ABSTRACT
Maintaining proper tire inflation is the number one issue facing commercial fleets today. Common, slow-leaking tread area punctures along with leaking valve stems and osmosis through the tire casing lead to tire underinflation with a subsequent loss in fuel economy, reduction in retreadability, tread wear loss, irregular wear, and increase in tire-related roadside service calls.
Commercial truck tires are the highest maintenance cost for fleets second only to fuel. This article will examine tire footprint analysis, rolling resistance data, and the effect on vehicle fuel economy from tires run at a variety of underinflated, overinflated, and recommended tire pressures. This analysis will also include the tire footprint impact by running tires on both fully loaded and unloaded trailers. The footprint analysis addresses both standard dual tires (295/75R22.5) along with the newer increasingly popular wide-base tire size 445/50R22.5.