Longtime readers of our Gypsy Journal RV newspaper may remember that several years ago we were heading west on Interstate 10 in Texas when the right front tire of our MCI bus conversion literally exploded. I was doing about 65 mph and the bus immediately started heading toward the ditch on the right side of the highway.
We never know how we are going to react in a given situation until it happens, but in this case I remembered a heavy truck driving course I had taken when I was in the Army, and the instructor telling us that if we ever blew a front tire at high speed not to step on the brake, but instead to downshift and floor the accelerator. I did just that, and sure enough, the front end came back around, the bus straightened out, and I was able to gradually let off the throttle and ease it to the side of the road.
Our Goodyear tires were two years old, and I assumed we had hit some debris on the highway that caused the tire to let go like it did. Now, after reading this article about how Goodyear RV tires have been linked to at least 98 accidents that caused death or injuries, I’m not so sure.
Fast-forward a few years and we had purchased our Winnebago diesel pusher. When we got it, the Michelin tires on it had a lot of tread left and looked good, but they were seven years old. When they reach that point I don’t care how good the tires look, I replace them. I put all new Goodyear tires on the motorhome and with 20,000 miles on them, two of those tires were starting to separate. I decided I’d had enough of Goodyear and instead switched to Toyo tires. I was very happy with the ride they gave us, and they were a lot less money for a better quality tire, in my opinion.
So what’s going on with Goodyear RV tires? The last couple of years we were fulltiming and publishing the Gypsy Journal I heard about a bunch of accidents that were supposedly all caused by Goodyear tire failures. So, as the author of the article linked above is asking, why hasn’t Goodyear recalled them? I can never figure out what corporate bean counters are thinking, but I know that if I had a motorhome with Goodyear tires on it I wouldn’t feel all that comfortable right now.
Mother Nature gave us a break yesterday, and while we got some rain, it wasn’t the deluge that we had the two previous days. But it was still pretty hot out there. I spent the day writing again, and by the time I stopped around 5 PM I had another 5000+ words under my belt. If I can keep up this pace I will finish my new Big Lake book and Miss Terry can start the proofing and editing within a week or so. My goal is to put out at least four books a year, and this will put me back on track for that. If I really buckle down, I might even make it to five books this year.
Speaking of books, an autographed copy of my friend C. Craig Coleman’s murder mystery/ghost story The Rocking Crate arrived in the mail yesterday. Set in a small North Carolina town, the book is getting some very good reviews. Craig is a true Southern gentleman who grew up in the small eastern North Carolina town of Kinston, and he’s a relatively new author who is starting to build a following. Do yourself a favor and download a copy of his book, I know you’re going to enjoy it.
Today is your last chance to enter our Free Drawing for a box set of my good friend Mona Ingram’s The Women of Independence e-books, with four stand-alone stories of women who deal with life and love in the small town of Independence, British Columbia. Besides being one of the nicest persons you will ever meet, Mona is also an outstanding writer and romance fans love her books. To enter, all you have to do is click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn this evening.
Thought For The Day – I always knew I’d get old, but how quickly it happened was a bit of a surprise.
