I don't see anyone mention the idea of checking the rolling resistance of any tire before purchase. I just put 10 Michelins on my tractor, all the best rolling resistance #'s they have and picked up over 1/2 mile per gallon. If you did the same on the trailer you could pick up the same savings. Translates into about $4000 per year in savings, probably $10,000 over the life of the tires. The tires literally pay for themselves and more
I do also look at rolling resistance but problem there is most dealers have no idea about the different rolling resistance. Some of this information is available on some of the tire web sites but little hard to find. Also from what I see, to get 1/2 mile per gallon gain from just 10 tires, one would have to go from the worst rated duals to best super singles. Also the low resistance tires tend to have alot less tread depth and less expected mileage so one gets less for the money. Don't get me wrong, I do think one should look at the rolling resistance ratings as well as tread depth and brand vs the money. I just dont beleive they will totally pay for themselves, just some fuel savings.
It is a balancing act, for sure. Low RR is a great thing, and definitely needs to be factored in, but what conditions one is going to use their tires in also plays into it a little bit. And it is true, that many of the lower RR tires have less tread depth, but even if they need replaced more frequently, the fuel savings may off set that quite a bit. And it is also true, that deeper tread tires will "burn" off that first few hundredths of tire tread considerably faster than a low RR tire with less tread depth. For longevity purposes, I think it ends up being a wash. I have taken lower RR tires out as far as higher RR tires and gotten the same tire life out of them. Now to be fair here, I do not get the lowest RR tires available in wide based, simply because of where I run and what I am running in. I use the wide based XDN2 as opposed to the wide based XDA Energy version. Sure, the latte has a better RR, but I have to run down gravel roads quite often, and I am in the northern tier of the country year round. If I was running 48 states, might be a different choice. And the RR difference is not that noticeable in fuel economy. Michelin gives the RR of most every tire, and retread, being made. Easy look up.
I haul wide (three feet over the fog line all day) on I-10 from Phoenix to L.A.. From April through October is "Gator season" out here. If you ever run in places that road temps are 150+ all day DO NOT listen to people who tell you there is no difference. Tire guys out here know for a fact that the overwhelming majority of tires they change are mid-west or east-coast trucks that dont understand the demands you are putting on tires out here in the summer. 75MPH speed limit, 80K pounds, 125 degrees. Tire manufacturers will tell you that 200 degree temps will destroy tires quickly. I have seen 220 temps pretty regularly on heavy loads in the summer... We dont mess with re-caps.
I would not consider recaps if running hot , heavy and or high speeds like out west. When I ran recaps, I was running mostly regional around Indiana. I think a lot of recaps but they have their areas and weakness. Personnelly I like new so I can regroove them.
That is one of the advantages I have. I have narrowed my operating range since '98 down to roughly Nebraska to Ohio, north of I-70. I have no problem with doing the recap thing. I will concede, they are not for everyone, but then, there is no setup, in tires or equipment in general, that fits the needs of everyone. Blanket statements that recaps are the worse thing in the world, or that they can be the best thing since sliced bread, are both on the fringes. They have their place. They can be used for the majority of folks. We can always come up with an example of where they would not be the best choice. If one wants to run like they are trying to get pole position at Daytona, then recaps are probably not the best choice. If one wants to run like that in conditions like Death Valley in the summer, especially so. But if one runs moderately, hauls average payloads, and is good about watching tire pressures and such, recaps can be a cost effective way to go. And truth be told, most of the folks who are serious about recaps, are also the ones who are serious about their overall operating costs and therefore drive in a way to minimize those costs, and they also tend to be the average semi truck, pulling average type loads in dry boxes, refers, and flats. They are not usually the ones pulling heavy haul, trying to set land speed records, or some other niche trucking situation that puts excessive demands on tires and equipment.
The reason I think they'll (recaps) work so well in my operation is because I also run a defined area and never stray from it. Southeast and midwest. Couple that with the fact probably 8 out of 10 loads I haul is under 15,000 lbs in the box. I'm never close to gross vehicle weight, usually heavy would be 70-72k, and the loaded mile average is right at 225 miles. Keep a very close eye on my air pressure. I see no downside. If I blow one out I carry a spare on the truck and can change it out in a half hour and that will be good enough to finish up the job then back home to get a matched tire or whatever. As soon as I park the truck for Christmas break the wheels are coming off and the tires going to get Michelin caps. Going to follow Flightline's break in regimen. Now as far as running 75mph in a state, just because that's the speed limit, when you're grossed out or heavier with 110 or higher ambient temps? Aside from steering wheel holders who does that? I wouldn't run that hard in the daytime if the ambient temp was 85*. I will run 75mph but normally it's at night time. Never faster than that or only a short burst. It's really hard on everything running like that in the heat of the day.
I have ran recaps on my drives since 03. Started off with Bandag caps and now use Goodyear unicircles. I have ran heavy across southern AZ/CA/TX and blew 1 in that time. The entire cap peeled of and held 95psi from Shamrock,TX to OKC. Recap Tech has come along way and the key to long life is keeping up with your psi, whether virgin or cap. My last set of Bandag Megatreks(726 tread) lasted 250k and had plenty of tread left but doing construction sites had chewed them up pretty bad. Virgins wouldn't have lasted any longer in those conditions. The Unicirles I just bought this Aug were $250 ea. mounted. You can listen to the ones who have never ran them and just repeat truck stop stories or someone who actually uses them.
