Yeah I had a fun time this weekend. I was helping my mom and step dad move and after I left and was going to the barn and noticed that my truck seemed to be sitting lower in the left rear. I dismissed it as phantom when I got to the barn. I checked it before I left the barn following my girlfriend to the tack store and it seemed fine, I didn't see anything out of whack. When I left the tack store I followed her on to the freeway and the problem seemed to be back. I turned of my radio and heard a tick-tick-tick like a nail head hitting the pavement. I figure bummer I will just deal with it when I get home. About 4 seconds later the ticking becomes a hum and I see in my mirror my tire is flat and I am riding on the rim. OH#####IHAVETOGETOVERNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!! goes through my mind. I did get over safely and found a 3/8" hole punched clean through my tire. I was able to get it patched and was okay but I am taking away some good lessons.

1) Know how you truck should sound and turn off the radio and listen for anything out of the ordinary.

2) If something seems weird check it out right away, not later.

3) Know how to react when you get a situation like this. I was able to keep pretty cool and get around heavy traffic on a southern California freeway because I am always driving ahead and wonder about worst case scenarios.

Stay safe out there and let me know any other tips or experiences you guys out there have had.

 

 

Yeah, I know how this goes. Just last week I was going down to Oregon for the weekend, and as I drove, the truck just didn't feel right. I pulled over a couple of times, and checked over everything, but could find no problem. I was getting a strange vibration out of the right front tire, but it had no apparent cause. I could feel it getting progressively worse until the vibration suddenly got a lot worse, and I knew something was gonna happen shortly, so I got hastily into the right lane. About 8 seconds later, the truck dropped 7 inches to the rim, courtesy of a blowout caused by tread separation. And yes, it was a bridgestone tire, a division of firestone.
In any problem, the key is simply staying calm and moving to the shoulder in an orderly fashion. I have a hard time understanding all these collisions and rollover accidents that happen as a result of vehicle problems or blowouts. In my time, I've been at the wheel in 2 blowouts (both times firestones or a division of), countless other flats, one blown engine, one rear wheel up and falling off at 50 mph, and one seized diff at 65 mph on the interstate. There are probably others I'm not thinking of, but the point is, I've never been in a wreck caused by any of these incidents, and if people would learn to stay level headed, many accidents would be avoided.

The Law
1989 F-250 HD 4x4
460, C6, BW 13-56
Almost Stock