Smart fleets and progressive tire dealers opt for a symbiotic relationship – one in which the dealer helps the fleet lower its operating costs, while the fleet ensures continued business for the dealer. After all, a supplier relationship in its ideal form should be a partnership, not just a sales contract.
Still, commercial tire innovation starts and ends with the servicing tire dealer. If a dealer can’t convince a fleet to move to a new product, that product, regardless how significant the manufacturer says it is, won’t see the light of day.
Perhaps one of the biggest so-called ‘innovations’ in the commercial tire segment today is the use of super wide tires – extra-wide, low-profile tires designed to replace the traditional dual-tire setup with a single tire.
Super wide tires currently available include Michelin North America’s (MNA) X One, Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire’s (BFNAT) Greatec series and Continental Tire North America’s HTL1. Toyo Tire USA Corp. and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. claim to be developing their own super wides.
While these tires certainly aren’t new – MNA introduced the X One more than five years ago – widespread adoption in mainstream trucking has been slow.
The fastest adopters of super wides have been bulk carriers and other fleets operating in weight-sensitive applications. That’s because weight savings from super wide tires, for the most part, are measurable and have been proven in the marketplace.
Fuel savings, on the other hand, are a tougher sell. Tire manufacturers have claimed that super wides offer fuel savings of 2% to 10%. MNA says converting the standard 16 drive and trailer axle tires on a tractor-trailer combo to eight super wides not only saves some 1,000 pounds of revenue-producing weight but also delivers less rolling resistance and, as a result, measurable fuel savings of 4% to 10%.
Michael Burroughes, product manager for MNA’s Michelin Americas Truck Tires division, says: “In terms of rolling resistance (i.e., fuel efficiency), the X One XDA (drive tire) is indexed at 100, compared to a conventional dual tire, which is indexed at a less-fuel-efficient 111. The X One HT (trailer tire) indexes at 136, compared to a less-fuel-efficient conventional dual at 160.”
It’s reasonable, then, to expect the use of super wide tires to save fuel if both rolling resistance and weight demands are reduced. But, that’s only part of the fuel-consumption equation. Skeptics contend that there are too many variables in the real world – from driving habits to fuel burn rates to traffic conditions – that threaten to discredit theoretical fuel-economy claims.
While not completely discarding the potential fuel savings of super wides, a published statement by BFNAT reads: “Given the difficulty of achieving and detecting fuel-economy benefits in the real world, most fleets will probably see no more than 2% to 5% improvement in fuel economy if they convert from regular, non-fuel-efficient dual assemblies.” The company also suggests that fuel savings reportedly achieved in rigorous fuel-economy tests may not reflect what will be found on the road when these tires are actually put into service.
As a result, the large-volume tire buyers – line-haul carriers and regional over-the-road fleets – have been slow to convert. More specifically, sales haven’t taken off in these segments because of additional concerns over the lack of limp-home capability, fears about tire availability in the event of an emergency and doubts about multiple retreads.
Can the potential to save big bucks on fuel override these concerns? It’s yet to be seen. What we do know, though, is that some fleets say they are indeed saving fuel by making the switch.
Fuel Savings in Action
Jimmy Ray, maintenance manager for Mesilla Valley Transportation in New Mexico, would argue that there is real-world data available supporting fuel-economy savings. Ray oversees 600 tractors and 1,500 trailers, which used to run exclusively on traditional drive and trailer duels. Now, 300 tractor/trailer combinations sport 10 tires instead of 18.
“I’m buying Michelin X Ones for fuel mileage and fewer flats,” Ray says, “not necessarily for weight savings, although that is a plus. On my tractors, I’m picking up 2.5/10ths per mile and 3.5/10ths on my trailers. With the price of fuel at nearly $2 a gallon, that’s big.”
Brent Hilton, service manager for Maverick Transport in North Little Rock, Ark., fits a third of his fleet’s 902 tractors with X One tires on the drive axles. The steel and lumber hauler says he sees a 2% to 3% gain in fuel economy.
And, Jeff Musselman, maintenance director for Smith Transport in Roaring Springs, Pa., has watched his fuel efficiency climb from 6.0 miles per gallon to 6.3 miles. More than half of his 750 tractors sport Michelin X Ones, and 150 of his 2,000 trailers have super wides.
Cost and Benefit
Of course, none of these potential savings comes without strings, even though the actual cost to make the switch from duals to super wides is said to be close to a wash.
Though only one wheel and tire is needed for each axle end, super wide tires, with their 45 or 50 aspect ratios, call for 14-inch wide aluminum wheels. Then, there are the tires themselves; a super wide costs at least twice that of a premium 11R22.5.
However, fleets can save FET on tires, since one super wide weighs less than the two tires of a dual configuration.
Goodyear officials have said that the cost of one new 445/50R22.5 and an accompanying aluminum wheel is 20% to 30% less expensive than two new conventional tires and two steel wheels.
In terms of ROI, Guy Walenga, engineering manager at BFNAT, says bulk carriers will see an almost immediate return. However, that’s based on weight savings, not fuel efficiency gains.
Fleets making the switch to super wide tires must also recognize that maintaining tire pressures will become even more critical – a point that a responsible tire dealer will be sure to make. Because of the heat these tires generate, a strong inflation maintenance program is a must. For example, a tire that is low by only 10% will generate a damaging amount of heat, which compromises casing life and retreadability.
“The importance of an iron-clad inflation program cannot be understated,” Walenga says. “When one tire goes down, it’s like having two go down.”
That said, though, tiremakers are quick to point out that inflation pressures are easier to maintain with super wide tires. Checking air pressure of the inner tire of a dual setup is no longer necessary; there’s only one valve, and it’s easily accessible. Plus, a super wide tire setup means fewer tires to maintain. Burroughes says easier air-pressure maintenance can ultimately reduce in-service tire failures.
Fleets can also choose to invest in automatic tire inflation systems, which keep a damaged tire inflated until a repair or replacement can be accomplished. Pressure Systems International offers one such system with the Meritor Tire Inflation System by PSI.
Alleviating Concerns?
But, what about tire availability and retreadability? Burroughes says availability is not an issue for the X One tire. “Every Michelin dealer is stocking X One tires, and they are available at many national and regional travel plaza locations. Data from Michelin’s ONCall emergency roadside providers show that the average time for an X One service call is not significantly greater than that for traditional duals.”
As for multiple-retread capability, Burroughes says: “X One tires used in highway service are not recommended to be retreaded more than once at present. We are studying the long-term durability of the casings in a wide variety of applications and service conditions while simultaneously working on new materials to augment the overall retreadability guidelines.”
In other words, retreading technology, while still young in the super wide tire segment, is progressing. Both Bandag and Michelin Retread Technologies have developed techniques and tread stock to retread super wide tires. Bandag says it has developed retreading methods designed specifically for super wide tires.
Maybe, in time, easier air-pressure maintenance, availability of automatic tire inflation systems and continuously maturing retread technology will negate present-day fleet concerns.
For that to happen, though, it’s going to take a deliberate educational effort on the part of tire dealers and, on the part of fleets, a willingness to change.
“This is very good science at work,” says BFNAT’s Walenga. “Yet, in the face of our enthusiasm, we understand that fleets are just as deliberate as we are. That’s where we see the independent tire dealer playing a major role.”
So, while the jury may still be out on potential fuel savings associated with super wide tires, most tiremakers agree that there are still plenty of opportunities for tire dealers to be the driving force for change and for fleets to see real cost savings.
“Change can happen, but only if fleets buy into the 50-series single tire concept and take care of their tires,” Walenga says.
“Tire dealers can talk the talk and be of real service to fleets.”
