Tire Time....

[RowdyRebel]

Well, that set of tires didn't last NEARLY as long as they SHOULD have. Drives were all new 12/08, and the steers new in 2/09. Part of the problem was the stupid budd wheels. Truckpaper ad said aluminum wheels, but when I got to the dealer to see the truck, they claimed an error in the ad...only 6 aluminum wheels, with steel inner wheels.

I drove it for 7 months...then found 2 broken barrel nuts. Got them replaced at C'dale Mack.

2 weeks later, I got my new drives at Ozarko in Cape.

Broke a few more barrel nuts and FINALLY was told of a difference. Pi$$ed me off a little that NEITHER shop that had previously messed with 'em had noticed they weren't the right ones. Turns out, I had barrel nuts for aluminum inner/outer wheels...NOT for steel inner/aluminum outer.

So, I changed the barrel nuts and was fine for quite a while...then they started breaking again. One here, two there...I carried extras to fix as they broke.

The inside drives also began to be eaten up on the inside shoulder...every other lug.

Had the tires rotated, new shocks, adjusted air pressure...still eating up the inside shoulder.

Took a trip, and in a matter of less than 100 miles, 8 barrel nuts broke on 1 wheel. Got 'em replaced, and 200 miles later I had a broken stud...probably one of the two that was hanging onto that outer wheel.

When I got home, I took the truck back to the tire shop...insisted that SOMETHING wasn't right. Sure enough, the flanges were wore out on the rims...likely due to running the wrong barrel nuts for almost a year.

I'm guessing the dealer that sold me the truck had another truck, budd wheels, with 8 steel wheels. They probably figured that swapping the aluminum inner wheels on my truck with the steel outer wheels on the other truck would increase the value of the other truck more than it would hurt the value of the one I was going to buy...but they didn't put the proper barrel nuts on when they made the swap. Of course there isn't much I can do about that now.

Anyway, the inside wheels are down to 2/32 on that inside (now the outside...had 'em flipped on the rims when I replaced the rims) and need to be replaced...but I ain't got the cash for new drives. The outsides are all still 6 to 7/32 and should get me through the summer.

So, the original plan was to buy 4 used tires (already bought 'em...$100/ea.) to put across the rear axle, where if they blow, there isn't anything (of mine, anyway) for them to get tangled in...no fenders, etc...rotating the 4 outside tires up to the front axle. I was planning to get those 4 inside tires I remove retreaded (even though I hate retreads, it's all I can afford at this time), then place them on the front axle when I get 'em back, so I can send the 4 from the front (currently on the outsides) in for retreading, and when I get them back, they'd go on the rear axle, so I could use the cases from the 4 used tires as well as the 2 steer tires to get 2 new steer tires. (The left steer was wearing much faster than the right...I rotated them, and now the right...formerly the left...has been chewed up and is toast.)

So, because the truck chewed up that one steer tire, I'm going to have to get the alignment checked and get new steers FIRST. I'll get my old steers retreaded to have as spares while I do the retreading on the drives...been hesitant to put the used tires on the drives because they are an unknown...I'd hate to put 'em on and then have to buy a new tire in 2 days when they start blowing. At least having the 2 spare tires in the garage will ease my mind about both the retreads AND the used tires.

Now I just gotta get pricing on the retreads...

OOIDA has pricing for the XD4, but not the XDE M/S (what is on there now...REALLY like 'em), the XDS (my 2nd choice...looks pretty similar to what I've got), the XDY-1 (aggressive, deep lug, open shoulder), the XDY, or even the XM+S4.

I'll end up with one of them tread designs on my XDE M/S* cases...and also on the XZE2 cases that are my current steer tires (if I'm gonna run recaps, they are gonna be my cases, and I'm gonna have spares at the house ready to mount). The steers will likely be replaced with another set of XZE2's...love the tire, just gotta figure out why the truck chewed that one up like that.

[usmcjimbo]

I would recommend you get a three axle alignment and have everything set to 0 with the toe in set at no more than 1/16 and the back axles set perfectly straight per TMC (Truck Maintenance Council) specifications. Don't set the drive axles to account for road crown - that is an old truckers tale that does not bear out - nothing is straighter than straight!

