Well, there is an easy way to determine if they are a safety risk... look at the SafeStat scores for companies that use them exclusively (Conway Truckload uses CFI's old DOT number so those scores go back a ways) vs similar companies that don't.

I'll go out on a limb and say that they don't make a difference on the macro level in a fleet. Some individual drivers might have issues adopting their style to match the tire, though.

Jim

 

What can you possibly do to adapt your driving style to a tire. I go way slower than I used to in wet or slick conditions. Stop sooner than I used to. Knock on wood, so far so good. I am way paranoid though, because I really don't like the way they handle.

I think the fuel savings on an individual truck are too negligible to put them on, versus the downsides you may experience. Such as the traction and the fact you are stuck if you blow one. I have blown 4 in the last 12 months. More than I ever did with duals. Makes me wonder. Our trailers are equipped with the system that puts equal pressure in all tires, and I check my drives regularly. So it isn't lack of checking things out.

If there is anything I could learn, on how to handle super singles different from duals, someone please tell me, anything to make me feel more comfortable with them.

 

Can you carry one as a spare on a typical sleeper configuration?

Swift uses them on the local fleets so I have to believe they see a benefit there. I don't recall seeing them on a road tractor or any trailer. My guess is the potential for a hosing on an on-road repair must be too great.

As far as safety is concerned, if there was a demonstrable difference, as in lawyers could routinely convince a jury that it was a choice of rubber that caused the accident, we'd all have them or they'd be history.

 

Thanx for the input guys. This is what i'm thinkin'. Super singles will give you a .5mpg fuel savings at best. They cost an arm and an infant. The ride might be smoother, but are they just as durable? I think the biggest downside is simply, if you have a tire issue on the road, odds are, you're stuck. So all that fuel you've saved over the past year, will get ate up by, at minimum $1,000 on-road emergency call....and that is if you're close enough to a truck stop that carries them in stock. Seeing how time is money, And you could have saved yourself $1,000 on an e-call by, what....not getting as good a ride as with duals? saving a pint of fuel out of every tank? dunno.....sounds to me sitting on the side of the road is alot worse. cause knowing my luck, if i try to limp into the nearest truck stop, there will be a DOT bear coming along any minute. =)

 

Here's my conclusion:

I'm not terribly concerned about being stranded. Michelin has an 800 number for tire replacement (800-TIRE-911 I believe) and says if they can't have one out to you in two hours then the service call is free. Since I lease on to a company with its own breakdown service, all of this is taken care of for me.

In the first two years of my lease I have paid $106,600 at the pump for fuel (at our company discounted price). Michelin claims 6% better overall fuel economy, which would be about .4 MPG for the average truck. At that amount of fuel, this results in savings of $6,396 in fuel I would have purchased had I run duals during that period but did not.

When I purchased the truck I traded eight duals for my four super singles, and purchased the rims. This came out to $1,516 (this also included upgrading to top-of-the-line Michelin steers instead of the default Goodyear tires from the factory, all mounting, balancing and the like). I just this morning purchased four new super singles, which set me back approximately $3,000 (won't have the actual bill for a few weeks until it gurgles through the system), for a total of $4,516 spent. This leaves $1,880 in savings in my bank account after having paid for two full sets of rubber and one set of rims, and I expect to see 250-300k miles out of the new set before they need replacing.

I conclude that instead of paying approximately one cent per mile for tires I would prefer to not only pay nothing, effectively, but also save money in the bargain. The 400 pounds lighter weight, superior ride and ease of checking inflation levels are thrown in on the bargain.

Good luck,

Jim

 

Jim, You would have spent that $3,000 on a new set of drives anyhow whether they were duals or super singles, so I wouldn't subtracted it from your fuel savings. If in fact you got more miles on a set of singles vs. duals, then your savings on rubber is even more into your savings account. Your only expense was the initial switchover from duals to singles and difference in cost(if any) between a set of 8 standard drive tires and 4 super singles. Sounds to me you made the right financial decision.

BTW, I have never driven a truck with super singles, so I have no personal experience with ride or traction.

 

The way I wrote it was by comparison to duals... if you accept equal levels of usable lifetime (roughly 300k) from one set of duals vs one set of singles, that is the comparison.

Another way to put it is someone with duals is effectively $3,000 in the hole when they replace their first set. At the same point, with brand new rubber, I'm up $1,880 for a difference of $4,880 in my favor.

Jim

 

I was riding behind a guy pulling a Dump Trailer with Super Singles on it and the bitch blew right in front of me and **** went everywhere!! and he had to immed. pull over!! it was a mess... just my pov..

 

The Salt lake city terminal of my company,Mr. Bults Inc, uses super singles on our super sets. We haul 129,000 gross every load so whatever addition MPG we can squeeze out We want. Our trucks get around 3.7 to 4 mpg WITH the super singles. Without we were getting around 3.2 to 3.5. May not seem like much but with our loads it adds up quick and the tires pay for themselves in about 4 months and I can average about a set every 12-14 months. I've been there 3 years and am on my third set with 360k on the odometer.

I live in SLC so my tires see every season and to be honest, I see no difference in Highway travel. Regular vs snow vs rain vs whatever. Now there was a noticeable difference being in snow or mud in low range. These damn trucks can hardly make it outa the yard if there is hard snow pack on the ground with cold tires, but once they heat up, We're fine. But when We do blow one, we are dead in the water! Luckily Our routes are set up so that We are never more than an hour away from the shop, unless the service truck is on the other end of the route you are on