Truck Talk
Volume 2 Number 1

There's a new breed of fuel-efficient truck tires turning heads in North America these days. They are standard sized tires that can be used as singles or duals, so there's no special refitting required. They'll mount on any standard wheel, they can be placed at any appropriate wheel position, and they're available from all of the major tire makers on this side of the pond.

Essentially, it's tread depth and tread compounds that separate these tires from standard tires. In simple terms, a thinner tread offers less rolling resistance, and reducing rolling resistance means lower fuel consumption. They start life at about 30/32 of an inch tread depth, rather than a more typical 30/32 of an inch. Does that extra 4/32 of an inch make a difference in tire life?

The tire experts say yes, but they're quick to point out that the savings accrued from improved fuel economy more than offsets the slight reduction in tire life one sees when starting out with a slightly leaner tire.

On this edition of Truck Talk, Guy Walenga of Bridgestone Firestone, and Tim Miller of Goodyear describe how these tires can lower operating costs, and they share their insights on some of the tire testing and evaluating methods in use today.

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