Make the Right Call: Selecting the Right Valve Stem Not as Easy as It Seems
Make the Right Call Selecting the Right Valve Stem Not as Easy as It Seems When tubeless tires first entered the commercial tire market years ago, technicians assumed that if the tubeless valve stem fit the hole in the wheel it was the right valve stem. Today, that assumption could lead to severe problems. Over
Make the Right Turn: Don’t Underestimate the Impact of Proper Valve Stem Torque
Make the Right Turn Don’t Underestimate the Impact of Proper Valve Stem Torque When the ITRA’s Commercial Tire Service Program began in 1996, I thought I knew everything about truck tires and wheels. Years of experience on the road and in the shop made me an expert as far as I was concerned. I didn’t
Do We Really Need This Much Information?
Do we really need this much information? Cold winter nights offer the best opportunity for many of us to catch up on reading material. Whether it’s job-related trade journals, industry studies, or a good novel, there is much information and entertainment available in print.Chances are pretty good, however, that unless you’re an incurable insomniac, you
Customer Pays with Cheap Stems
The consumer media has given a great deal of ink and air-time recently to the issue of tire safety and the various factors that can cause a tire to fail. But one item most of these reports have not touched upon is the valve stem Think about it. The valve stem is what keeps the
Brains Match Muscle: The Intelligent Tire
Brains Match Muscleas Tire Chips Finally Hit the Market The Intelligent Tire. Many see it as a myth, an unworkable idea with no real world merit. Others see it as the wave of the future, a screaming-to-be-born combination of technologies that will solve so many tire maintenance matters. It’s no secret that tire manufactures have
Is Wider Better?: Michelin Leads Super Wide Charge in North America
Is Wider Better? Michelin Leads Super Wide Charge in North America With the introduction of a new breed of radial truck tires in North America, dual fitments on line haul fleets may become a thing of the past.Best described as “super wide” tires not to be confused with bulky conventional-sized wide base tires commonly
OTR Tire Dealers Speak: Study Shows Dealers Crave Training; Look to Add Staff
OTR Tire Dealers Speak Study Shows Dealers Crave Training; Look to Add Staff For the second consecutive year, Tire Review and the Tire Association of North America (TANA) teamed up to conduct a comprehensive study of OTR tire dealers and the prevailing OTR tire market. The extensive study was a continuation of the highly successful
Hot & Cold: Ambient Air Temps Have Great Impact on ‘Correct’ Tire Pressure
cause any flexing object will generate heat, proper inflation pressure also enables the tire to reach an equilibrium temperature where the amount of heat created is equal to the amount of heat dissipated through the sidewalls, shoulder and tread area.Even though the tire industry has long reminded fleets and tire dealers about the importance of
Field Fixes: Haste Makes Waste When Tackling OTR Tire Field Repairs
should use a spotter, retread chamber or section mold to vulcanize the repair rubber into the tire. More often than not, a section repair is an in-shop job.Either before filling the injury or after curing, depending on the repair system used, a reinforced repair patch should be installed to strengthen the repaired area.Tractor tires are
On the Surface
On the Surfaceof the Tire/Road Relationship Anyone who has been around the tire business for any length of time has heard or participated in discussions about how well competing brands or types of tires perform. Equally well known is the wide variety of conclusions some "experts" derive from their "experience." It brings to mind an
Will Lug Tires Remain a Driving Force?
Will Lug Tires Remain a Driving Force? Remember the days when nearly all car owners except those in the southernmost states ®“ performed the ritual of mounting and removing snow tires each year? Many drivers even purchased separate wheels, dedicated for use during the winter to avoid the extra time and expense of the
Trailers Should Sometimes Come First
Trailers Should Sometimes Come First If the headline above caught your attention and conjured up visions of big rigs heading down the highway backward, we accomplished half of our mission. Make no mistake, we’re not advocating changing the direction of traffic flow, but we do want to underscore and explore the importance of devoting some