden in a big crack, etc. I have experienced a front instant flat, no damage, but this was more like an explosion. After our return we took one of our daughters and her family boating over the weekend. They followed us, and her hubby is a certified BMW mechanic...mentioned it looks like the frame is also tweaked, or the bed shifted. I took a closer look and none of the lines are good anymore between the cab and bed. I'll get an apt. with a good Chevy dealer here in town for an estimate and keep you all posted.
Funny additional story. We didn't let this keep our vacation down! After getting a spare we did some trails, hiked a killer 13k+ peak and a 14.3k peak (Quandary). Our version of vacation is pushing our bodies to the limit
So...we got some sidewall damage on the right front on a trail, and I ended up with another flat on the way home...no biggie. Watching TPMS pressures, it was fine in the morning when I aired up for the drive home. About an hour into the drive I was losing about 1 psi every 15 minutes. Pulled into the exact same station where we assessed the damage from the rear tire on the way out to change to the spare. Right front was toast with a leak every time the sidewall passed through the load zone...I could push with my finger and get it to leak. So...I am once again without a spare, mismatched tires (which drive me crazy), and waiting for quotes to get it all fixed.
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Goodyears maybe not!
I always pass them as fast as I can, especially with the Corvette. Don't want to dawdle in his mirror blind spot. If I cannot see the driver's head in his mirror, he cannot see me.
Sometimes, I am doing 100+ mph as I complete the pass.
As someone who has been driving a long time, when I see a pickup truck tire fail like that, I always assume it will say Firestone on the sidewall.
I have yet to own a Goodyear I've liked.
Sorry to see it.
Sorry to see it.
