Steer Tire Issue with KW. Best steer tire for OTR?

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by OhNoTerry, Sep 21, 2022.

  1. OhNoTerry

    OhNoTerry Medium Load Member

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    I will take partial blame for this but the tires KW put on my truck which was specced for long haul came with BridgeStone R268.. after odd tread wear at 40-52k miles I dug into the tire and issue and come to find out the #### tire is rated for RV/P&D/LTL work! Truck is a ‘22 with 52k miles, do you guys think it may be worth contacting my sales rep or just take this L and get a new set of steers out of my own pocket?

    Also what steer tires are you guys loving right now? I’m considering Firestone 591’s. 80k gross, OTR, running anywhere from 68-72 mph most times.
     
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  3. Big Road Skateboard

    Big Road Skateboard Road Train Member

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    The best alignment guy i know, who has 25 years experience with tires and suspension, swears the 591 is best steer OTR.

    I'm 100% Michelin, so XLEZ for me
     
  4. OhNoTerry

    OhNoTerry Medium Load Member

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    That X Line Energy Z is exactly what one of the more notable alignment guys told me about here in the NW! But at two thousand dollars roughly for tires, install, and balance.. it’s looking like the 591’s are the go to. Ever used balancing beads for steers?
     
  5. Long FLD

    Long FLD Road Train Member

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    You accepted the truck with those tires on it, so that’s on you. My new truck was the same. I ordered Michelins and instead of the X line Energy Z it should’ve had it showed up with X Multi Z which is a regional tire. Since my truck was driven from Denton technically the tires were used when it got here. So I ran them and got 87k out of them.

    If you’re running 22.5 I say Michelin is the best steer you can get. But if you’re running 24.5 Michelins isn’t an option unless you find someone with a stockpile of tires.
     
  6. OhNoTerry

    OhNoTerry Medium Load Member

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    Yeah, figured after all those miles there is a slim to no chance I have a case to plead with my salesman. The price tag is what’s making me scratch my head with the X Line Michelins, cheapest quote was $1980 here in WA state for everything included. I’m finding the 591 Firestones for $550 a pop.

    My thought process currently is if I put on the Michelins and the same tire wear occurs again, then I’m screwing myself several hundred dollars and there’s an issue beyond just the tires that needs to be looked at. The truck always pulled one way from factory and ended up wearing out the inner side of the outer tread on the driver side steer. Did an alignment and it wasn’t all that off.
     
  7. Long FLD

    Long FLD Road Train Member

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    That could’ve just been the tires. The regional tires like what we got stuck with aren’t made for running up and down the road all day at highway speed. The sidewalls are different because they’re designed for low speeds and turning a lot, etc. The wear you’re describing is exactly what my tires did, only mine did it on both sides of the truck. If you went to a reputable alignment shop and they said the truck is good then I wouldn’t hesitate to put good steer tires on. A couple weeks ago I got 16 ply tires and a set of Centramatics for $1907 at Trails in Albert Lea MN.
     
  8. Big Road Skateboard

    Big Road Skateboard Road Train Member

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    Check into the Michelin Advantage Program. Takes minutes to apply, and once your account is verified, you'll buy them 650ish$.

    Forget the balancing and buy beads or centramatics.

    BTW, No credit check for Advantage
     
  9. Judge

    Judge Road Train Member

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    I have ToyoM177 on Cascadia, with centramtics.
    About 40k on them.
    I’ll turn pic sideways to show tread.
    2B8F65D3-F750-43C8-9F7A-742C55B296F4.jpeg

    Wearing evenly, i also have the valve cap that shows green when inflated properly at 110
     
  10. Arctic_fox

    Arctic_fox Experienced mx13 execrator

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    The X lines are the only thing i use on my rig myself. But im also a dump truck so they get badly abused.
     
  11. OhNoTerry

    OhNoTerry Medium Load Member

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    I went with Firestone 591. Going to get them mounted and balanced later today.
     
  12. Another Canadian driver

    Another Canadian driver Road Train Member

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    I hope, for your wallet sake, that you do a tri-axle CHECK.
    Once you see which one of your 3 axles has an issue, go for THAT axle alignment.
    In Canada, we have snow on the ground between mid September to mid October depending on the year.
    It's the best time to sell the steer tires for what's left on them, either as used tires or just casings.
    Buy a set of Michelin (or whatever you can find, like Bridgestone), do the 3-axle CHECK, adjust which axle needs it and be happy for another year.
    Don't forget to balance the new steer tires.
    For drives I used to do the same, just every second year.
    I hope it helps you make a good decision.
    Be safe, driver.
     
    OhNoTerry Thanks this.
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