TYRE TIPS
IMPROVE MILEAGE AND SAFETY.
The tyre is the sole point of contact between the vehicle and the road surface. It is crucial to the safety both of users and goods transported. For a given load and type of work, in clearly defined conditions, there is only one optimum cold tyre inflation pressure.
To ensure optimum safety, reliability and business efficiency it’s important to fit the correct tyre specification. If you follow our basic steps to tyre maintenance, your tyres can deliver maximum mileage potential, even wear and safety.
It’s a fact: smarter tyre management leads to better mileage potential and lower operating costs. Regular care will keep your tyres rolling longer. Good tyre pressure maintenance is vital.
To keep your tyres in top shape, look for these six common problems during routine inspection:
Under inflation
Over inflation
Twinned fitments with different cold inflation pressure
Twinned fitments with different tyre dimensions
Irregular wear pattern
Missing valve caps
TYRE INFLATION BASICS – WE CAN HANDLE THE PRESURE
Want to prolong the life of your tyres and improve the safety of your truck? Check your cold tyre inflation pressure every month, before setting out. Here’s some tips to help you get your tyre pressures just right. (Kpa stands for KiloPascal and PSI stands for Pounds per Square Inch) Another common unit for measuring tyre pressure is Bar, which equals 100 Kpa or approx. 14.5 PSI.
TAG ARCHIVES: HEAVY DUTY TRUCK TIRE
Tires have tendencies to make noise for a variety of reasons while a vehicle is in motion. Common causes for the noisy nuisance of loud tires may include improper inflation, tread wear, and balancing issues. The most effective and affordable solution to noisy tires is preventative service and routine maintenance. Some useful tips to avoid costly repairs down the road and rid your trip of loud tires are using balancing beads, checking for proper inflation, and inspecting tire tread wear
Tractor-trailers, RVs, light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks are often prone to noisy rides because of tire size and the weight of the vehicle. Tread patterns play an active role in the sound produced by the tire and since most equipment tires will vary in style and brand, diagnosing the cause of noises can be difficult. While in some circumstances this sound is attributed to the road condition, in others the problem lies deeper.
Balancing Beads are an affordable and simple solution to tire balancing and can help improve the noise and vibration on tires once installed. Balancing beads should be applied when new tires are being mounted as they will last the full lifetime of the tire. ESCO Balancing Beads can be installed within tires by method of convenient individually packaged bags or by scoop in loose form. Balancing beads also have an added benefit of improving fuel economy and reducing tire vibration, permitting a smoother ride.
Checking your tire pressure often will lengthen the life of your tires, provide the best gas mileage and assist in preventing additional noise. On September 1, 2007, the Tread Act was passed by United States Congress which mandated all light-motor vehicles (under 10,000 lbs) to have a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) technology. Controversially, no legislation exists for heavier vehicles including RVs, tractor-trailers, cargo vans or other medium and heavy-duty vehicles. To reduce noise from tires, check your tire pressure with an accurate dial or digital gauge before any long trip and while conducting other routine service or maintenance on your vehicle.
An excellent habit for drivers of heavier vehicles to develop is conducting routine visual inspections of tread wear on tires. When faced with unusual noise from tires, examining your tires’ tread could lead to a quick diagnosis of uneven wear or damage. Uneven tire tread is often the culprit for noisy tires and is typically linked to improper inflation or inaccurate wheel alignment. Should your vehicle’s tire noise not subside after proper inflation, it’s recommended you visit a local tire service specialist to check for other mechanical issues.
truck driving tips from experienced truckers
My first lessons included good practices to make your day go more smoothly. I didn’t get that information from a book, but from qualified trainers who took the time to cause me to think about the next step and develop good habits that would help me in my work.
Look back at your truck after parking.
I park my truck in a parking spot, get out of the truck and walk toward the operating center. I have been told numerous times what to do when I walk away from the truck and I think I know it by now. My trainer says to me, “Are you done?” I respond, “Yes!”
Be aware of your trailer 24/7.
If it leaves the road or goes outside of the line, you aren’t driving safely. That trailer is a weapon that could get you and others injured or killed. But the expression I learned when I was backing up very close to the trailer next to me was, “Drive that trailer or you are subject to failure!” I never forgot it. Thank you, Ken Booker!
Do a good pre-trip inspection.
