Steer tire on drives?

It's not spinning faster. That's not even possible. It's just not touching the pavement under the same amount of pressure. The other tire is carrying the load and the smaller diameter tire is practically like running on sand paper sanding itself down. I had a couple of mismatched tires like this on the trailer one time and had one go completely bald in under 500 miles. Like a pencil erasure on sand paper is what it's like.

As far as steer tires on the drives I'm thinking about doing this when my drives wear out. At my old company they did this for a couple of decades on their 100+ regional fleet. All steer tires on the tractor running southeast, midwest, and northeast. I never once in 9 years driving their trucks ever got stuck in snow or ice. I did have issues now and then but nothing too bad.

 

Well yes it is spinning faster (yes it is a very slight difference but enough to peel the tread right off) the circumference is smaller than the tire beside it, so it reaches a full revolution before the bigger tire. But!! Being attached to the bigger it forced to rotate at the speed of the larger tire so with it being smaller and having less circumference the tread just gets scuffed off. Usually in about 200-300 miles.

 

Simple math and science.

 

It's impossible for one to spin faster than the other. They both spin at the exact same speed. They're bolted together. You can paint a line across the tread of both and plainly see they move the exact same speed when spun. Common sense. One is scuffing smooth because it is lifted almost off the road surface not bearing any load practically polishing it's self.

 

It's not that the tire is rotating faster it's that the surface of the shorter tire is moving faster(or trying to). Think of it like this if you measure the circumference of both tires the taller tire will be longer. The shorter (length on the tape) tire, the surface, has to move faster to keep up.

To finish my thought process the two different size tires are turning the same speed and goin the same distance. The shorter tire needs to go faster to keep up with the taller but since it can't the shorter tire is slid, the additional distance. Which is why it wears faster.

 

The new tire will carry load. As older tired will skip and bounce as it hits the pavement. This wearing out faster. And leave one stranded down the road when taller tire gets over heated on blows out from the heat .

 

For drives better too buy two tires. Then use other for spare on trailer . My take

 

This is too funny , really guys.
The two mismatched tires run at exactly the same RPM , they are bolted together.
The larger tire has a larger circumference so its linear speed is higher at its outermost.
Diameter x 22/7 gives the distance per revolution.
Both tires are however moving at the same speed in a vertical plane (road speed).

I am not sure why the smaller would wear out quicker but it is not because one is spinning faster and it is not because one scuffing due to moving slower as it is moving at the same speed as the tarmac as is the larger tyre.
The smaller tire should only contact the road when the larger is deflected at road contact point to the degree that it matches the radius of the smaller. As they are then exactly the same ther should be no scuffing.
I would think the larger would wear quicker as it carries more load.

 

Google will surprise all of us. But a good tire shop will not mount recaps on steer.

 

The smaller one wears.
It is hard to put into words but i will give it a go.
As pointed out rpm are the same.
Take a fixed point on each tire.
In road distance they travel the same distance but if you measure the distance to make a full circle on each tire (fixed point to the same fixed point) then there is a difference.
It is that difference that scuffs the tire.

Get it?