Super singles VS duals

i still have ss on my trailer and dont really mind them there. my co. did them for the weight advantage but the drivers complained to much about getting around in the deep snow and hydroplaning when the tires were wore down i did not have an issue with that as much as when you stopped for a bit and they would melt down in the snowpac which made near immpossible to move without kitty litter

 

I do I80 in the winter, with wide singles. No problem... snow and ice on the road is mostly an excuse for incompetent drivers to slack in the truckstop. Blowouts? Mostly because lazy drivers don't check their tires but once a month. Fuel savings? You better believe it! It's there and it's substantial. With fuel around $4 a gallon, you can afford a blowout and road service call every year and still be saving money.

 

I have 3 years experience on Duals and 5.5 years on Singles. The Singles I have had(Michelin X) have less traction in adverse weather,so you must adjust your driving accordingly. The tires push the snow in front of them and it is very easy to get stuck. They also hydroplaned alot easier than my Duals. But I was also running turnpikes doubles as well, so that may have contributed. When I ran Line haul with doubles and triples, I don't remember my duals sliding around like the singles did.The three years I ran duals, I only had to chain a handle of times. My Singles I had to chain just to get out of the darn yard. BUT the tires paid for themselves in fuel savings in 6 months. But I would not want to run OTR with Singles. You blow a tire and you are dead in the water. At least with Duals you can limp along.

 

Nobody will ever be able to talk me into singles.

Blow a tire, risk destroying what is probably a very expensive wheel, and loss of limp home ability.

Prefer to have two wheels to cut into the snow instead of one to float over top of it.

Chaining has to be a real bugger with the singles. Duals with the heavy chains are not a lot of fun, though.

Not worth it to me.

 

1. Chaining a single is no big deal.

2. "Limping" along on a blown tire is illegal.

 

SS allow me to load another 1.5 tons per load
that add up to about 8 or 9 grand a year more take home pay.
Pull tanker. Get paid by the ton moved.

 

No differences in anything but weight.

 

There is slightly more weight per square inch of road surface contact with singles then with duals. Do with that what you may. Yes, Singles are more "needy" of PROPER inflation then duals to insure best performance and longest life (duals are a bit more forgiving in terms of Maintained_PSI:Longevit), but you can easier put and monitor a TPMS on those than on duals. I never noticed any traction issues with S Singles any worse then duals.

 

I'm curious about the OP's driving habits. I've seen people spin out in conditions that were nothing close to being considered bad IMO.

Too much throttle at the wrong moment, improper use of power divider, improper load distribution can all contribute to spinning out when one really shouldn't.

Or how about starting to spin out and being unable to grab a lower gear quickly enough to keep it rolling and the feathering the throttle all the way to the top. Is the truck an auto shift and can it skip a handful of gears at once? ( I never drove one, that's why I ask)

I'm NOT saying these things are the problem, but with one year experience, I have to ask.

I was riding to breakfast in a trainer's bobtail truck once and he spun out while turning out of a steep driveway when a wheel got some air. As he cursed the transmission for not going into gear properly (again!), I pointed our to him that he was spinning and should come to a stop and engage the power divider. He didn't have a clue.

I'm always shocked by how many drivers are clueless about the power divider.