When it comes to increasing Tyre efficiency, technology is evolving day by day. Starting from low rolling resistance is complementing the entire requirements. However, every truck owner knows tyres are one of the three recurrent costs to run the truck business along with fuel and staff. Did you know tyres influence it's overall fuel use and in overcoming the rolling resistance?
So, here are few tips to keep tyres in optimal condition to drag vehicle and use fuel effectively.
- Type of tyre:
The type of tyre also affect the lifespan of it. The type you get to see for 5th wheel trailer or travel trailer is classified in two different ways: Special trailer tyres (STs), light truck tyres (LTs) and radial or bias.
If you have STs on your trailer, they don’t come with a mileage warranty that comes with other tyres. The sidewall composition deteriorates faster over time. Moreover, experts claim you shouldn’t use light truck tyres (LT) on fifth wheel trailers, where the massive load can weaker the sidewall causing the rolling a sway.
You may need to take bias and radial tyre that are tougher in construction, longer tread life and come with a wider footprint.
- Low rolling resistance tyres:
It is one of the evolving development for the automobile industry to have low rolling resistance tyres that can significantly reduce the transportation cost. The cost for typical line-haul fleet fuel works 10 times the cost of trailer parts like tyres. So, it is necessary to decide when the tyre condition and the ideal time to replace it.
- Conditions to replace Tyre:
- The Tyre tread wears down to minimum 1.5mm. Although off-road tyres should be replaced when 2/3 of their tread depth.
- If there is significant damage that exposes the underlying canvas or carcass or bulges as the signs of internal damage.
- If there is unrepairable damage that includes sidewall rip
- If the tyres are too old
In the worse case, the tyres lose air over time and trailers aren’t serviced quite often and most of the time run under-inflated or sometimes correctly inflated for no load at all.
- How tyres age?
Tyre resistance to aging varies. Delicate race tyres, as well as offroad tyres, lose its performance due to mishandling, but the damage is caused by neglecting and age. Tyres that have been on a trailer with minimum weight on it or properly stored in a covered garage gets longer performing life than the tyres stored outside or consistently supporting a heavy trailer.
In general, any tyre that ages more than 5 years is susceptible to damage. Many manufacturers want Bridgestone warranty that lasts up to 5 years with correct care and use. According to experts, before you buy truck tyres in Sydney, run an inspection. And, the first thing you have to do is give your trailer tyres a visual inspection. Keep checking the sidewalls for cracks and weathering, where you will get the signs of spidery lines along with sidewalls that indicate your tyre is weak enough.
The author is a trailer part seller in Sydney and stock quality truck tyres. Besides, the author writes technical blogs and articles as a regular blogger.
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