Lo-Pro VS Standard?

Well lo-pros can be cheaper than the stand ups, also they are alot easier to find in the lower 48. I think as far as fuel millage goes you will see better millage out of lo-pros, do to them being lighter and having less rolling resistance. The stand ups will last longer but not by much.

 

You nailed it buddy. Just wanted to give you a solid number based on what I have seen in my operation. The fuel mileage between 22.5 LP and 11R24.5 is about .5-.7 mpg due to rolling resistence. The difference between 22.5LP and 11R22.5 is between .3-.4 due to rolling resistence. It is pretty significant to say the least. I won't even think about buying 24.5 tires anymore.

 

it's more like 200 rpm isn't it? not 50 or 60. also if pulling a van you have fifthwheel height to worry about. if your trailer wasn't built for tall rubber you can be over 13'6"

 

I had a tire shop in the mid eighties catering to big trucks.

back then it was a bit more controversial swapping from 11r to lp's or even the super lp 255's.

did the better fuel mileage make up the difference in lost longevity???

of course back then... fuel was going for .49 a gallon including the fed tax.

biggest mistake I saw back then... was guys were used to airing tires to 100psi some only airing to 90 because they were used to bias ply which only took 80psi.

to little air psi made for funky wear patterns and generated more heat.

lp's (then) were supposed to be aired to 115 psi and the 255/70/22.5's took 125-130 psi. which scared alot of guys???? thought it would blow up and get them like an old split rim... hehehe

another no-no I saw made all the time was running a new tire against an old one. On the road, if you have a flat, and your tires are worn down you should buy a used to get home on or else buy (2) new ones.

bolting an old tire against a new one will generate heat (possibly causing a blow-out) and one tire will scrub every revolution until the two tires match-up. If you think about it, you'll see it really does not make sense to pay for a new tire and leave all the new scrubbed off in the first thousand miles.

Transport America was the first company I've been around that actually matches tires... the mechanics measure the circumference and marks the take-off with a tire crayon. When you come in with a flat they will measure your good tire and pull the closest matching tire out of stock to mate with it.

also they don't add air to low tires at the shop. If you pull in with a tire lower than 70psi they assume it has a hole (smart) and swap tires out to get you going in a hurry then will air the take-off up and look for leaks after you are gone. good program...

 

you should rethink your numbers. if you use trucks computer to calculate mpg, then you are way off. 11R24.5 has like 10% bigger diameter meaning less revolutions per mile. the truck doesn't know the tire size its running. so when you go from 22.5LP to 11R24.5, you should divide your mpg by 1.1, because of how different the truck measures miles. The truck measures miles based on tire revolutions, not true miles. You may find that your 11R24.5 are acutally significannly more fuel efficient. science says that rolling resistance for 24.5 tires is LOWER than that of 22.5 tires...

 

It takes more horse power and more fuel to turn the tall rubber. Also the tall rubber has alot more flex in the side wall whitch creates more heat which it lost energy. For best fuel economy you go with LP 22.5 and gear the rear ends to match your road speed

 

No body has mentioned ground clearance, and for some of us, that means everything.
Tall rubber rides better, a trade off because of the side wall flex and rolling resistance, some of us has been known to run 12 r instead os 11 r, both for the ride and the ground clearance, especially on the steer axle.
The haul road is rough, I have only seen lo pro rubber on trucks that only ran a trip or two.
Sometimes it just isn't about the fuel mileage.