Tire Explosion Concern

[Wirespokes]

Originally Posted by disston

That's what I thought too, that most, as in 99 % of those tire pieces on the highways are retreads separating.

A friend has heavy equipment and I asked him that same question. He said recaps are perfectly safe and don't come apart. What normally happens is the tire loses air for whatever reason, heats up, then comes apart. Sometimes the rubbing with the dual next to it will create enough heat to start a fire. At fill-ups you'll see the driver whacking the tires with a tire iron, like ringing spokes, looking for the dull thud that indicates a deflated tire.

[ragtoplvr]

get one of these, $3.00 at harbor freight.

http://www.harborfreight.com/tire-ch...ver-68267.html

some fittings and a short hose, good to go.

Rod

[supershaft]

Originally Posted by crazydrummerdude

Pardon my ignorance, but aren't those usually recaps separating from the original, rather than tires exploding due to over-pressurization to seat a bead?

For starters it isn't split rims letting loose because there hardly isn't any split rims on the road anymore. Recaps come off all the time but usually don't leave the type of carnage I was talking about. Most the time explosions are caused by the tire next to it going flat. The flat tire rubs on the extra loaded tire and boom. Sometimes after they first catch fire. Split rim or not, most tractor trailer tire explosions have nothing to do with seating the bead. Sure, it does rarely happen but . . . .

[Bigger Al]

Originally Posted by supershaft

? I have changed many a tire on split rims. Most of them were on tractor trailers. The explosion that I survived wasn't on a split rim. The tire blew up. It happens all the time. That particular tire was a tubeless radial on a regular rim. I have seen it happen twice out on the road myself and everyone sees the remains of tires exploding spread out all over the road all the time. That's usually not from the split rim letting loose. It's usually the tires.

The best trick to reduce the pressure required for seating beads is to use a air chuck that flows a LOT of air with the valve core removed. They make ALL the difference in the world.

I've been in the tire biz for 23 years, and most of the tire debris you see on the road is from delaminated recaps. Sometimes the delam causes failure of the caracss, sometimes not. I've changed a ton of tires that were nothing but steel belts exposed, with 100 PSI still in them. Not a comforting situation.
I've never had a split rim come apart on me, and some of that is attributable to luck, most of it comes from knowing the wheel and lock ring compatability, and from careful inspection and cleaning of the parts prior to reassembly.

As for the OP's questions: some of the advice here has been spot-on. Clean the bead area of the wheel very thoroughly, apply generous amounts of lube, and remove the core before you inflate the tire. Things should go smoothly at that point. Should the tire prove to be stubborn, deflate it completely and turn the tire in relation to the wheel. Reinflate.

[Schlivitz]

Do what Bigger Al said. If you still have trouble, pump it up to about 60PSI and walk away. Listen for the loud pop (might take a few minutes). That means it seated. Then you can set it at desired pressure.