A Roundup of Trailer Tires

They’re rolling across the highways, back roads and shipping yards of North America by the millions as you read this. Maybe they aren’t as sexy or varied as their brethren designed for tractors and straight trucks, but they are the components that literally carry the cargoes that make long-distance trucking possible.

They’re semi-trailer highway tires, and they deserve more respect than they get.

“One of the most important things to keep in mind about trailer tires is that they are often the least-maintained tires in the fleet, and as a result can account for the lion’s share of tire-related downtime,” points out Don Schauer, manager of fleet communication planning at heavy-duty retread specialist Bandag Inc.

“Recall the recent study by The Maintenance Council of the American Trucking Associations that concluded that 86% of the scrap rubber found on and alongside highways came from failures directly attributable to under-inflation,” he says.

“And 70% of all that rubber debris came from rib-tread patterns, which usually means a trailer tire.”

The bottom line: over-the-road (OTR) trailer tires are a key component of a fleet’s spec’ing and purchasing activity, and it pays to know who offers what, and what claims these tiremakers put forth for such products.

Here’s a quick alphabetical rundown of selected models: BANDAG

The Muscatine, Iowa-based retreading giant offers eight OTR-trailer tread designs: the wide-shoulder-rib Eclipse Trailer radial (tread sizes: 7 to 9.5 inches wide; depth: 14/32 inches); Eclipse ST-M Wide Base radial, with special outside ribs to handle turn/cornering stress in spread-axle configurations (tread width: 290 to 340 mm; depth: 16/32 inches); Eclipse ST-M (tread width: 7 to 10.5 inches; depth: 16/32 inches); the FCR Trailer shallow-tread radial for enhanced fuel efficiency (tread width: 7 to 9 inches and 230mm; depth: 11/32-inch); the premium five-rib T4100 (tread width: 7 to 10.5 inches; depth: 15/32 inches); the Hi-Speed, available in radial or bias-ply design (tread width: 3 to 9 inches; depth: 11/32 and 12/32 inches); Wide Base Rib, a five-rib, all-position radial or bias option claiming outstanding mileage (tread width: 15 to 18 inches; depth: 16/32 inches); and the radial/bias Intertransit Trailer, designed for intermodal operations (tread width: 6 to 7 inches; depth: 11/32 inches).

BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE

Bridgestone radial models include the shallow-tread R194 family (all available with either the regular or fuel-saving “MPG” tread compounds), consisting of the R194 (tread width: 7.1 to 7.8 inches; depth: 12/32 inches); the R194F with sidewall protector ribs (tread width: 7.6 to 7.8 inches; depth: 12/32 inches); and the high-fuel-efficiency R194FE (tread width: 7.8 inches; depth: 12/32 inches). The R196 radial claims a tread design for improved water dispersion and better wet traction (tread width: 7.5 to 8.2 inches; depth: 16/32 inches). Under the Firestone banner is the FT455, with solid shoulder ribs to protect against “curbing” damage (tread depth: 12/32 inches).

CONTINENTAL-GENERAL TIRE

The Continental HS-62 radial comes in tube or tubeless styles, with a five-tread design for improved wet traction; tread depths range from 13/32 to 19/32 inches. General’s General Rib ST radial has a wide, 8-inch tread arc, patented Visual Alignment Indicator marks to quickly detect irregular wear, and a 13/32-inch tread depth.

DUNLOP TIRE

The SP131 is a shallow-depth radial with increased resistance to irregular wear (tread width: 7.5 to 7.9 inch; depth: 13/32); the SP160 radial, with a hard-rubber bead chafer to resist rim abrasion, comes in tube or tubeless styles (tread width: 7.2-7.9 inch; depth: 17/32); and the SP251 is a low-platform trailer radial with a specially formulated tread compound to minimize cutting, chipping, and irregular wear (tread width 6.7 inches; depth: 16/32 inches).

GOODYEAR

The Unisteel G314 radial offers a flatter tread surface to put more tread on the road (tread width: 8.25 inches; depth: 12/32); the Unisteel G159A radial is said to minimize “squirm” by using a tread design that promotes rib stability (tread width: 7.5 to 8.25 inches; depth: 16/32 to 19/32 inches); the Unisteel G114 radial’s deep five-rib tread design is intended to offer excellent traction on wet or dry surfaces (tread width 7.5 to 8.25 inches; depth: 12/32 to 14/32 inches); the Wingfoot APR’s tread is computer-optimized for high-side-scrub trailer applications, according to Goodyear (tread width 8.25 inches; depth: 16/32 inches).

KUMHO TIRE

This South Korea-based firm’s offerings include the 961A Power Fleet low-profile radial, with wider shoulder ribs to minimize uneven wear in that region (tread width: 7.5 to 8.25 inches; depth: 17/32 to 19/32 inches); the 982 Power Fleet offers good traction on wet or dry roads, low rolling resistance, and cool running (tread width: 7.5 to 9 inches; depth: 14/32 inches); the 963T Power Fleet is optimized for low-platform trailers (tread width: 6.0 to 6.75 inches; depth: 16/32 to 17/32 inches).

MICHELIN

The XT-1 radial, designed for low rolling resistance and long life, is among the Michelin products authorized the “EcoLogo” symbol for energy savings (tread width: 7.5 to 8.25 inches; depth: 12/32 inches); the XZE offers an extra-wide, extra-deep tread for durability and scrub resistance in a variety of environments (tread width: 6.0 to 9.0 inches; depth: 16/32 to 22/32 inches); the wide-tread XZY-2 is a multi-role unit recommended for applications including high-GVW, multi-axle trailers (tread width: 7.5 to 9 inches; depth: 23/32 inches).