One of the many selling points that was important to me when I was shopping for a coach was the Gillig (bus)chassis on the Regency. They are very heavy duty and and provide the extra margin of safety in an emergency on the road.

On Monday, August 1st, I was on Interstate 495 south of Boston heading home from a vacation on Cape Cod. I had one hand on the wheel with the cruise control on and was enjoying the ride. Just past exit 9 (Taunton/Easton) doing 63 MPH, I had a major blow-out on my front, passenger side tire. I heard a loud blast, followed by a shudder and a quick drop in the front right side.

Surprisingly, the coach kept going in a straight line. There was no wrestling the wheel, no swerving and and no loss of control. I quickly grabbed the wheel with both hands and began to tap the brakes. As the coach slowed I maneuvered toward the edge of the road, and came safely to a stop well off the highway. We were towing the Honda Accord and it stayed in line as well. My wife and mother in-law were quite shaken but no one was hurt.

The tire casing did some damage in the wheel well and on its way back it took out the step control module and dented the lower Honda bumper (I popped it out easily since it is plastic with no marring). The casing also dented the side wall of the compartment directly behind the tire, but I was able to use a hydraulic jack and some wood blocks and remove 95% of that dent. I also had to fasten the inner wheel well sheet metal in front of the tire and pop rivet some of the lower body panel that wraps under the coach.

The aluminum wheel took a good hit when the tire exploded and where it hit the road it mashed the outer edge of the rim. The inner bead remained intact, so the road service mechanic was able to remove the old tire and replace the new one and it sealed effectively. I was back on the road in less than two hours. I am replacing the wheel and putting on two new Goodyear G670 RV tires. My mechanic is going to sell the replacement tire for me. I could not get the Goodyear RV tire from the company who replaced the tire on the road.

The step control module is $178.00 and a new set of steps is $300. Since my steps have seen better days, I am also replacing them. I can't see spending nearly $200 on the controller and still having my old steps. They have been repainted, but have rust holes and wobble a bit from being bent and straightened by both the previous owner and myself.

All things considered I will spend around $1500 dollars on the tires, wheel and steps. This is a small price to pay when I consider what could have been the story if I was driving one of those coaches built on a chassis whose weight rating was maxed out.

Barth rules.

Bill G

[This message has been edited by goodwinw (edited August 05, 2005).]

While the Good Lord watches over all His children, it doesn't hurt to help Him out by driving the safest vehicle you can. A great testament to the safety and constuction of your coach!

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Dan & Suzy Z
'81 Euro 28