You never know when you will be asked, “Did you do a pre-trip?” And if it’s a DOT officer, you want to know if you looked good at the inspection date, the lights, the tires, the pins, fifth wheel, lights and even the valve stem covers. I’m picky about them and keep plenty extra in my side pocket door.
When you see the spot you want, pay attention to the tire path.
Many times the truck that just pulled out will have a perfect path to back into. Aim your tire for that path. You will be surprised at how close you can get and how much you will improve your accuracy by paying attention to the path your wheels are taking. But don’t forget to G.O.A.L. (Get Out And Look)! That is some of the best advice truckers ever got! I heard it from all trainers, but more often from Joe Ward, retired, and my own husband, Joe Nader. Thanks to all!
CAR CARE TIPS
we want our customers to be in the know about how to properly care for their car or truck. We want you to understand why and how your tires wear; how to get the best gas mileage; and overall how to get the most out of your tires. Hopefully, with these helpful tips you will be able to improve gas mileage and reduce tire wear when driving
Car Maintenance and Care
Change your fluids on time, every time.
Change your oil every 3,000 miles for regular, 5,000 miles for synthetic oil
Change antifreeze fluid every 30,000 miles.
Change brake fluid every 30,000 miles.
Change transmission fluid every 30,000 miles.
Schedule a maintenance check every 15, 30, 60, and 90,000 miles.
Replace your air filter every 12 months or 12,000 miles (whichever comes first).
Replace your fuel filter every 2 years or 24,000 miles (whichever comes first)
Tire Maintenance and Care
Rotate your tires every 5,000 miles or every 6 months.
Check your tire pressures approximately once a week. Low tire pressures can affect fuel economy, handling and comfort. To accurately measure your tire pressure, check tires when they are cold. Wait at least three hours after driving.
Always make sure that your wheels are properly aligned. Badly aligned wheels will again lead to dragging of the car on the road.
Check your spare tire each month and keep it properly inflated so it¹s ready to go when you need it most.
Use the penny trick to determine if the tread on your tires is worn to low. Take a penny and put Abraham Lincoln’s head into one of the grooves of the tread. If part of his head is covered by the tread, you’re ok. If you can see all of his head, it’s time to replace the tire. When the tread is worn down to 1/16 of an inch, tires must be replaced.
Gas Mileage Tips
Check and/or change your air filter every 6 months to improve fuel economy and keep your engine running smoothly.
Don’t top off. Don’t bother topping off when filling your car’s gas tank. Any additional gas is just going to slop around or seep out.
Tighten up that gas cap. Gas will evaporate from your car’s gas tank if it has an escape. Loose, missing or damaged gas caps cause 147 million gallons of gas to evaporate each year.
Go for the shade. The hot summer sun that makes the inside of your car feel like a sauna also evaporates fuel from your gas tank.
Use the right oil. You can improve your car’s gas mileage by 1 percent to 2 percent by using the manufacturer’s recommended grade of motor oil.
And most important of all……
Always check for potential problems before they happen.
Tips For Light Truck Tire shoppers
Are you in the market for new rubber to replace your worn light truck tires? If so, there’s some critical information you should keep top of mind.
Foremost, remember that the ability to bear weight is the defining distinction when considering tires made for light trucks (LT). When conducting your tire research, keep your particular vehicle’s weight and the load you’re expecting it to carry – or haul – at the very forefront.
Michelin’s fitment guide reminds users: “Sizing for light truck tires takes the performance requirements of the vehicle, and the tires, into account.” Reading the sidewall markings of your tire is, therefore, a very good place to start. If the “LT” marking precedes the tire’s size markings (e.g. LT235/70R16), then you should be looking for a replacement tire that also bears this marking, rather than a P-Metric marking (e.g. P235/70R16). In the latter instance, P stands for passenger.
P-metric tires are installed on vehicles primarily used to carry passengers including cars, station wagons, sport utility vehicles and even light duty pickup trucks. Their load capacity is based on an engineering formula which takes into account their physical size (the volume of space for air inside the tire) and the amount of air pressure (how tightly the air molecules are compressed). All P-metric sizes are based on the formula for load. Euro metric and P-metric tires in the same size (i.e. P215/65R16 and 215/65R16) are equivalent in their dimensions with just slight differences in their load capacity calculations and inflation pressure tables.
Light truck tires, on the other hand, have evolved along with the expanded applications of trucks and vans that have grown to be multi-purpose vehicles, which consumers use for work, for recreation or as passenger vehicles.