Straight truck driver tire suggestions

BigStickJr

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
I sold a guy a 94 Freightliner .
He got 200,000 miles out of the steers.
He called me for advice on replacement tires .
200,000 miles ?
Buy the exact same tire .

What are you replacing ?
What improvement are you trying to gain ?
How do you run and where ?
 

piper1

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Tandem or single axle? Duals or wide singles?

Avoid the temptation to buy cheap Chinese tires, you will spend twice in fuel (at least) then you'll save on the purchase......and that's assuming you get similar treadlife (which you won't)
 
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BigStickJr

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Excellent point. I’ve run 445,000 on good drive tires on a class 8.
I was going to suggest spending more to get better longevity, but forgot to factor in rolling resistance.
And peace of mind.
Regardless what you buy, if you don’t monitor pressure you’re throwing money out the window. BIG TIME.
 
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jhead64

Expert Expediter
Owner/Operator
Single axle. 11r22.5. Have the Continentals that came on it from the factory. 265,000 miles. Needing replaced due to tread depth getting lower. Still legal but ready to replace. Wondering what tires people have had good experience with.

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piper1

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Single axles are a little harder on drive tires and usually you need something with a little more traction than what you would put on a tandem, which also hurts your treadlife a little. Your Continentals did pretty good so if you were happy with them in other aspects they would be a good choice. The Michelin Multi Energy D is good or the XDN2 if you need more traction/winter performance (like Canada). Bridgestone 726's while not the most efficient work fairly well on a single axle, they also had a tire called a 711 that I had good luck with in more regional service.
 
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FlyingVan

Moderator
Staff member
Owner/Operator
What do you guys think of running steer tires all around? I heard it improves the fuel mileage, but how about traction? Also, since the thread depth is less than on drive tires they probably don't last as long. Just curious.

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BigStickJr

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Great idea.
Better fuel mileage, better ride, and quieter.
All you lose is traction.
If traction is an issue, for the price of steel wheels, have traction tires on steel wheels for winter, and steer tires on polished wheels for spring, summer, and fall.
 
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BigStickJr

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
The lack of tread depth may be offset by design. They may wear better, making up for the tread difference.
When I was at Heartland Express they ran steer tires on the trailers.
One of the most profitable truckload carriers out there. They probably figured the price difference was worth the increased life of the better tire.
 

Greg

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Thank you. We are going with the Bridgestone 726 ela.

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I got 335K on Goodyear G572 drives. Took them off with 13/32 tread left on them. (A little edge wear, but good tread) . Replaced with Bridgestone M710 drives. Been wearing well so far. Single axle straight truck.
 
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BigStickJr

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
  1. If you haven’t checked your wheel bearings lately, do it every now and then.
They will cause edge wear. And edge wear is normal with a lot of drive tire patterns.
Your 120 day inspection and typical PM doesn’t check wheel bearings.
I’d do it every 6 months or so unless I see reason to do it sooner.
I try to have all my breakdowns in the shop .
 

Andyinchville1

Expert Expediter
Owner/Operator
Have you considered super singles ?

I have toyed with the idea...I hear you get better fuel mileage to boot BUT catch a flat in the rear and you're done on the spot until fixed.

Personally due to $$ constraints when I was new I went with the cheap Chinese recaps (yes double whammy cheap BUT they are wearing well and have plenty of tread left after many miles...I'll have to see what brand they are but I got them at the local tire shop).
 
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