A video of the test shows how a tire can blow and shred but a safety product keeps the RV elevated and prevents it from riding on the aluminum rim so the motorhome continues to roll true and can be controlled by the driver.
RV CEO Demonstrates Tire Blowout at 70 MPH
A Special Report from Monica Baer
Dallas, Texas, September 13, 2022 – If you Google “RV tire blowout” on YouTube, scary videos of RVs travelling at highway speeds and blowing a tire abound. In fact, the fear of a front tire blowout is something that keeps RVers up at night.
Recently, Brett Davis, the founder, president and CEO of National Indoor RV Centers (NIRVC), put himself in that frightening scenario to showcase RettroBand, a safety product that can get RVers through this extremely dangerous situation.
A video of the test shows how a tire can blow and shred but RettroBand keeps the RV elevated and prevents it from riding on the aluminum rim so the motorhome continues to roll true and can be controlled by the driver.
“I definitely was a little nervous,” said Davis. “The test track we were on didn’t have a shoulder so, if I didn’t have the RettroBand product and had lost control, we would have gone off the road and down a four-foot drop off into a ditch.”
Test Elements
As part of the test, Davis was driving a brand new, 45-foot, $600,000 Class A diesel motorhome that had been equipped with a set of RettroBand wheel enhancements. Joining him in the passenger seat was Robert Craig, founder of Craig International Ballistics, who helped Davis create the RettroBand run flat product for Class A and Class C motorhomes.
While travelling at 70 mph on a deserted stretch of road, a tech team triggered an explosion to blow out the front, driver’s side tire (the front tires are also known as steer tires). Despite suddenly losing the tire, Davis was able to maintain control of the RV and safely pull over to the side of the road.
The blow out was conducted at a specialized and highly secure, multi-vehicle testing facility in the desert. For evaluation purposes, the test was captured by eight RV-mounted cameras and a drone.
How RettroBand Works
RettroBand wheel enhancements are installed on the steer tires of Class C and Class A motorhomes to provide stability and manoeuvrability in the event of a tire blow out.
RettroBand is a stainless steel-reinforced solid rubber tire mounted in the center of each of the RV’s front wheels – essentially a tire inside a tire.
When a tire blows, instead of the RV riding on the tire-shredding edge of the expensive aluminum wheel, it’s supported by the RettroBand device, protecting the rim. In addition, RettroBand reduces the chance that a shredded tire will gouge the RV’s fiberglass with every revolution.
RettroBand Details
The RettroBand devices range from $3495 – $4695 (US) for the set, and this price includes installation.
RettroBand carries a lifetime warranty and is sold and installed exclusively at NIRVC.
The RettroBand product was jointly developed by Davis and Craig, based on their years of experience. Davis has been a motorhome owner for nearly 40 years and Craig has spent decades developing products for the military, including run-flat tires.
NIRVC has five RV Lifestyle Centers located in Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas, Nashville and Phoenix. This October, NIRVC will open its sixth location in Prince William County, Virginia, which is just 50 minutes from Washington, D.C.
For more information on RettroBand, please visit RettroBand.com.
For information on NIRVC and its services, visit nirvc.com. The NIRVC website also includes an extensive library of information-packed videos from Angie Morell, national sales director for NIRVC. Angie’s videos are considered some of the best in the industry and cover everything from her “RVing 101” series to “Factory Tours” to a library of feature-length walkthroughs of all the motorhome models National Indoor RV Centers sells.
About National Indoor RV Centers…
National Indoor RV Centers (NIRVC) is a privately held company founded and operated by motorhome enthusiasts who know the lifestyle, live it and love it. NIRVC’s mission is to simplify RV ownership by offering an array of products and services that give owners freedom to enjoy the RV lifestyle. The company and its employees are dedicated to delivering superior customer experience, which covers the most important elements of RV ownership, including sales, service, maintenance, repair, paint and body work, storage and washing and detailing. NIRVC opened its first location in 2009 outside of Dallas in Lewisville, Texas. The company now has a total of five RV lifestyle centers located in Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Nashville. NIRVC will be opening its sixth Center in Prince William County, Virginia, which is just 50 minutes from Washington, D.C., this October.