I personally never liked Michelins - thought they were too expensive per 32nd of wear. Ran a fleet of 500 tractors and 1200 trailers and kept tire cost at under 0.0155 per mile for the fleet including run flats and sidewall damage. I ran Bridgestone 287 on the fronts and 726 on the drives - we were averaging 300-325 on the drives and 125-150 on the steers for our OTR trucks. On the regional fleet I ran Bridgestone 260 and either Bridgestone 726 or Bandag Megatrek virgin caps on the drives. Bought new trailers with Bridgestone steers and then replaced them when they got to 5/32nds with Bandag recaps

Proper inflation hides a lot of tire sins - keep them all at 100psi and you will get good tire life and a quality casing for recap or sale. It is a good idea to at least inspect if not replace the valve stems each time you mount new tires.

TMC has a complete Recommended Practice for tires.

[HK Trucking]

Rowdy, don't forget the "Mack Rule" about installing drive tires when you've got a Mack power divider:

Measure the tires and keep all 4 of the biggest ones on the curb side, and the 4 smaller ones on the road side.

Putting all 4 new (or newer) tires across 1 drive axle while leaving 4 worn down tires across the other drive axle is an invitation to power divider "clunking", and premature wear of the "peanuts" in the power divider.

.

[RowdyRebel]

I would recommend you get a three axle alignment and have everything set to 0 with the toe in set at no more than 1/16 and the back axles set perfectly straight per TMC (Truck Maintenance Council) specifications. Don't set the drive axles to account for road crown - that is an old truckers tale that does not bear out - nothing is straighter than straight!

I personally never liked Michelins - thought they were too expensive per 32nd of wear. Ran a fleet of 500 tractors and 1200 trailers and kept tire cost at under 0.0155 per mile for the fleet including run flats and sidewall damage. I ran Bridgestone 287 on the fronts and 726 on the drives - we were averaging 300-325 on the drives and 125-150 on the steers for our OTR trucks. On the regional fleet I ran Bridgestone 260 and either Bridgestone 726 or Bandag Megatrek virgin caps on the drives. Bought new trailers with Bridgestone steers and then replaced them when they got to 5/32nds with Bandag recaps

Proper inflation hides a lot of tire sins - keep them all at 100psi and you will get good tire life and a quality casing for recap or sale. It is a good idea to at least inspect if not replace the valve stems each time you mount new tires.

TMC has a complete Recommended Practice for tires.

287 is a G load rating. I run H.

726 is a closed shoulder. I run open shoulder, aggressive lugs for traction.

725 WOULD be an option, if it were offered in H load rating...but it still isn't aggressive enough to suit my desires.

260 is comparable to the XZE2, but 3/10 of an inch narrower on the tread. Not sure how much that matters, but a narrower tire will have a smaller contact patch with the road and be more likely to dig in when on softer ground. When I bought the truck, it had Continental HSR's on the steer axle and I thought I liked them...until I ran the Michelins. Even running through standing water at speed with one side of the truck, it does not "pull" like it did with the HSR's. The only time I've EVER had a problem with the XZE2's gripping the road was running on snow-pack and trying to slow an 80,000 pound truck to make a left turn...but then any tire is going to have problems in that circumstance.

I look at drive tires like this: Every time I get stuck, I either have to waste time getting myself out (if I'm empty), or find someone to pull me out (if I'm loaded, or if I'm on uneven ground). Wasting time costs me loads, and in some cases, that lost load was the load that was taking me back towards the house...so instead of being paid to go home, I had to bounce. Every time it happens, the money lost would buy a new tire. Running a less expensive, more fuel efficient tire that lasts a few extra miles but regularly gets me stuck ends up costing me more money than I'm going to save with that tire over a more expensive, more aggressive tire that gets excellent traction when I need it. If I was a highway truck that rarely ever went down a gravel road (much less a job site), I would be looking at different treads...more conservative, fuel efficient. If I hauled general freight, I could live with G load ratings. However, if I am loaded heavy at the nose of the trailer and tear a tire on my way out of the quarry, I want to know the remaining tire has the best possible chance of limping me to a tire shop for a replacement...

Actually, I can't complain about the wear on the tires apart from the mechanical problems (rims on the drives, and whatever is wrong with the front). The tire that is on the front that is bad had other issues...the left front shock somehow bent and needed replacement within a month of the first new shock. Swapping sides and flipping the tires on the rims to maintain direction of rotation seems to have sped the process along.

I do run crossfires on the drives to maintain pressure equalization between inside and outside wheels, and visually check 'em every day. I put the tire gauge on all of 'em at least once a month.