Whether you are an owner operator or a fleet manager responsible for many trucks, you will have several decisions to make in terms of purchasing tires. Today’s tire technology is quite remarkable and it can really pay to do your homework on the subject. Some of the decisions one must make is it wise to run retreads, should I mix and match tires, what brand will give the best wear for the money and what tire tread will be the best for the application. There are also operators that run Super Singles on the steer axle and Extra-Wide tires on trailers rather than tandems.
On the subject of re treading and the cost effective nature of this practice, the short answer is that most operators run retreads for financial reasons. Today’s retread technology is far superior to the days of old when highways would be littered with rubber that had separated from a re treaded tire. There isn’t a set time for the life of a casing but from my research 5 years and beyond seems to be the norm. The fact is that you can save thousands of dollars running retreads just know that they can, and will most likely fail at the worst possible time. It is legal to run retreads on steer axles with the exception of a passenger bus. I personally used to only run virgin rubber on my steer axle and retreads on my drive axles. When my steer axles would run thin, I would then have them re treaded and returned to the rotation to be used on the drive axles. Remember that Federal Law states that commercial tires must have at least 4/32nds of an inch of tread depth remaining. I am a big fan of Michelin’s re tread technology and the fact that retreads are backed up with a full warranty.
There are advantages to running Extra- Wide tires, like fuel economy, smother ride and less weight allowing an operator to carry more payload. The downside to these wide based tires is quicker wear and re-treadability issues. One of the most promising Extra-Wide tires on the market is Michelin’s X One XDA Energy Tire sized at 445/50R22.5 is positioned to replace traditional tandem applications. Tests have concluded that this tire may save operators up to 7% in annual fuel costs.
When selecting a Tire brand to use in your specific application, the big four names will serve you very well; Bridgestone, Goodyear, Michelin and Yokohama. All of these manufacturers have their selling points and catch phrases. For instance Yokohama Corporations Boasts The MSC or Maintenance Savings Concept also Stem-2 Strain Energy Minimization Technology which greatly extends a casings life. Another term that Yokohama has come up with is its MC2 Maximized conservation Concept for fuel savings. Goodyear has the patented DuraSeal Technology that incorporates a built-in tire sealant. Goodyear also uses the selling point terms of Armor Max and FuelMAX Technologies.
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