The commercial trucks are the livelihood for companies in industries such as logistics and transportation. Therefore regular maintenance is a must to have a successful trucking business. The commercial truck tires are equally important to commercial truck maintenance; for they keep the trucks at best optimal performance. When commercial truck tire repair cannot be done and needs replacement, what should you be looking out for? The following are some tips for getting new truck tires.
Performance of Tires
Not all commercial truck tires are the same. One consideration when purchasing them is by knowing how hard is the tire surface. The surface of a semi-truck tire differs in performance quality. Harder tires are made for endurance and durability. Harder tires also offer better fuel efficiency. However, in adverse driving conditions, there may be a decrease in traction, and they might not offer a smooth riding experience. Tires with softer rubber designed to provide better grip, they are likely to provide a smoother driving experience. The downside is they are easier to wear off and they are not fuel-efficient.
Warranty Policy
Major commercial truck tire manufacturers and brands will normally define their warranty policy and terms. They can cover for a period of four to seven years, some will cover certain mileage, and some will provide retread policies.
Brand Names
Some reputable and well-know semi-truck tire brands are Michelin, Yokohama, Goodyear, Firestone, Bridgestone, and BF Goodrich.
Driving Routes
Tires are made to operate with particular applications in place. There are certain tread designs, tire construction, and rubber hardness for regional routes, long-distance routes, urban city settings, or off-road settings. So one needs to think about what are the routes the truck is expected to travel on. If a tire is used under an incorrect setting or application, it will not perform as intended. The tires could also wear off prematurely. For example, if tires designed for long-distance travel are used in a city setting instead, the tread will wear off faster. Another condition to note is the temperature fluctuations. Soft tires can adapt to routes with rapid change in weather conditions because the soft tires and expand or contract as temperature changes.
Load Capacity
One area that some commercial truck operators overlooked is the load capacity to the tires. Ensuring the tires can properly support the commercial truck is crucial. Tire manufacturers list the maximum load capacity for their tires and for you to determine if the tire meets your load capacity requirements.
This vital step will ensure the new tires can new set of tires can support the top carrying capacity.
Tires Resulting in Resistance and Fuel Efficiency
If the commercial truck tires are not inflated properly, the truck engine needs to work more, resulting in more fuel consumption and therefore fuel efficiency lowers. If the tires are underinflated, the tire surface will contact the road surface more, and overheating, tread separation or even tire blowouts can occur.
Buying New Tires or Retread
Retreading is the process where semi-truck tire casings get a new tread. Worn out tires are carefully examined and only sound tire casings are applied in retreading. Pressure, time, and heat applications are used in affixing new tire treads. Some studies have shown that retread tires can provide a lower cost as compared to getting new tires. Retreading tires are sometimes more reliable than getting new tires of unknown quality and sources. Military vehicles, fire engines, and school buses are some heavy-duty vehicles using retread to prolong the tire usages. Assessing the advantages of retread tires can lead to cost savings to the truck fleet or the organizations.
