Tire/Wheel Thread

Maybe you don't understand it we are not talking about the difference in drivers it the difference in trucks. If you took one driver put him in lets say a Freightliner Classic run from Riverside Ca to Charlotte NC and back then put him in a Volvo 670 same engine trans and rears run the same trip same weight and drive it the way he will put more money in his pocket with the Volvo than with the Freightliner
I dont know why people want to put the driver in play when it comes to difference in fuel mileage in different trucks If you put different drivers in the same truck you will get different fuel mileage ask JB Hunt some get fuel bonus some dont

 

So your telling me the only thing between me an 8+mpg is the hood on this truck? Golly gee! I bet it's only gonna get better since I just picked the trailer back up yesterday from having 5 feet more added to the neck.



I know it's "not possible" to get over 4mpg with a classic styled truck with a big motor but last light weight load this truck hauled it got 7mpg (45k load, not the normal 84k).





A friend has 8 KW 6 axle dump trucks. Please, if you could tell me how much he would increase his yearly profit by buying aero trucks? Remember the biggest factor in fuel mileage as you guys say is the shape of the hood, what your hauling or the environment the truck is working in has very little to do with it. The aero truck ALWAYS makes more money. I'm also assuming the resale value and maintenance costs are also factored into the profit. Please get me those numbers ASAP, he's only been doing it for 10+yrs I'm sure he's just itching to switch, as am I. These 5 "brick" trucks we've got are just killing me on fuel. 5-7 mpg is ridiculous!

 

Ok I'll let you be right I just have to call all them dumb xxx researchers that been saying that aerodynamic reduce drag. They spent all that money on school and research and they could have just called you

 

^^^^^ That is some finny stuff right there.

 

If we all drove trucks in a wind tunnel the one with the best aero would get the best fuel economy.

However, in 38 years, I have never been dispatched to haul a load inside a wind tunnel so we have to deal with real world situations.

My 379 came with a roof mounted air deflector on the cab/sleeper. The first two owners ran reefers...I was pulling flatbed loads when I bought it so, after about 6 months, I pulled it off...voila! I GAINED 1/2 mile per gallon on a regular basis.

My 379 gets from mid-5's to mid-6's on a regular basis... depending on loads (almost all are over 80K) pulling a 13'6" van. Last week my best was 6.5. The trucks lifetime ECM was 6.23 the last time I checked.

I have a heavy foot on occasion... it's not unusual to see me running 70 in a 65... I like to sleep so occasionally I have to make-up time to make my appointments. I'm a big boy so I can handle my fuel bills...

What you all-aero guys fail to understand is what you save in fuel you pay for when it comes to paying more for parts, and labor... mostly labor... when your truck needs repair under the hood... those trucks cost $$$ to repair.

And a 'classic' can be repaired after a crash while most welded steel/fiberglass simply get recycled. Hell I've repaired my totaled 379 myself in my driveway... That's why they hold their value and will continue to do so for many years...

 

the original cord story i read was in land line magazine and later retracted because it is obviously false.

jfaulk and others repeat retread advertisements without ever taking a few seconds think about how valid the claims are

 

severly confused? im not the one getting on here repeating everything the retread industry claims or prints in advertisements as fact

but it does seem that maybe you are catching on to a little trickery they use.


pay attention here. THE TREAD ON A VIRGIN TIRE DOES NOT CONTAIN CORDS NIETHER DOES ANY TREAD REMOVED BEFORE GLUING A NEW CORDLESS GATOR ON.

everyone knows summertime = gators on the road, heat,stress,time and recap glue dont mix and any little space that develops between a casing and cap can cause friction and build heat, the cap will also insulate and hold the heat in more so than virgin tire. fact is a cap can and will often ruin what most would consider a perfect casing.


and no i do not support any attempt to outlaw the sale or use of recaps there is already enough penalty built into the tire.


will i ever buy recaps again? very doubtful but maybe!!

 

Finally someone gets it!!!! I'm not saying aerodynamics don't play a roll in fuel economy. But is it the biggest factor? Please Mr.Plumbcrazy please answer my questions. Do you HONESTLY believe two trucks running the same route hauling the same load both pulling a RGN with a bulldozer, or even the coil trailer I posted a pic of earlier grossing 120,000 lbs. Are going to have ANY MEASURABLE difference in fuel usage? I know you LOVE to throw out the names of fancy research labs and aerodynamic studies but this is the real world, as Krooser said, not a wind tunnel!

I'll give you one more chance to answer my question. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me how much improvement the owner of this truck would see by switching to a Volvo pulling this load.


Since you have failed to answer it every other time I've asked. Remember you claim an aero truck ALWAYS make more money and I've given you several instances in which it makes ZERO measurable difference which you always seem to miss. Would it help if I would change the color of the font or make it bigger so you wouldn't miss it as easily?

 

I'm not quoting any ad. I'm only passing on what I know from experience. Am I just an anomaly having zero issues with caps running an average of 100,000 mi per year with 6 trucks and 12 trailers? See this is what's funny the guys that run them aren't doing it because they like taking chances. They run them because they work. Seems the guys who claim to be tire experts and know all about caps, don't use them. I've never owned a reefer, guess I should start a thread about how great/bad they are. Makes as much sense as the "caps are horrible, but I never use them" group on here. You may have used them in the past and have had issues, I'm telling you why you have had the issues, not because someone told me or I read it in an ad but because of real world experience.

This thread is FULL of blanket statements, which doesn't surprise me considering it's full of truck drivers. But making dumb statements like "all aero trucks make more money" or "all caps are junk" make you look as stupid as someone saying "all blonds are dumb"!

 

Ok, you've had your say. Now, how about some truth, and a little dose of reality.

Explain to me this? Why are all the big OTR companies. No, no, wait... Why are all the LTL companies (which haul more freight than ANYBODY) going to the slopped nose Volvo type trucks? Would it be because they're jack hats and don't know any better? Or do you suppose there is something to the longevity of those trucks? How come SAIA has almost all Volvo's now? How about FedEx and UPS? How come they are all running, or in the process of switching to slopped nose Volvos? Are you going to say cause they can buy them cheaper? Or is it because they are the total package? What do you think they care more about in the long run? Ease of maint, cheaper sticker price, or looking good? I am pretty sure its not the looking good choice...

Why is it you think your truck is so much cheaper/easier to work on? I have driven BOTH over the years for many years, and I can tell you your long nose isn't much, if any easier to work on. Further, your long nose is much louder in the cab, causes more driver fatigue, has way less living space, has less storage space than a comparable Volvo model.

How about a bit of truth? Can you admit you have never set foot in a Volvo? Can you admit you've never even glanced inside the cab of one, let alone run down the road in one? Any possibility of you telling the truth here? You can still hate them lol, that's fine it really don't make a rats ###. Just be honest about it, can ya?