Improving Tyre Maintenance - A Few Tips

1. Pressures

Correct pressure maintenance is the essence of good tyre care. Note The following:

• Pressure Checks Pressures should be checked preferably daily on cold tyres.
• The duties of your tyre maintenance staff will be greatly facilitated by the availability of adequate inflation points and air hoses.
• Poor pressure maintenance is indicated if it takes 10 minutes to inflate a low tyre from 310 kPa to the correct 550 kPa. You need an adequate reserve tank on your compressor
• Inspections of fleets highlight the fact that inners are most neglected. The inexpensive fitting of valve extensions to the inners will facilitate pressure checks and inflation. To inhibit grit entering the valve assembly and causing slow leaks, fit metal valve caps.
• As uniformity of pressure in front, rear and trailer tyres is important, stencil the correct pressure or obtain a pressure sticker from your dealer and place onto The vehicle above each tyre.
• New tyres deserve new tubes. Used tubes are unreliable, as they are more prone to creasing and also do not maintain pressure well.

2. Minimum tread standard

It is uneconomical, dangerous and foolhardy to run a tyre to The point where only one millimeter of pattern remains.
The risk taken by using a smooth or near-smooth tyre on a wet road is very great. Susceptibility to cuts, punctures and fractures is increased. Where truck tyres are concerned, it pays to have them retreaded when about 3mm of tread remains, even though they may be in use on good road surfaces. When in use on rough roads, the tyre should be removed with about 4mm of pattern remaining. Your retreader then has The opportunity to buff down to a well-profiled surface before building on a new tread.

3. Brake maintenance

When slowing down any vehicle, the grip is provided by the footprint of a tyre. There will be tremendous wear on tyres if This effort is not evenly distributed. Tyre costs as well as brake lining costs are minimised by well-balanced brakes.

4. Excessive speeds

Speed is a factor which is relative to the vehicle size and load size. Tyre performance will be adequate with correct pressure at maximum carrying capacity, but there will be normal heat build-up. At speed, the tyre is much more susceptible to punctures, cuts from stones and concussion fractures. It will also wear at an excessive rate. Speeds should be reduced under very hot conditions or where high lateral forces are exerted because of twisting and turning.

5. Tyre matching

Poorly matched duals will result in irregular and very rapid wear. A maximum difference of 12mm in diameter is the rule for large truck sizes.

6. Accurate load/pressure application

DO NOT OVERLOAD. It is not possible to apply correct tyre pressure without accurate axle loadings, so this information must be obtained.

7. Mechanical settings

Steering geometry is important. Set toe-in to zero in the case of radial tyres.

Bogey axles must be in parallel, or irregular wear on certain of the tyres will develop while others run out evenly.

Axle misalignment, where a vehicle train is not running true, will be shown up in the wear pattern of the steering tyres, e.g. toe-out wear on the left and toe-in wear on the right indicating that the driver is always having to correct with left hand down.

It is all too common on our roads to see crabbing vehicles, suffering from broken centre bolts or misaligned axles. This accounts for most of the irregular wear occurring on trailing and steering tyres.

8. Mechanical maintenance

Besides those items already mentioned, there are also spring shackles, tie rod ends, kingpins, weak springs, shock absorbers, etc.

9. Driver participation

The truck driver's attitude towards his job will be influenced to a great extent by the amount of importance which the employer attaches to the job. Tyre costs can be influenced by these attitudes and it is the fleet owner employing well-trained, conscientious drivers, or who sees to it that drivers receive adequate education in all aspects of the job. Who will benefit most.

Two different drivers, doing the same work in the same type of vehicle, can achieve very different tyre performances, to the extent that one will obtain double the tread life of the other. This is a fact. Before setting off each day, drivers should check pressures and tyre conditions. To this effect a reminder notice in the cab and The provision of a good gauge, are recommended practice. Many fleets have reported successful savings based on the system of bonuses awarded for good tyre performance.

10. Correct tyre equipment

Tread patterns vary greatly, especially in truck tyre sizes, within each tyre manufacturing organisation. The motivation for this variety is to be able to cater for the different operating conditions, speeds and tyre positions. Bath steering and trailing tyres traditionally have a ribbed design, catering for good braking capabilities, directional control and grip when wet.

Drive axle tyres are manufactured in premium tread depth with a cross rib design capable of good traction on made up road conditions and yielding tread life far greater than That of a steering type tyre.

Under normal circumstances, these tyres should not be fitted on steering wheels.

Where extra traction is necessary, such as on-off road conditions, tyres are available with the required pattern.