Had a nine hour ride home from a family wedding in Burlington Vermont yesterday.... Started with a real nasty left rear blowout at 80 mph. Tire was absolutely shredded. Steel belts tore out the wheel well, trim, ground strap, etc. I left debris and rubber was all over the highway Hardly any rubber left on the rim, which now has a flat spot... Got the truck to side of road OK, and the adventure begins... My brother came along and I transferred my 84 yo mother into his car and called the SP and AAA. Had the Tahoe loaded on a ramp truck, and we're off to a Vermont backroad repair shop. Had to get a torch to cut the spare out of the holder. Really great people. Tipped them for their service, as it was a Sunday of a long holiday weekend. And we're back on the road....
A mile south of the Hookset toll, the Tahoe gets a little squirrelly. People on both sides of me are waving for me to pull over. Now my right rear tire has gone down, and the right front is low, even though we checked pressure in all tires at the Vt shop during the first repair. Another call to AAA. He fills them both and we give it a go...for about a half mile. I could hear the air coming out of the rear now. Load it on the NH AAA ramp truck and get to a VIP tire center two exits down, just before thay close. Both tires were reseated and got new valve stems. The kid wasn't going to charge me, so we tipped him and the AAA driver for getting us going on a Sunday. And we're back on the road...
As we cross into Mass. my 17 yo daughter, who has been a trooper through it all, says "looks like we're going to make it..." Couple minutes past Pelham, we all hear a noise... I pull over.My daughter says "you're kidding me, right?" Can't see anything obvious, so try again. Not any better, so I go off 93 to local roads for lower speeds. Check again, see nothing. In Wakefield, I can't stand the noise, as it is getting worse, and the truck is getting squirrelly again... This time it was obvious. The lugs on the spare, left rear, were all loose, despite having been put on with an air gun and a torque wrench in Vermont.
I tightened them all with a wrench and we finally got ourselves back in the driveway, nine hours after leaving Burlington......
(and I don't drink)
All in all, we were very lucky. That is as good as it gets on a holiday weekend for meeting up with folks who will go out of their way to help. Don't know if you would find the same here in the greater metro area. No one was injured. And my daughter saw how to handle adversity when it is getting piled on. (at least she will now be more aware of tires and tire pressure in her driving...)
So if anyone knows of a Chevy 6 lug truck or SUV that has had upgraded their wheels, I am looking for 4 factory rims with tires size is P245/75R/16. (Just missed four on Craigslist
)
But I did get the boat back in the water at noon today..... Hope all are having a safe Labor Day.
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