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July 2008

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Goodyear

Tires

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Tim Miller

Tim Miller
Marketing Communication Manager
Goodyear

(330) 796-7922

Tim Miller has been with Goodyear for over 30 years. He spent 8 years as a tire design engineer before taking positions as a technical representative to original equipment customers Freightliner...more»»


Featured Question

Wide Base or Fuel Max
Posted by Kristi from Louisville, KY, US on July 1, 2008

What are the pros and cons of wide base vs. Fuel Max duels?

Fuel Max
Pros - Improved fuel economy, same wheels/rims, no change in vehicle track width, replacement tires widely available, steer, drive and traier tires all the same size (easier tire/retread management) no change in vehicle trade-in value.
Cons - No reduction in tire/wheel weight

Wide Base Tires
Pros - Improved fuel economy, reduced tire/wheel weight
Cons - New wheels required, wider axle to retain current track width, limited tire replacement availability, steer tires different size than drives and trailer tires (what to do with worn steer tires?), trade-in value of vehicle may be compromised due to "non-standard" tire/wheel/axle sizes.


Featured Question

Tire Wear on Set Back vs Set Forward Steer Axles
Posted by dolan from cookeville, TN, US on January 29, 2008

Werun trucks with set back ster axles and set foward axles, the set back axle truck wears tire out faster that the forwards do. We run the same tire on both. Can you tell me why this happens?

I forwarded your question to Mike Beckett, President of MD Alignment. Mike knows more about tire wear than anyone I know.

"First you get a more effective transfer of loads to the steer axle with a set back vs a normal axle set. This does not mean more than about 500 lbs per tire in load but it is a more consistent transfer and this will have some minor effect. The larger effect is the turning angle on set back front axles. Most set forward axles turn 20 to 25 degrees as compared to 30 to 50 degrees on set back axles.

This increase in steering angle increases the "ackerman" effect on Toe when the vehicle in in a turn. A sharper steering angle and more toe on turns causes the vehicle to turn shorter circles and therefore it is more maneuverable but it does this at the expense of tire life. In my experience, on line haul trucks the net difference in tire life is about 10 to 15% between the two.

If you want to change this, adjust the steering stops on the axle to reduce turning angle and see how much you save. Just remember that the truck will require larger areas to turn around."


Featured Question

Wheel Nut Torque
Posted by Erwin from NANJING, OT, CN on October 27, 2007

What is the specified torque for a wheel nut of a 11R22.5 OR 295/75R22.5 heavy truck tire wheel?

I don't know if you have steel or aluminum, hub piloted or stud piloted wheels. To be safe, you should checked the website for the brand and type of wheels you are running. I check one manufacturer's website and found a chart that gave wheel nut torques for the various wheels that they make. If you are still confused, contact the manufacturer through their website.


retreads
Posted by Julie from Buckeye, AZ, US on May 27, 2008

We pull intermodal containers and use chassis supplied by the steamship lines. They use poor quality retread tires (10X20) from China on all their chassis, so we are constantly replacing tires on equipment we don’t even own! We pull the containers from Long Beach, CA where it is cooler, to Phoenix, Arizona where it reaches up to 115 degrees. We are encouraging our drivers to make sure the retread trailer tires are inflated to at least 90-95 psi. Drivers are arguing that the hot weather here increases the tire pressure and they should only inflate them to 80 psi. How much does weather play a factor when inflating tires?

The rule-of-thumb for temperature is that every 10 degrees F of ambient temperature is worth about 1 psi in inflations pressure. So, it happened to be 85 degrees F in Long Beach and the temperature in Phoenix was 115 degrees F, the pressure build up due to the ambient temperature would only be 2 psi. I would not consider this to be problem. The total pressure build up might be more due to the tires generating heat from friction and sidewall flexing.


ALCOA-DURA BRIGHTS - 5th WHEEL SETTING
Posted by CHARLES on April 3, 2008

Does ALCOA make Dura-Brights,for all makes of Super Single,Truck Tires? I read that your 5th Wheel setting has a lot to do with the wear & tear of your Drive,& Steering Tires.How can I tell if the 5th wheel is in a proper position,to maximize my tire life?Thank You!Charlie of NJ.

You would have to contact Alcoa or your local Alcoa rep for your first question. Regarding the 5th wheel question, I think the best answer has to do with axle loads. By moving your 5th wheel, you can even out the distribution of weight between the steer and drive axle or axles. I've heard that some drivers like to run the 5th wheel back to take load off the steer axle and make the truck steer easier. Sometimes too much load is taken off the steer axle and the tires get irregular wear because they are underloaded for the inflation pressure in them. Tire life would be maximized if each ot the tires carried a similar load.


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