Pro's and Con's of Super Singles

I have experice with super single tires, I had them on one of our trucks

««Pros
they ride nice, ì really can`t say for certain if they really save on fuel, easy to maintain and check air pressure, weight savings especially if you haul heavy, I run in Canada so I spend a lot of time in ice and snow, never really had a problem with them, unless it is on pure ice when the tread is worn down, when there is lots of tread there is not problem in snow, some guys who run up here change them in the winter to a deeper tread and change back to the worn tread in the summer, which helps with the fuel economy.

»»Cons
I found it hard to find them when I had a flat, especially up here in the north where they are not as popular, the few times I did have a flat I called many tires places in a 50 mile radius and no one could get me one that day, I think that more places are starting to have them in stock as they become more popular,
they are very expensive, $1100 each is not cheap when you blow a tire it costs you double the price of a regular tire, and becasue they are so expensive you can not ever find a used one becasue nobody trades them in until there is nothing left of them,
some places in Canada do not yet allow heavier weights, Ì know in Àlberta if you haul heavier loads you need a $20 permit,

 

I don't know about Canada, but in the US at least you can call 800-TIRE-911 and Michelin will get someone out to you with new tires in 2 hours or less or the service call is free.

As far as price goes, I got a set of 4 new tires and 4 rims put on my truck before I bought it for $4k and I'm getting quotes of about $2,700 to replace the tires (keep the rims, naturally) when those run down. The last T/A I went through had a special for $3,100 for a full set of 8 duals so I think wide base tires are more than competitive in that area.

Jim

 

The company I work for now has super singles on flatbeds, with the singles, u need to pull over immediately or ruin the rim, at least with multiples u can get somewhere other than the side of the highway. Hate the things lol

 

Is anyone or would anyone use super singles on a spread axle flat bed? Why or why not?

 

I talked to a Howard driver who had them on the drive axles, I saw the tires up close. He didn't like them in slick conditions, especially snow. He said they are too wide to displace the snow underneath them and make contact with the road surface despite their deep tread, he said he'd rather have tandems in snow as they would be be better able to channel the snow/slush and connect with the road. I thought it made sense.

 

As I had R/R changing out a trailer tire. i got me to think about this thread as he put the recap on. can you see hitting one of those I bet they would do so major damage.

 

I ran them with one co. They ran virgins only.

 

Us too, we never ran recaps because of the heat and the loads put on them. The advantage my company saw was lighter sets so more product could be loaded and the center of gravity was lowered so the tank trucks wouldn't roll over so easy. One big disadvantage I've heard about is from the OTR drivers and the problem of finding a replacement tire as easily as you standard duels.

I also talked with a tanker driver the other day that drives alot in snow and he just doesn't like them when the tread gets low. When there's a good amount of tread he stated he had no problems.

 

Most carry them now, but dang on the road they charge about $900 for one...

 

I despise my super singles. Yes they can and do blow out for the same reasons duals do. Forget driving on questionable roads, you won't have traction for anything. I spun wheels on a quarter inch of SLUSH for goodness sakes. Forget about limping to a repair shop if you lose one too. Instant road call every time. They don't save enough to be worth the risk and hassle. Loss of traction is dangerous, I'm getting rid of my singles as soon as I can and recommending that anyone with a choice avoid them.